Just like his favorite superhero, Spiderman, 6-year-old Joel is bravely battling the bad guys and kicking leukemia’s butt!

Joel’s parents knew that something was wrong, they just didn’t know exactly what. At first they thought it could be a virus, then after blood work and a urine test, the doctor thought he was anemic.

It took 5 trips to the emergency room before they finally received an answer…

On March 7, 2023, Joel was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 

This brave little man started treatment right away, but there were some bumps in the road. At first, Joel was scared of his nurses. When he first got sick, he didn’t completely understand what was going on and why he had to be separated from his older siblings, Valerie and Isaiah. 

His diagnosis also left a big impact on the rest of his family, physically and mentally. 

Joel’s parents focused on keeping his spirits up, no matter how hard it was to watch him go through treatment and be in pain. They have learned to take things one day at a time and to be easy on themselves, so they can be their best for him.

They told us, “We encourage other cancer survivors, young and young-at-heart, to never give up no matter how hard it gets during this journey.”

His parents talk about his journey and share it on social media so other parents are aware of what to look out for. Before their child was diagnosed, they thought that childhood cancer was extremely rare – they never imagined that their family would be affected.

Now they’re a part of the childhood cancer community, and they’ve learned so much from walking alongside Joel on his cancer journey. 

In his dad's words, “It is important to advocate for childhood cancer research because not many people are aware of how much cancer affects our children. They aren't aware of how common childhood cancer is... education and advocacy are crucial.”

This little legend is now in maintenance treatment and has monthly check-ups. He recently had to pause chemotherapy for about a month due to having small reactions to a particular chemotherapy drug. Joel was due to finish up with all treatment in October but that may need to be adjusted.

Over the course of his treatment, he has developed beautiful bonds with his doctor, Dr Drew, and the rest of his care team. He actually looks forward to visiting them every month! 

Joel, you’re a real-life superhero – we’re riding for you this September!