No child should ever have to face this reality: to understand what cancer truly means. But Jimmy does. “I didn’t know what cancer really meant. I just knew you were sick,” he says. “Now I really understand what it is.” His words are a heartbreaking reminder of how an illness forces kids to grow up too fast. Jimmy’s story shows just how heavy this disease is – and why no child should have to carry it.

The Unexpected Diagnosis

When Jimmy was just four weeks old, his parents noticed his right foot and arm looked oddly swollen. Doctors soon diagnosed him with Beckwith–Wiedemann Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes overgrowth in babies and increases the risk of certain childhood cancers like Wilm’s tumor and hepatoblastoma.

Since infancy, it’s all he’s known: routine screenings, monthly blood test, ultrasounds and constant monitoring. It became a rhythm – poke, scan, wait, repeat. As he approached his eighth birthday, it seemed he was almost in the clear. In most cases, screenings stop at age eight. But just before that final milestone, everything changed.

Facing the First Battle

Just before Jimmy’s regular screenings were set to end, things took a turn. His AFP protein levels spiked, and his blood pressure shot up. A tumor had formed, pressing against his kidney. In April of 2021 he was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumor, a rare type of kidney cancer in kids, and was admitted to Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center in New York. Chemotherapy started right away, and at only eight, he was thrust into a whirlwind of treatments, needles and long hospital stays.

He underwent surgeries to remove the tumor and his right kidney. But the fight wasn’t over – chemo continued through the end of December. It was months of exhaustion, both physical and emotional. Then, in January 2022, Jimmy got the news everyone had been hoping for: he was cancer-free. His family marked the moment with a trip to South Carolina and a celebration, finally letting themselves breathe again.

But even in those joyful moments, the weight of what he’d been through was never far behind.

When Cancer Came Back

After Jimmy’s first battle, his doctors kept a close eye on his health. Every couple of months, he went in for scans – the kind of thing you hope never turns up anything. But in June 2022, the scans showed something no one wanted to see: the tumor was back.

It returned to the same spot as before, but this time it had spread further through his body. Jimmy immediately started 18 cycles of radiation, stacked on top of more chemotherapy. Another surgery followed. And then, more devastating news: the cancer had reached his liver and lungs.

With the disease spreading, Jimmy’s care was transferred to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he enrolled in a very high-risk Wilms’ tumor relapse clinical trial led by the hospital’s pediatric sarcoma team. It was one of few options left.

In June 2023, Jimmy underwent major surgery to remove a large portion of his liver and part of his lung. The family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan. They hadn’t needed that kind of support earlier in Jimmy’s treatment, but this round was different: more inpatient, more intense. “It was a great resource to have,” said Brian, Jimmy’s dad. “We felt the full weight of our community back home, too. Everyone lifted us up.”

Throughout the summer of 2023, Jimmy was finally doing well. After everything he’d been through, his body was steady, his spirit still strong, and by September, he was ready for the next big step: a stem cell transplant. The process was intense, but Jimmy made it through.

After years of surgeries, chemo and setbacks, it felt like a miracle. For the first time in a long time, there was light – real, lasting light – on the other side of it all.

Life Inside the Hospital

Most people just think of cancer as a medical crisis: needles, surgeries and chemo. But for kids like Jimmy, it’s more than that. It’s the loss of everyday life. He couldn’t go to a friend’s house. Couldn’t play outside. Couldn’t just be a kid. “It sucks,” Jimmy said. “You’re in pain and you can’t go have fun or do stuff with your friends and family.”

COVID made it even harder. The world was already shut down when Jimmy was admitted. For other kids, the isolation was temporary. But the pandemic extended the loneliness Jimmy already felt years into treatment.

But Jimmy found glimmers of light. The hospital’s Child Life team were game-changers. They weren’t doctors or nurses, they were the ones who made space for play in the middle of fear. They became his safe place, his outlet, his people. Jimmy played 50 Uno games with them during his stem cell stay!

Dad Brian encourages other families: “Take the help. “People want to support you with meals, gift cards and anything to lift your spirits. Let them. Don’t do it alone.”

Life After Cancer

These days, Jimmy is back in school full-time and pulling in great grades. He shares a bunk bed with his brother, Tommy, again, although Jimmy made it clear he does not spend a whole lot of time there. He's often outside, finally getting to experience the joy of friends and sunshine that he missed so much.

He sees his little sister, Meghan, a lot more, though Jimmy’s set a strict rule for the bedroom: “No girls allowed.” He adds with a grin, “She’s… something.”

He’s getting back into sports: swimming, flag football, basketball. Basketball is the favorite. He’s most excited for Summer Classics, a big tournament he missed last year while recovering. “I was going to play with a really good team… but then I got cancer,” he said. This summer, he's ready.

He’s quick to mention that gym and social studies are his favorite subjects — not math. He's re-learning normal, day by day, and he’s finally getting to be a kid again.

Jimmy’s Message

If he could talk to another kid just beginning this fight, Jimmy wouldn’t sugarcoat it. “It’s going to be tough,” he said. “But you can get through it.” He knows what it means to miss out, to sit in a hospital room while your friends are outside shooting hoops. He knows what it’s like to lose time, to lose pieces of your childhood you can’t ever get back.

But he also knows what it means to keep going. To hold on through the darkest moments. To fight for every inch of normal. To believe there’s still joy waiting on the other side of everything you’ve endured. When asked to describe himself, Jimmy didn’t pause: “I’m brave and strong. I don’t give up.”

Those words aren’t just a reflection of who he is, they’re a promise to every kid still in the fight. That it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to feel tired. But don’t give up. Keep going. Even when the road is long and unfair, especially then.

Jimmy’s story isn’t just about cancer. It’s about resilience. It’s about what happens when a kid refuses to give up. t’s about hope and the kind of strength that makes you believe in miracles.

At CCRF, we fuel the science behind marvels like this, and with your help, we can do even more.