Children & Teams

Ariana loves to sing, dance, draw, and play games on her phone. She is a huge fan of Lettie, Tyler Perry, and Andra Day.  Ariana was originally diagnosed in April of 2014.  She relapsed on November 1, 2018. This was a routine MRI.  She had a successful brain surgery tumor resection on November 5, 2018.  Ariana started radiation on January 3, 2019 and endured 39 rounds, with ringing the bell on February 8, 2019. She started outpatient chemotherapy on February 18, 2019.  She will have 12 rounds of this very aggressive chemo. Ariana and her family are just taking life one day at a time and relying on God. St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Ariana’s team have been great to her and her family. Pedal is changing people’s lives due to the cutting edge research that is being done.  Ariana and her family are grateful to be part of creating A World Without Cancer!

Aubriella loves playing outside with her bubby, playing with her baby dolls, and painting. She loves SpongeBob and Scooby-doo. Aubriella was diagnosed with ganglioneuroblastoma on March 31, 2018. She did 4 rounds of chemo, each round lasting 3 days long. Aubriella has had numerous back and stomach surgeries. It’s been quite a battle, as her case was even difficult for the doctors; they wanted to transfer her to Ohio. Three blood transfusions, a feeding tube and a colostomy….this hit her family hard with Aubriella being so young and having a 5 year old who didn’t understand. The family stuck it out together and hopefully will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Aubriella has a bright future. She is so smart and has proved the doctors wrong many times, and to this day, she is walking, which was a huge concern. Aubriella is the strongest little girl her family knows and will always be their hero!

St. Louis Children’s Hospital has been nothing but great!  They accommodate families and always put families first.  They listen to concerns and answer questions thoroughly.  Aubriella and her family would like to participate in Ride for a Child to raise awareness about childhood cancer and are excited to raise money for a great cause!

Brooke is a 17 year old that was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on January 4, 2019.  Brooke is a caring, generous young lady that always thinks of others first. Her hobbies are softball, fortnite, Netflix, and hanging out with her friends.

In December, Brooke went to donate blood at her local high school, as she did the previous two years. This time the nurse told her she couldn’t donate because her iron was too low. The next couple weeks they tried vitamins and iron pills, but her symptoms weren’t getting any better. She was tired and pale. On January 3, her family decided to go to the Bonne Terre emergency room to have blood drawn. When the results came back, their lives changed forever. They were told Brooke’s hemoglobin was at a dangerous level of 3.6 and were transported straight to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where they have been since.

Brooke was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia the very next day and then it all started -the biopsies, LP’s, the minor procedures to install central lines, and chemo.  The induction cycle of chemo failed miserably, didn’t even touch the cancer.  Brooke’s doctor decided to try a more aggressive chemo called FLAG Therapy, which praise the Lord, put her into remission. Brooke had to endure a second round of this chemo to keep the cancer away until she can have a bone marrow transplant, which is scheduled for May 8, 2019.

Brooke has spent all but three weeks of this year inpatient at Children’s Hospital. After she receives her transplant she is hoping to return to her home by the middle of August and go back to as normal of a life as she can. Brooke is positive, strong willed, and determined to beat this cancer.

Bryor loves anything to do with being outside, from riding his bike to riding his four wheeler and dirt bike. Since starting school, he loves learning new things and playing school with his family – teaching his parents all the new things he has learned.  Bryor is a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Monster Jam El Toro Loco, and country music.

Almost 3.5 years ago, Bryor and his parents’ lives changed forever. What seemed like a complete tragedy at first has actually kind of been a blessing.  Bryor was diagnosed with Leukemia on January 1, 2016. It definitely wasn’t the way Bryor and his family wanted to start off their new year; however, it has brought them so much closer together, and they have received so many wonderful opportunities for Bryor.  Bryor has grown so much with everything that has happened to him. When he was first diagnosed, he didn’t really understand what was going on, but now he knows he is sick and wants to do anything he can to help people understand and be more aware.  Bryor has absolutely blown his parents away by how much he has grown. His parents are very excited to say he will finally be ringing the bell April 18!  He will then continue to just do oral chemo until the 28th of April.  There will be a big bell ringing ceremony for Bryor in his hometown to celebrate finally being done with treatment and being CANCER FREE. Through everything, the staff at Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital has made Bryor and his parents feel like family, and more importantly, they have been absolutely wonderful to Bryor. Bryor used to ask if “we were going to our nurses’ house” when he would need to have treatment.  Bryor loves his nurses and loves Pedal.  All he talks about is how many laps he is going to do the next year at Kids Challenge. Bryor’s family loves being a part of Pedal because it brings such an amazing smile to Bryor’s face.

Chris loves traveling, hiking, trying new restaurants and reading.  He was diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma on February 23, 2019. Because of the severity of his condition at the time, Chris was in the hospital for roughly three weeks and was out school for over a month. Prior to his diagnosis, Chris believed he was suffering from a severe sinus infection as it was that time of year and the symptoms coincided. To his not so pleasant surprise, Chris found out that he had a grapefruit sized mass along with multiple liters of fluid obstructing his breathing and contorting his heart and lungs. At the time this was a lot for Chris, his friends, and his family to process, but while in the hospital and even after getting out, Chris has had the utmost support and positivity from everybody around him, which has not only impacted his mental state keeping him in good spirits, but Chris believes has helped his condition physically as well. There is not one day that he can remember being in the hospital and not having his friends come by and bring food, games, conversation, and pure joy despite his state. Of course this hasn’t been easy to adjust to with all the new medications he has to take at different times and flushing his line, but once he got into a routine, Chris can truly say that his life feels as normal as it can with this kind of diagnosis.

Hannah loves animals, coloring and reading.  She is a huge fan of Billie Ellish.  Hannah was first diagnosed at age 9 in 2014.  She went through chemo, a bone marrow transplant, radiation and antibody therapy over the next 18 months and was then NED.  In August 2019 during routine scans, Hannah was diagnosed as relapsed.  Hannah has continued to be upbeat and giving.  She likes to do things for the staff (like bake cookies) and is always looking for a way to brighten her fellow patient’s day.  Hannah completed her radiation therapy at Siteman; both Hannah and her family believe the staff is awesome.

Harper loves soccer, drawing, crossfit, reading, history, cooking and science.  She is a huge fan of Harley Quinn, Imagine Dragons, St. Louis Blues, and Ava Max. Harper was always a very healthy, active child.  She never missed school and even earned perfect attendance awards every month.  When she became tired and complained of pains, her parents took her to the ER and had bloodwork done.  They were then sent to Children’s HEM/ONC, where Harper was diagnosed with ALL.  Harper was the one who kept telling her family that it would all be okay.  She has been a rockstar through this process.  She made all the staff laugh when she was said she was so excited to get her port placed!  Harper also makes everyone laugh with her excitement over food and all the things she wants to try.  Her friends, family, and community have all rallied around Harper to show her support.  Harper and her family can’t say enough wonderful things about their experience at Children’s.  They want to give back, to raise awareness and funds to keep all of these programs available for other children.

Hayden is the youngest of three children. His brother, Bryson, is 18 and sister, Maylee, is 15. They lost their dad to pneumonia March 24, 2011, which has made the three of them a lot closer. They live in West Plains, MO which is a little over 200 miles from St. Louis. Hayden goes to a small rural school where he just completed 7^th grade. He’s very active in sports, excelling in baseball and basketball.

At the beginning of January this year, the flu spread through the homes of their friends and family.  Hayden had a few days of nausea and vomiting and was a little more tired than usual but nothing extreme. As everyone else got over the flu his mom noticed that Hayden was still throwing up, usually once a day after supper. By January 20^th she knew something was wrong. Not only had the “flu” not gone completely away but he was also getting very pale. Hayden’s mom took him to his pediatrician at 8:00am on January 22. After doing labs, they were told to see a specialist since his counts were low. By 3:00pm the same day Hayden and his family were on their way to Children’s Hospital, where they found out he had AML that was from MDS and would have to have a bone marrow transplant. Siblings were only a half match so he was put into the registry.  Hayden started the first round of chemo immediately and on February 28, Hayden and his family got to go home for 4 days. On March 4, they returned to Children’s for round two of chemo and during the last week of March, a 10 out of 10 match was found. On March 31, Hayden and his family got to go home for the second and last time. They readmitted April 14 to start the bone marrow transplant process.  On April 17, Hayden turned 13, and on April 23, he had his bone marrow transplant. On May 13, Hayden got to move from the hospital to his family’s new 100 day apartment at the Ronald McDonald house. His brother, sister, and best friend, Hunter, all came to stay with him the day after he was discharged.

It’s been extremely hard on Hayden being so far from home, friends, family, and especially being away from his brother and sister. Since all his friends are under 15, he wasn’t allowed any visits from them. Since being diagnosed, the only thing that has made him cry is the fact that he will miss the entire baseball season of his 8^th grade year, but the doctors are hoping to have him back in school by November for basketball season.

Kailey loves listening to audio books and is a huge fan of Olivia the Pig and Junie B Jones.  When Kailey was 2 years old, she was diagnosed with Glioblastoma (a stage 4 Brain Tumor).  She has undergone chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple brain surgeries at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Kailey is now 5 years old and her tumor still remains. She currently is on a new clinical trial and doing very well. She continues as always to fight with a smile and spunky attitude.

Unfortunately Kailey has lost most of her vision due to her tumor. She is learning to walk with a white cane and is learning braille in school. Even though Kailey has faced many challenges she is always happy and smiling. She is the life of the party, loves talking to people and doesn’t know a stranger.  Kailey and her family have spent so much time at Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Cancer can be a lonely thing for a family to go through, but the smiling and familiar faces have somehow helped them feel not so alone. Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital is somewhere they go to see “our friends,” as Kailey calls it.   Kailey and her family have made many friends at Siteman and feel blessed to have received their care.

After participating in Ride for a Child for the last 2 years, they are excited to be a part of it again this year. The whole weekend is just an amazing, feel good weekend – very moving.  Kailey and her family are  thankful for Pedal the Cause.

Kiara was diagnosed with ALL on June 4, 2018.  This circumstance changed Kiara and her family’s lives.  There is so much that happens and so many emotions that develop through this storm, but Kiara and her family have stayed strong and brave and depend on the Lord to help them through this.  Their motto is one day at a time! Kiara has remained a strong, brave, lovable, faithful and head strong woman through this – always a smile on her face, knowing she can get through this. Kiara has dreams and she knows that she’s not done fighting the fight!  Kiara loves the staff and enjoys the relationships she has with every staff member of Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.  The research they do is amazing.  To help Pedal the Cause raise funds for research is such an honor for Kiara and her family.

Kiersten loves arts and crafts.  She is a huge fan of Pentatonix.  Kiersten was diagnosed the beginning of February; she spent two weeks in the hospital and had three surgeries.  This has been an adjustment to everyone because of her restrictions and the amount of time that is spent up in St. Louis.  At first this was really hard for the family, but finding out after her first evaluation that she is improving has been a blessing.  Kiersten has her moments, but she is very brave.  Kiersten and her family face every day looking for the good and laughing.  They are very hopeful that Kiersten will be cured with little lasting effects and damage.  Kiersten and her family are grateful to the amazing care they have received at Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Landon loves movies, playing Uno, riding his bike, and swimming.  He is a huge fan of Woody & Buzz Light Year and the Green Bay Packers.  Since birth, Landon has lived with Down Syndrome and the different world that presents.  Because of this, Landon has had the opportunity to be a shining light to so many hurting people.  Landon shows Christ-Centered, unconditional love to everyone.  This new diagnosis of Leukemia might be seen as an obstacle, but his family is looking at it as an opportunity to reach out and spread even more love to people they might not have ever been exposed to.  This “setback” will be worth the fight!

Matthew loves watching movies.  He is a huge fan of  Captain America. Matthew was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma brain tumor in July of 2017. Removal was successful but he developed posterior fossa syndrome, so along with radiation and chemotherapy, he also had to learn to walk, talk, and do for himself again.  Matthew missed his entire 3rd grade year of school.   Matthew was/is reminded daily, that yes he’s doing all of the hard part, but he doesn’t fight alone. Matthew completed Chemo in October of 2018 and has returned to school almost full time. He’s still doing intense speech, occupational and physical therapy three days a week at Children’s Hospital and once a week at school. Matthew has made great strides and he continues to improve each and every day. The staff at Children’s Hospital is simple AMAZING. The doctors made sure Matthew and his family understood every procedure before it was done. The nurses cared for Matthew as if he were their own son. They even looked out for Matthew’s mother and her well-being during his 3-month hospital stay. The Social worker was amazing too; she made sure they had all the resources that they needed and connected Matthew’s family with support groups so they didn’t feel alone. Matthew’s family just loves how this hospital gives back and does what they can to support families facing situations like this.  Matthew and his family would like to be a part of this AMAZING team and do what they can.

Miles loves playing catch, basketball, soccer, riding his bike, Lego characters and just being outdoors.  Miles was diagnosed in April of 2016.  When antibiotics weren’t working for his repeated ear infections, his Pediatrician ordered bloodwork, which came back abnormal.  He was immediately sent to Children’s, where he underwent a bone marrow test, which came back with ALL.  It was the hardest thing Mile and his family has ever had to go through, and they mourned the life they had before his diagnosis, because their lives will never be the same.  They will always have the concern of relapse and worry whether this will have a negative impact on Miles in the future.  People think that when you are done with treatment you can go back to your life, but that’s not true.  However, Miles’ family is very optimistic that Miles will be just fine after all this and that they can give him the best life that he deserves.  Miles is their hero and they are so proud of how strong he has been.  He will be done with treatment in August of this year and they cannot wait to celebrate that milestone.  Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s is the most amazing place.  Miles and his family couldn’t imagine a better place to receive treatment.  The staff is the best of the best.  They treat each kid as if they were special, which they are.  They think Pedal the Cause’s Ride for a Child program is awesome.  What they do for cancer patients is so selfless, and it’s heartwarming to know that people out there care so much about children that they don’t even know.  Miles and his family hope it continues to grow and raise funds for these kids.

Natalee loves to swim, jump on trampolines, go to concerts, hang out with friends and fish at Bennett Springs.  She is a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Kenny Chesney and Thomas Rhett.  Natalee was diagnosed in November 2015.  She had a bike accident earlier that year in August and lost feeling and movement in her right hand a couple of days later.  Natalee was diagnosed initially with nerve damage, and she was referred to SLCH after several weeks of therapy with no improvement.  She had begun having some altered gait in her right leg, so at her 6 week follow-up at SLCH, Natalee was referred to a neurologist, who ordered the MRI. They found the brain tumor on 11/9/15. Her tumor is benign, but has caused decreased function in her right hand and leg.  She had an MRI guided laser ablation done on 1/5/16 in her right hand and leg, where they were able to ablate 90% of the tumor.  The tumor was stable until March of 2017 when it began to grow.  Natalee underwent chemo from June 2017-January 2018.  Tumor was stable until March of 2019 when it started to look suspicious, so she started oral chemo in March.  Natalee’s tumor is thankfully non-fatal, but it has altered her life significantly.  She has PT/OT 5 times a week and cannot do many of the activities her friends do, which makes her sad!  Natalee has 2 older sisters who are supportive, but it is hard for them to see her struggles!  Natalee continues to do well in school with her grades and continues to improve at therapy, where she is learning to do things with one hand.  Her doctors don’t feel that she will have further deficits so her family is hopeful that Natalee will be able to be independent.

Siteman Kids at SLCH has been wonderful.  While this is something you hope you never have to go through, Natalee and her family are so thankful for SLCH, Dr. Limbrick, Dr Gauvain and the wonderful nurses.  They couldn’t ask for better care. Natalee and her family are excited to be a part of this program that gives back!

Savanna loves reading, writing, singing, long drives, spending time with friends, and dogs!  She is a huge fan of Evanna Lynch, Panic at the Disco, St. Louis Cardinals and Luna Lovegood. Savanna’s family brought her to the local ER on 1/27/19, with the suspicion that she may have strep throat. She had been feeling pretty crummy for several weeks prior to this, and her symptoms were getting progressively worse. Upon a complete exam by the ER Pediatrician, the prognosis was leukemia. Within a few hours, Savanna was taken to St. Louis Children’s Hospital ER and admitted to PICU. She was extremely sick, running a fever of 105, with a white blood cell count of nearly 100,000. Savanna and her family’s lives were forever changed from that day on.

Savanna’s family has had an army come together to help them with childcare, expenses, transportation, fundraisers, and everything else you could think of. Savanna has been surrounded by family, friends (many she didn’t even know before), community, and complete strangers! She is so loved and supported by many. They have not necessarily had the outcome they have wanted for her diagnosis, but Savanna and her family are pushing forward in a positive way, knowing she is in the absolute best care possible. Savanna’s near future holds a bone marrow transplant, and they are hopeful for this method of cure.

Savanna and her family’s experience at St. Louis Children’s Hospital has been nothing short of greatness! From the moment they stepped into the ER upon discovery of her leukemia, until today, three months into her chemo treatments, Savanna has been loved and treated with the absolute best care; it has become like a second home to Savanna and her family.

Shayli loves singing and dancing.  She is a huge fan of Jim Hawkins, The Flash and the band Mercy Me.  Shayli was diagnosed on 4/2/18 with ALL.  This diagnosis has dramatically changed the lives of Shayli and her family.  They have had to put chemo treatments at the forefront of their lives.  There have always been challenges with some special needs, but this is by far the hardest thing they’ve ever had to endure.  The weeks of hospital stays and time away from her home, pets and family makes Shayli very sad, but faith in Christ continues strengthening Shayli and her family.  They continue to find joy in the midst of such suffering.

Although being forced into this chaotic, long suffering illness, St. Louis Children’s Hospital has done their very best to provide the best support to Shayli and her family.  After witnessing all of the many children who are sick and suffering, Shayli and her family are compelled to participate in Pedal the Cause and help raise money to further cancer research for Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.

Sydni loves doing arts & crafts and watching YouTube and Netflix.  Her favorite band is One Girl Nation, and she enjoys cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues.  Sydni is the 4^th child out of 6.  Sydni was diagnosed with Stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS).  This totally took her family by surprise.  Sydni has been very strong and brave through her treatments.  Her chemo should be completed mid-May and her treatment should be finished in June.  Sydni is excited about going back to school next year and getting to see her friends daily.  Her family believes being treated at Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital has saved Sydni’s life.  They would like to do their part to help raise funds for cancer treatment and research.

Taylor loves playing outside, Legos, and Construction Equipment.  He is a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.  In the beginning, it was very scary and intense for Taylor and his family.  The last 8 months have been a rollercoaster ride.  Taylor has adjusted to his “new normal” and is currently getting rehab at Ranken-Jordan.  Their communities, family and friends have been very supportive.   Taylor and his family have been so blessed by a wonderful support system.  Taylor has shown everyone the true definition of strength, endurance, and a strong will.  His family has learned so much from him.

Siteman Kids has been wonderful to Taylor and his family.  Everyone on the 9^th Floor has become another “family” to them.  Taylor and his family are happy to participate in Pedal the Cause to raise awareness about pediatric cancer and the lack of funding for pediatric cancer research.

This year, St. Louis Children’s Hospital rides in honor of 7-year-old Ziyra who is receiving treatment for an ependymoma, a type of brain tumor.

From December to February 2018, five days a week, Ziyra had proton beam radiation therapy at the S. Lee Kling Proton Therapy Center, part of Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. It is the only proton therapy center located in Missouri and the surrounding region.

“To have the proton therapy center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital was very helpful and convenient,” says Ziyra’s mom, Allysia. “We thought about going to St. Jude but that would mean we had to travel. I’m very thankful the treatment was available here.”

Once proton therapy was completed, Ziyra began intensive chemotherapy. “It has been rough on her and definitely slowed her down but she is determined to keep pushing,” Allysia says. “She has lost her hair but her attitude is ‘it’s just hair.’ I’m proud of her and how strong she is.”

Please join us in supporting Ziyra and her family through your ride and your support.