Mischief and hope: St. Jude patient Miguel’s journey through cancer

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One recent night, as Lily lay in bed with her son, Miguel, she felt something on his head. It was sticky. As she examined his head, adorned with a few fragile strands of hair regrown after chemotherapy, she noticed something blue.

She soon realized that Miguel, who she lovingly calls Mikey, had somehow smeared the blue slime he had made in science class that day onto the few patches of hair that had regrown. Swiftly, she grabbed some adhesive remover wipes she had on hand to untangle the sticky mess. 

“Oh, Mikey,” she recalled saying. 

She couldn’t help but smile through her frustration. Despite the chaos, Lily appreciated that moment and other similar ones she had with Miguel, her only child. At only 7, Miguel has been treated for childhood cancer for much of his life and has been a patient of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® since he was an infant. When Miguel gets into mischief or doesn’t pick up his toys because he’s busy doing other things, Lily said, it is a reminder of his playful spirit, energy and resilience.  

“I’m just grateful that he is here, that he is feeling well, that he can get into mischief, and it’s a blessing,” she said. 

Lily, who left her job to be with Miguel during treatment, describes her son as fun, valiant and strong. He is a little boy who has faced much of his sickness with a smile and unwavering determination.  

“He is my life, my inspiration and my strength,” she said. 

When Miguel was 5 months old, photos showed a glare in his eyes. Miguel was soon diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer that affects the thin membrane on the back of the eye that senses light and color and sends messages to the brain that allow for vision.  

His mother was devastated by the news.

“I remember crying a lot at work,” she recalled. “I remember I said if my child dies, I will die with him. I couldn’t imagine life without him.”  

Miguel was referred to St. Jude because he fit the criteria for SJRET6, a clinical trial that aimed to see how giving chemotherapy directly to the eye during the first two cycles worked in treating children who had advanced tumors in one or both eyes. At St. Jude, he would have access to one of the world’s largest groups dedicated to the treatment of pediatric retinoblastoma which included the specialists — oncologists, surgeons, pediatric ophthalmologists, radiotherapy specialists, occupational therapists and more — he needed for his treatment and recovery.

Lily said when she first arrived at St. Jude, she worried about how she was going to pay for the cost of treatment and their stay in Memphis, Tenn. She remembers having a conversation with her father, who lives in Mexico, after Miguel was first diagnosed. He vowed he would sell his house and car to pay for his grandson’s treatment. But to her relief, Lily and her family soon learned families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food. 

At St. Jude, a conversation with a nurse also eased her mind about Miguel’s treatment. 

“I felt a lot of relief, a lot of peace,” Lily said. “I remember that the nurse told me that they were going to take care of Mikey, and she told me in a way that I believed and still believe it, because 7 years have passed, and we are still here.”  

At St. Jude, doctors embarked on a relentless battle to save both of Miguel’s eyes and his overall health. Because St. Jude treats the patient, rather than the disease, Miguel’s doctors used a combination of chemotherapy, laser treatment and cryotherapy to combat his condition. Alongside these treatments, Miguel also received physical, occupational and speech therapies to help him reach his developmental milestones. 

Thanks to the dedicated care he received at St. Jude, Miguel’s vision was preserved in one of his eyes. 

“I will always be so grateful to St. Jude,” she said. “It is very sad what we have gone through with Mikey, but it is a blessing to be here, and St. Jude will always mean hope for me.” 

Miguel finished eye cancer treatment in 2020 and returned to St. Jude for regular checkups and screenings. 

A second cancer

When he returned home to Texas, Miguel resumed his life and things slowly returned to a new normal. A lover of healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables, Miguel was thriving and growing. He started school and began to play soccer. An outgoing and friendly child, Miguel makes friends easily.  

But one spring night in 2024, Lily noticed something strange on Miguel's right cheek. It was a growth near the right ear. Worried, she took him to the pediatrician. Several tests later revealed a tumor. Miguel returned to St. Jude.

At St. Jude, Miguel was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancerous tumor that develops in soft tissue. The tumor was in the right side of Miguel’s face. His treatment for the new cancer began with chemotherapy to facilitate the surgery and limit the risks of disfiguration. After three cycles of chemotherapy, Miguel underwent surgery in August 2024 to have his tumor resected. Miguel remains in treatment in Memphis, and his ongoing treatment includes another year of chemotherapy. 

"The hospital for him is not something traumatic ... he feels very comfortable, and he feels loved here at St. Jude,” Lily said. 

In fact, Lily said, when Miguel comes across the St. Jude logo of a silhouette of a child, he thinks it is him.  

Lily and Miguel live in Target House, a long-term apartment-style housing facility for St. Jude patients and their families located near the research hospital. 

When Miguel feels up to it, Lily likes to make the most of their time together planning activities. They take day trips to Graceland, the Memphis Zoo and the Children’s Museum of Memphis.  

"I want him to have as much of a normal life as possible," his mom said.

In the fall of 2024, he celebrated his 7th birthday at Target House with a few local friends where he swung at a piñata before colorful candy rained on him and his friends. He also dressed up as an orange cat, Buddy — a character from SuperKitties — for Halloween, which is among his favorite holidays. 

Miguel attends classes at the St. Jude Imagine Academy by Chili's school program, which ensures patients have what they need to do well in school. There, his mom proudly states Miguel excels in math and can solve problems at a third-grade level. He also enjoys science and creating things like slime. He likes to play soccer, bike and to visit water parks. 

Miguel sometimes talks about his future, including being a dad one day.  

“I want him to be a happy person, to help others and to grow and finish school and form a family,” Lily said. “Above all, I just want him to be happy, and to help others, because if you do that, everything else will go well.”