Name: Alethea
Diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia
Home state: Illinois
Nine-month-old Alethea had been sick for about a week, and her doctors grew more concerned when they noticed irregularities in her blood work. After a full day of tests at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® affiliate clinic in Peoria, Ill., Alethea’s father Jeff said, “the bomb was dropped on us.” The doctors diagnosed the baby with acute myeloid leukemia, and the family was referred to the main hospital in Memphis.
Within two days, Jeff and his wife found themselves walking through the doors of St. Jude, carrying their sick child. Jeff recalls that the experience was overwhelming, but soon they found relief.
“You see all this hope,” said Jeff. “If St. Jude were not there, where would all these children be? What hope would there be for them?”
Alethea immediately started an intense treatment plan at St. Jude for the cancer, which included several rounds of chemotherapy.
“Being a dad and watching a child go through this is tough. As any parent, you want to protect your child from pain,” said Jeff. “There are times when she’d look at me like, ‘Dad, why are you letting this happen?’ and it would kill me.”
While Alethea has had rough days, Jeff and his wife believe St. Jude will save their little girl and allow her to grow up to live a full, meaningful life. And they have faith that
St. Jude will help other young patients do the same.
“St. Jude is not just a hospital. It’s a place where cures are being found – and those cures will touch everyone’s life. That’s why everyone should support this hospital because we will all benefit from it.”
Today, the nearly 2-year-old Alethea is doing well and returns to St. Jude every month for check ups.
