A life-altering diagnosis and the power of perspective: Quincy's dad, Quinton

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One morning, after 7-year-old Quincy had complained about stomach problems, his parents took him in for an ultrasound.

His parents were obviously concerned, but not terrified. 

“I fell asleep and woke up when they were done,” said Quinton, Quincy’s dad.

Afterwards, he took Quincy to school and then he went to work. During a meeting later that day, he got a call from a number he didn’t recognize. Like most people, he didn’t answer. When they immediately called again, he excused himself to take the call in the hallway. 

It was Quincy’s pediatrician.

After testing at St. Jude, Quincy was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a solid cancerous tumor of the kidney that arises from immature kidney cells. 

“When that happened, it literally, completely changed everything for me, my family, my son of course,” Quinton said. “It just gave me a completely different outlook on life.”

Quincy was in treatment for less than a year. He’s 13 now. His little sister is 7. He comes back to St. Jude every year for checkups. 

Quinton says they made lots of friends at St. Jude. He remembers seeing the mother of a boy who had the same cancer as Quincy at a St. Jude fundraising event.

“She, unfortunately, had to tell us he didn’t make it,” Quinton said. 

Knowing that their journey could have taken that same turn teaches an enduring lesson. Never take anything for granted.

“You literally can be here one day and gone, not even the next day, the next minute,” Quinton said. “You just never know.”