Gabriel, called Gabe by his loved ones, has always been a very outgoing boy with amazing leadership skills, as well as intense love for his sisters and family, which has only been more evident since fighting cancer.

On October 1, 2023, Gabe woke up with a lymph node so swollen, there was no definition between his jawline and the base of the right side of his neck. After going to the doctor and getting blood work, he was diagnosed with Mono. But weeks later, the swelling remained steady. He was taken into the ER, where his family was told that they were doing everything right and there was no need to worry. So they held out, and eventually the swelling subsided. But other strange symptoms began not long after.

Gabe suddenly started spiking fevers, becoming lethargic, and breathing rapidly and labored – the complete opposite of the spunky, energetic boy he usually was.

On November 29, he was taken into Cook Children’s Urgent Care, where he received an X-ray of his chest and found he had pneumonia of both lungs. He was immediately transported to the hospital and admitted that night. He then received a chest tube, daily X-rays, and multiple medications to fight the pneumonia. Nothing seemed to help. He was consistently spiking fevers that would reach 103 or104 degrees. He also had a sepsis alert called for him because his temperature bottomed out and he was hypothermic, but nothing was working to raise his temperature.

After prolonged waiting for him to get better, another doctor finally ordered a CT scan, where they found Gabe had an orange-sized mass in the middle of his chest. From there, he was moved to the hematology/oncology floor where doctors did several biopsies. On December 19, Gabe was diagnosed with EBV mature T-cell lymphoma, an uncommon type of cancer for young kids with very little known about it.

His team of doctors reached out across the nation to find the best treatment plan, and Gabe eventually received about six rounds of the SMILE regimen, as well as a few rounds of rituximab, and successfully went into remission on May 24, 2024.

Gabe is a hero to his mom, Ashley, because as a 3-year-old diagnosed with cancer and a 50/50 survival rate, he has been the most positive, cheerful, bubbly, resilient child she’s ever known!

Ashley wants others who may be facing a childhood cancer diagnosis to “Keep your faith, trust your doctors, hold your family close, and stay strong! There is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if you can’t see it right now!”

She hopes that organizations like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation will be able to find a cure and have more research done for rarer cancers so more kids like Gabe have a chance at life.

Information provided by Ashley G., Gabe’s mom
Updated September 2024