One of five St. Baldrick's Foundation 2013 Ambassadors
Read more of Luke's story on our blog.
Seven year old Luke dedicates much of his free time to creating LEGO® Star Wars™ sets, light saber duels with his younger brother and watching Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He also enjoys reading the Frog and Toad books and playing at the beach. But his days weren’t always as carefree.
Three days after his third birthday, Luke’s mom, Monica, found a lump in his groin. Two days later he was diagnosed with stage 4 embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, cancer of the connective tissues. Monica says the survival rate for stage 3 or 4 of this “rhabdo” is “too low to even mention,” because so many children relapse.
Luke endured 70 weeks of treatment – multiple rounds of chemotherapy, six weeks of daily radiation and many central line infections. “The amazing part is that Luke never said ‘no’ to us. Not once, not ever,” Monica recalls.
Luke fought a heroic battle against his cancer, and now two years off treatment, his family knows how fortunate they are to have him.
But his treatments did more than kill cancer cells. They also caused him to have nine cavities in his baby teeth, be shorter than his peers and have a hard time gaining and maintaining weight. Fighting childhood cancer is definitely for the brave at heart.
Today Luke remains cancer-free. This superhero’s wish for all kids diagnosed with cancer: “May the Force be with you!”
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One day I found a lump in Luke's leg and two days later we had a cancer diagnosis. Luke was diagnosed with Stage 4 Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS), just five days after his third birthday. Luke endured a 54 week treatment protocol that included multiple rounds of chemotherapy, six weeks of daily radiation that required sedation each time, and many, many, many, central line infections. His treatment actually lasted almost 70 weeks due to delays caused by bacterial infections and low counts. The amazing part of all of this is that Luke never said no to us. Not once, not ever. He only fought the cancer. He was so strong, that to be in his presence made me feel unworthy, that I was not capable of being the mother of someone so strong, so proud, so brave, and so pure.
Today, Luke is six years old and thriving in kindergarten. He is funny, loving, sensitive, smart, determined, and curious. His favorite subjects at school are science, math, music, and art. He loves to create all kinds of Star Wars related art, read, play Legos, go for walks, and play at the beach.
Luke is two year off-treatment and remains cancer-free. Every family should be able to say the same thing. Unfortunately, many families lose their children to cancer. Thank you for being a hero to kids with cancer and joining St. Baldrick's in the fight to raise more awareness and money for research. You are making a difference!
