Given a second chance at life, St. Jude patient Reid makes the most of every moment

At the youth service on Wednesday evenings, upstairs in a Baptist church in northwestern Mississippi, 17-year-old Reid stands out. He’s almost 6 feet tall, rocks out on the electric guitar with the band, and carries himself confidently — but it’s more than that.

Younger kids look up to Reid. They listen when he talks, even if they’ve heard some of what he has to say from adults. It hits differently coming from Reid.

He understands that life can feel overwhelming at times. There’s so much to do, places to be, expectations to meet. Be positive. Don’t give up. Reid tells them to hold onto hope.

Lean on your faith and your family and friends. They’ll help pull you through.

Even though Reid isn’t much older than them, and younger than some, he has a wise-beyond-his-years perspective on life because of what he’s been through. Reid encourages others to make the most of every moment. Soak up life.

It’s what Reid does, because he almost didn’t get the chance. 

‘It was staring right at us’ 

Reid was 7 in January 2015, sitting at the kitchen table just after school, when his mom asked him a question. Reid looked up at her but only with his right eye. His left eye stayed still. 

His mom, Michelle, thought he was goofing around. “Reid, what are you doing with your eyes?” she said. “That’s crazy. Stop doing that.” Reid didn’t know what she meant.

Michelle let Reid go out to play but called his pediatrician’s office. She knew something wasn’t right. By the next morning, Reid’s left eye was starting to bulge. 

Michelle let Reid go to school for chapel before his appointment with the pediatrician. The doctor took one look at Reid and sent them to the local children’s hospital.

It could be a host of things, Michelle remembers the doctor telling her, few of them good.

At the hospital, Michelle accompanied Reid for an MRI. Barry, Reid’s dad, was directed to sit in the hallway with a chaplain.

It felt unreal, Michelle said. Reid seemed perfectly fine. He had no symptoms. No pain.

Reid was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, not far from where the family lives just over the state line in Mississippi. He was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer, behind his left eye. The tumor could push out the eye or work its way inward.

“We could always see our cancer,” Michelle said. “It was staring right at us.”

A promise to hold onto

Michelle and Barry were longtime donors to St. Jude but had never been there. At St. Jude, they met Reid’s treatment team — oncologists, radiologists, nurses — in a conference room to learn the multimodal treatment plan for Reid’s tumor.

Reid could tell his mom and dad were scared. But his pediatric oncologist was reassuring. Reid held onto that. His treatment included chemotherapy, proton beam radiotherapy and surgery that carried the risk of Reid losing his eye.

The eye was spared. But when a follow-up PET scan revealed that residual tumor had progressed and wrapped around the orbital eye muscles, Reid underwent a second surgical resection. Pathology reports led to a more precise diagnosis of ectomesenchymoma, a fast-growing soft tissue tumor with rhabdomyoblastic components, which required additional chemotherapy.

Reid took it in stride. His left eyelid droops, but his vision in that eye is 20/40, not significantly worse than the normal 20/20. 

Reid knows it could have been worse. 

Try new things

Reid is an honor student, a senior in high school, enjoying all the trappings that brings: homecoming, senior portraits, college tours. He wants to study business. 

Reid took up the guitar at 14. His dad taught him to play, and then Reid honed his skills with YouTube tutorials. At 15, he joined the band at church.

Reid enjoys hanging out with his friends and playing golf, basketball and pickleball. He hunts and fishes with his dad. Reid loves to travel. Next up for his family is Italy. He likes the adventure of it.

Two years ago, in Utah’s Zion National Park, his family signed up for a guided tour, hiking and rappelling the breathtaking canyons. His dad is a pilot, and Reid loves to fly, but he’s not a fan of heights. 

In Zion, his mom encouraged Reid to back off the canyon’s edge and rappel down, “Just give it a try” — and she went first. Behind Reid, his little sister was eager for her turn. His dad gave Reid a nudge.

He rappelled down the first route and was hooked. He said it was fun — terrifying — but fun.

Try new things. It’s what he tells the kids at church. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You might surprise yourself.

Reid tells them to hold tight to family and friends, the people who care about them most. He learned the power of that while in treatment at St. Jude. 

His family and friends had to grapple with possibly losing him. His sister, Aubrie, now 11, was just 16 months old when Reid was diagnosed, so she grew up watching her brother battle cancer. 

Reid is grateful for them all. Cancer strengthened his relationships — and his faith. 

Living to the max

Reid is even keeled and positive, always. Not much stresses him out. Not even cancer.

Reid returns to St. Jude annually for checkups. He marvels at how it has grown: new research labs, patient housing facilities, and outpatient and clinical office buildings. He’s grown up along with St. Jude. 

Reid doesn’t worry about his cancer coming back, although it’s a possibility. He takes life in stride, living each day to the max. He hardly ever misses a Friday night football match or Tuesday night basketball game. He spends time with family and friends. He’s excited about what comes next.

It’s a future his parents weren’t sure he’d get. “When we left school that day when he was 7 years old, we didn’t know if he’d come back to school, let alone get a driver’s license or go on college tours,” Michelle said. 

Because when your child has cancer, Michelle said, “The future isn’t five, 10 or 15 years down the road. The future is the next 24 hours. You’re truly living for the next day, one day up, one day down, just day to day.” Now she can imagine what is possible for Reid, and she embraces every moment along the way, something she learned from Reid.

It’s how he lives — and what he tells the kids at church.

They’re at the age when they’re pressured to follow one path or another. Reid tells them to follow their passions. Be true to yourself.

His advice is more than words. It is a testament to strength and science, family, friendship and faith, and the power of hope. If Reid can overcome his challenges — and make the most of every moment — they can, too.