Last year, we shared the story of 14-year-old Eden Green, who loves to take photos and dance. Eden was in treatment for a form of childhood cancer so rare, that doctors did not have a clinical name for it. After 4 months of treatment on a clinical trial at Texas Children's Hospital under the care of Dr. Jennifer Foster, Eden went back on standard radiation treatment. Thankfully, she was then declared cancer-free in March 2019. Eden and her family celebrated the news by participating in the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Lemon Climb Houston. 

In June 2019, Eden participated in the #SpeakNowforKids Family Advocacy Day from June 25-26 in Washington, D.C. and discussed the importance of children’s health care with members of Congress.

Keep reading for our interview with Eden in December 2018. 

Eden is a 14-year-old who loves to shoot photos and smile for her own snapshots. After being unable to walk or practice her favorite activity, dancing, for nearly a year, she was diagnosed at age 10 with a cancer no doctor had ever seen before. They tried standard chemotherapies for two different types of solid tumors similar to her cancer and after many months doctors deemed her cancer-free in March 2016.

Two years later, the cancer relapsed in her shoulder. Now, she and her tight-knit family continue to fight the cancer they named after her, Eden’s tumor, while waiting for a potential cure. As researchers learn more about Eden’s cancer, we wanted to give you a glimpse into Eden, the person. Check out our conversation below to learn more about this inspirational cancer fighter. 

ALSF: If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Eden Green (EG): I would like to fly and be invisible. Flying is cool, but also scary. I like invisibility because I could hear conversations without being noticed in the other room. 

ALSF: What’s your go-to song to sing?
EG: I like to sing Francesca Battistelli. She’s a Christian artist so I sing her songs a lot, and then Lauren Daigle too. 

ALSF: I know you love taking photos! What do you like to photograph? 
EG: I like shooting nature a lot. I do a lot of flowers and nature shots and they turn out pretty good actually. 

ALSF: What is your favorite 2018 memory so far?
EG: My family went on a cruise in January. We went to Cozumel, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. I didn’t get to do as much this year because of my relapse. 

ALSF: What do you want to be when you grow up?
EG: It changes, but I kind of want to be a travel agent like my mom. I changed my mind from nursing because I don’t really want to do that anymore. Maybe a social worker at the hospital, but I don’t even know if I want to work at the hospital.

ALSF: What did you miss most while you were in treatment?
EG: I missed church, and we go to church a lot, so I missed going there. I like to see my friends and everything, so I didn’t get to see them really when I was diagnosed again. That was hard. I got to spend a little bit of my summer with my friends though, especially my one friend Rachel. She’s at my house like every day. I also missed going on trips that I was supposed to go on. 

ALSF: How has your family supported you?
EG: I don’t know, I’m asleep most of the time! My whole family is really funny though, but my dad he’s really funny. He’ll pull up things like the In My Feelings challenge videos to cops lip syncing stuff so he’ll watch those and start dying from laughter!
My sister Mya provides entertainment and my mom does too. Mom has to get her Fitbit steps in. When doctors come to help me I say, “Okay mom, you get your Fitbit steps in.”

ALSF: What does Mya do that helps you out? 
EG: She’s a competitive gymnast, so that helps me because I’m at the gym almost every day with her, watching their whole team. They practice every day for three hours. Most of the time before I relapsed, I was on the floor encouraging them during their routines. I actually got an award for being their team mascot. I’m like their group’s big sister because their siblings usually don’t come and watch them, so I’m always there. 

ALSF: What advice do you have for kids with cancer in the hospital?
EG: Stay strong and you’ll get through it. I’ve done it once and I’m doing it a second time so you can do it, I know you can. Keep having your faith and keep doing what you’re doing to help get through it.  

Want to learn more about the treatment that saved Eden's life? Meet her doctor, Jennifer Foster and learn more about cutting-edge treatment options for children with relapsed solid tumors.