From St. Jude cancer survivor to Air Force medic: Kylie Mahar’s inspiring journey

Photo: Kylie and her great-grandmother

Airman First Class Kylie Mahar strides into the David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, ready for the daily briefing. As an Air Force medic, she’s a vital part of the radiation technology team where she takes X-rays at the largest Air Force hospital in the continental U.S. Her days are a whirlwind, rotating through the ER, inpatient wards, outpatient clinics and operating room, while also training newbies in X-ray technology.

The 22-year-old dreams of becoming a radiation oncologist. Her journey is fueled by gratitude for life itself, having survived acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as a child. 

Diagnosed at 3, she was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, where she underwent chemotherapy. 

“People are usually astonished that I was a St. Jude kid,” Kylie said. “I just tell them it’s a great place, and it saved my life.”

Kylie said St. Jude gave her a foundation of medical knowledge and empathy.

The same is true of her Grandma Gail, a dedicated adult oncology nurse from Knoxville, Tennessee, who cared for Kylie throughout her treatment at St. Jude and during her childhood. 

“I wanted to follow in her footsteps to have her work ethic, be a go-getter,” Kylie said. “The example she set for me was probably the biggest influence I had.”

A strum away   

The arid scrubs and grasslands of Fairfield, where Travis AFB is located, are a stark contrast with Kylie’s verdant Knoxville hometown, with its forests of poplar, maple and dogwood.

Yet, the moment Kylie strums her Gibson Dove acoustic guitar, a beloved heirloom from Grandma Gail, the miles melt away.

“My creative side is my natural side,” said Kylie, who also loves to draw. 

Kylie learned music from Grandma Gail, who played steel guitar, bluegrass saw and musical spoons. Most of all, her grandmother loved playing blues and old-time country tunes on the Gibson Dove. 

“Her dream growing up was to become a country music star,” Kylie said. “When she was a teen, her guitar was stolen while at a performance. So, my great-grandmother worked extra shifts at the factory to buy her the Gibson Dove.”

Kylie’s grandmother “worked day in and day out,” Kylie said, to become an oncology nurse, while raising three kids.

Her nursing expertise, Kylie said, “put her in the perfect situation to be able to take care of me at St. Jude.”

Giving back

Kylie’s Grandma Gail died in 2015, an immeasurable loss softened for Kylie by the journals she left behind.

During Kylie’s treatment in 2006, her Grandma Gail wrote about the unexpected family she found at St. Jude. “The other parents and patients, doctors and nurses all became members of this family,” she wrote. “Thank God for St. Jude and all the dedicated professionals.”

Grandma Gail also reflected on her bond with Kylie: “This time has given me the opportunity to really get to know this little person and take nothing for granted.”

Today, Kylie returns to St. Jude as a participant in St. Jude LIFE, a research cohort study that tracks the long-term health of former patients. Information collected from Kylie and other childhood cancer survivors will help St. Jude improve future treatments to reduce late effects — the treatment-related health conditions that occur months or even years after treatment has ended. It’s just one more way that Kylie gives back, while providing her with important health information and follow-up care plans. 

“I still think of St. Jude as part of my present,” Kylie said. “It’s nice to know they’re still looking out for me.”