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Juliana Steger

Juliana from South St. Louis County, MO is a sweet and cuddly 6 year old. She loves animals, music, books, waffles, pancakes, dinosaurs, deer, baby dolls and big trucks. She loves her two sisters, her mom and her biggest love is probably her daddy. She has been through more in her 5 years of life…

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Dean Balassi

The feeling of growing a new life can be exciting and awe-inspiring, but is also common to feel anxious, vulnerable, and overwhelmed by the big changes that pregnancy and a new baby will bring – especially with a first pregnancy. Hannah and Dominic from Imperial, MO were grieving the loss of Dominic’s mom and her…

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Dmiya White

In summer of 2022, 15 y/o Dmiya White of Florissant, MO was living a typical teenage life. Having finished her school year on the honor roll, she was looking forward to her sophomore year and things like her classes, parties with friends, her 16th birthday in October and her first part-time job, among other things.…

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Claire Gilligan

A child is diagnosed with cancer every 3 minutes. Approximately 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday. Becky and Ryan Gilligan are blessed with 5 children. Claire, their second youngest is one of the 285. “It started with respiratory symptoms,” said Becky, Claire’s mom, as she…

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Orlando Bairfield

It seems everywhere that Orlando Bairfield goes, he is delighted to showcase some awesome dance moves with a huge smile. The spunky 8-year-old is just two months post-surgery after having undergone a liver transplant at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in January 2024. “Check out these new moves,” he laughs as he dances during…

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Avery Hall

Sitting next to her son and rising star, Avery (aka  VERIFYD), his mom and biggest fan, Elizabeth, shared her excitement over his upcoming return to the stage. “The last 5 years have been a roller coaster,” she said.  “Music has been his medicine, as much or more than all the chemo he has had. I’m…

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Ambrea Doll

“My name is Ambrea, and I am cancer free.” These were the words spoken by 14-year-old survivor, Ambrea, as she confidently completed her solo dance performance to the song, “I’ll never surrender” – by Shangrii-La.  This day, March 10, 2024, marks nearly one year following her life-threatening diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. “It’s pure joy to…

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Anberlin Gripp

In between clinic visits, 12-year-old Anberlin from Belleville, IL sat in SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s ground floor atrium with her Starbucks beverage talking about her favorite things. She talked about her love of legos, cats, Harry Potter and reading. “One of my cats is named Hemmingway,” Anberlin said. “I love reading and I love writing.…

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Libby Cunningham

It was Good Friday of Easter weekend 2022. Eleven-year-old Libby and her mom, Michelle, from Glen Carbon, IL were having a mother/ daughter trip at the mall. Shopping and laughter were promptly interrupted when Michelle received the phone call no mother ever wants to receive. It was a call from Libby’s endocrinologist that Libby had…

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Liam Gregory

Liam Gregory’s journey is a remarkable story of resilience and the power of love and medical care. Born in 2013, Liam faced numerous health challenges, especially in his early years. When he was just 22 months old, he was admitted to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital due to severe coughing and wheezing, which local doctors initially…