Can you remember a day in your life when everything changed forever?

For the Santos family, December 11, 2018, is a day they will never forget. That day their son, Carter, wasn’t feeling well and had a persistent high fever. After a simple blood test at his pediatrician’s office, something didn’t look right and so the family was referred to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego for further testing.

“We immediately went to the Emergency Department, and after a couple of hours of testing, the doctor told us, ‘This is a day your family would never forget. I’m sorry to tell you, Carter has leukemia.’ We were devastated. Cancer in our son felt unimaginable.”

— Nicole, Carter’s Mom

Carter was immediately admitted to the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children’s. His diagnosis: b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The family learned his treatment would be three long and intense years. It was a long road to recovery. Throughout his treatment, he spent 96 days admitted to the hospital, 1,210 days of treatment, 17 blood transfusions, six platelet transfusions, more than 1,000 doses of chemotherapy, put under anesthesia 36 times, and spent hundreds of outpatient days.

It worked. Carter was finally CANCER FREE.

“Carter pushed through treatment like a warrior,” Nicole says. “His strength and spirit were nothing short of heroic and inspiring. We draw from him to show us that we are capable of so much more than we realize. This was largely because we felt supported by the incredible team at the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.”

Ken Whalen would be proud having this legacy event showcase a “warrior spirit” that helps kids dealing with adverse times of their lives, power through and thrive!

The Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders provides specialized cancer treatment and hematology services – including blood and bone marrow transplants – to more than 20,000 patients like Carter each year. The Center offers families a full range of pediatric clinical services, including psychosocial programs and resources, to help patients and their families from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.

To learn more about cancer and hematology services at Rady Children’s, and to support kids like Carter, visit Kids Cancer & Blood Disorders Center | Rady Children’s Hospital.

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