HENDRIX

Hendrix was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia B Cell back in February 23,2023 at the age of 3. Hendrix went 10 months of rounds of  chemotherapy, lumbar punctures, procedures and entered into the  maintenance part of treatment. 

Two weeks into maintenance Hendrix went severe diabetic ketoacidosis on November 28th, 2023 and almost lost his life. He then before his fourth birthday from a special test confirmed he was a Type 1 diabetic. This never slowed Hendrix down, just became another part of his journey we had to navigate. 

With satellite hospital visits once a month for blood work and port flushes, to every 3 months to sick kids for a lumbar puncture and chemo. Oral chemo everyday, Hendrix was striding in life in maintenance, and being a Type 1 diabetic.

 Life quickly changed January 7th, 2025 coming to sick kids for his supposed to be 6th round of maintenance. It was discovered on blood work, Hendrix's cancer had indeed come back. And Hendrix was going to  battle cancer for the second time as a Type 1 diabetic. Early relapses only happen 5% of the time. This time around has been extremely  challenging as Hendrix has become resistant to chemotherapy and the cancer continued to be present still after ending his re-induction. 

Hendrix then qualified for a half a million-dollar immunotherapy called CAR T-Cell therapy. The journey to Car T was not easy, as Hendrix’s cancer became aggressive. And needed a different type of immunotherapy to lower for Car T. Unfortunately, Car T failed, and Hendrix came out with more cancer than entering. And things became scary very quickly. The only option of saving Hendrix’s life was a bone marrow transplant. 

Hendrix  started a new immunotherapy called Blinatumomab to get Hendrix into remission for transplant. Which, after 7 months he finally did get into remission. From there, the doctors prepared him for a bone marrow transplant. Which was 3 days of full body radiation. Twice a day, and fasting. Hendrix was the first pediatric type 1 diabetic patient to endure radiation.

On  July 14th, 2025 we celebrated his “cell birthday” the day new cells entered his body and became part of him and gave him new life. Today, Hendrix has beaten cancer and has overcome odds that were once stacked against him.  He recently celebrated his 6th birthday and Christmas with his family, and in the coming months will return back to school in person.