It started with a limp. X-rays at urgent care showed nothing, so the next day Yuli and Martin took their 2-year-old son to another Boston hospital where blood tests led to a shocking diagnosis.
“When doctors told us Cael had leukemia, we were lost,” remembers Yuli. A parent from Cael’s school whose child had been successfully treated for cancer at Boston Children’s assured them it was the best place for Cael.
One of the world’s top pediatric leukemia centers, Boston Children’s played a key role in developing treatments resulting in today’s 90% cure rate for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
The fight begins
Cael started chemotherapy on this first day at the hospital so the cancer wouldn’t spread. He would spend a month inpatient at Boston Children’s followed by two years of outpatient treatment.
It wasn’t easy for Yuli and Martin, who had emigrated from Peru 16 years ago. Their loved ones were far away and Yuli had to quit her teaching job for a year. She never left Cael’s side and slept in the hospital bed with him for that first month. Martin, a chef, kept working and after his night shifts, came to the hospital to sleep beside them on a fold-out bed.
The nurses’ compassion and support from the social work team helped them through the hardest days. “Everyone treats your family with so much love. You never feel alone,” explains Yuli. Small things like parking and meal vouchers eased the strain and child life specialists made sure Cael had chances to play and to just be a kid.
Shortly after outpatient chemo treatments began, Cael had a setback. He had an allergic reaction to a stronger drug he needed to prevent relapse, so his team found another way. Rather than delivering medication through an intravenous drip, he got injections in his legs three times a week. Yuli appreciated that care was always tailored to Cael’s condition and was never “one size fits all.”
Cael was remarkably brave and by the time he was 4, he was cancer-free and ready for preschool.
Our team kept us going through the ups and downs and saved Cael’s life. It felt like a rollercoaster but with a seatbelt.
Martin, Cael’s dad
Grateful for a healthy future
In thanks, Martin ran the Boston Marathon to raise funds for cancer research. “We do all that we can so other kids get the care they need,” says Yuli. “We want to help the other 10% of kids that still need cures and help families from around the world to find hope here like we did.”
Now 6, Cael loves to dance, draw, ride his scooter and do karate. He’s kind, always smiling and enjoys beach days and visits to the museum with his mom and dad.
