Jude is a child with an incredible imagination. He loves to play with his superhero and Star Wars action figures. He’s always up for watching movies and wants to make his own when he grows up. Star Wars is his favorite (he’s seen all nine movies), but he’s super into Pixar, especially Toy Story! He is a wonderful brother to his sister Mabel and brother Bowie and loves to play outside.

At Jude’s 9-month check-up in 2019, his pediatrician saw an unusual reflection in his left eye. Jude was referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist who took a closer look and discovered a small tumor on the retina. It turned out to be retinoblastoma. Although they caught Jude’s cancer early, this sparked three years of hospital visits and treatment for him.

He began with two rounds of intravenous chemotherapy at Duke Children’s Hospital to shrink his tumor. Unfortunately, since he was still a baby, this caused scar tissue in the artery behind his eye, which meant they could no longer proceed with the chemo.

Over the next two years, Jude instead received laser treatments on his eye. This kept the tumor from growing but did not drastically reduce its size. Still, Jude put on a brave face and remained positive.

In summer 2022, his doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital recommended plaque radiation, which Jude received over the course of a four-day in-patient stay. Doctors were confident that it adequately shrunk the tumor. However, an MRI in December 2022 revealed that the tumor had not only relapsed but had potentially spread beyond the wall of the eye. His doctors all agreed that removing the eye was the best course of action. On December 27, 2022, Jude had his eye removed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

A few weeks later, results showed that Jude's cancer had not extended outside the eye, which means that when his eye was removed, so was his cancer. He has been cancer-free ever since! In February 2023, Jude received a prosthetic eye that looks just like the real thing.

His father, Sam, is so proud of his hero. “In the first four years of his life, all Jude knew was hospital visits, doctors, sleep medicine, and worry over his tumor,” Sam said. “He always kept a brave face and positive attitude. Even when he had to have his eye removed and knew there was no turning back, he stayed optimistic and hopeful. When it seemed like his whole life he'd faced an uphill battle and didn't get to live a ‘normal’ life like his friends, there was still a smile on Jude's face. His strength through this journey has always been so inspiring to us.” Sam proudly serves on the advisory council for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). He and his family enjoy and feel empowered supporting its mission.

“Jude was really brave and I'm proud of him,” said Jude’s sister, Mabel, who is 7. “I want to host a lemonade stand to help and to give money to fight cancer." In June 2024, Jude and his family had a blast acting as ALSF Ambassadors at Firebirds during Lemonade Days and are looking forward to doing more.

 “We want to help be a part of the fight against childhood cancer and to support all those who have to walk the same road that Jude did,” said Sam.

Hero quote: “Stay brave and don’t get scared, don’t lose hope.” – Jude, childhood cancer hero

Information provided by Sam O., Jude’s dad
Updated July 2024