Scottsdale boy beats stage 3 cancer after treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Doctors found a tumor in Colton’s sinus cavity after his family thought it was a cold
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — What started as congestion and muffled hearing led to an 11-year-old Scottsdale boy being diagnosed with stage 3 soft tissue cancer.
After 10 months of treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Colton was cancer free.
Doctors found a tumor in Colton’s sinus cavity during a routine exam. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis: rhabdomyosarcoma, a stage 3 soft tissue cancer. The news came about a month after Colton had run for student council president at his school.
“You don’t ever expect that to happen to your kid,” his father Cal said. “And so, it was challenging for us. It was. And you can tell in my voice — even four years later, it still gets to you.”
His mother, Kristi, said the moment she received the diagnosis felt surreal.
“It felt like an out-of-body experience,” she said. “I felt like I had a lot of emotion, but then I also went into mission mode. Like, where’s the best doctor? Where’s the best ENT? Where’s the best oncologist? Where’s the best hospital?”
Treatment at St. Jude
The family’s search for care led them to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where Colton underwent aggressive radiation and chemotherapy.
“Six hours a day for a week, six hours a day in the medicine room — just laying there, having the chemo pumped into me,” Colton said. “It smells bad.”
Kristi said some of the hardest moments came when Colton’s condition required him to use a wheelchair.
“I had to push him around in a wheelchair,” she said. “Is he going to come out of this? Is he gonna be able to get out of this wheelchair again?”
Family separated during treatment
Treatment also meant the family was split across two states. Cal returned to Arizona to be with the couple’s two high school-aged sons, while Colton and his mother stayed in a fully furnished apartment on the St. Jude campus — one of several free housing options the hospital provides for families.
St. Jude also arranged for the family to travel back to Arizona on multiple occasions, including for Christmas and Colton’s birthday.
“They just took care of us,” Kristi said. “They flew us home a couple times as well.”
Cal said the hospital’s support went beyond what he had expected.
“You hear the commercials and you wonder if they do what they say they do,” he said. “And more. I mean, it’s amazing. I wish all of our medical in the entire world could operate the way St. Jude can.”
Art, hope and recovery
During treatment, Colton took part in activities offered by St. Jude, including art classes — something he said was new to him.
“Before St. Jude, I don’t think I’ve ever painted,” Colton said. “Now I have a whole bunch of paintings. There’s a few of them that are in the hallway at St. Jude.”
One of those paintings features the word “hope” hidden behind an image of St. Jude — a reflection of what the family held onto throughout treatment.
“St. Jude is full of hope, really,” Colton said. “You can’t really find a better place where so many people, all in one place, have this overwhelming feeling of — you’re gonna be fine.”
After 10 months of treatment, researchers and doctors at St. Jude confirmed the tumor had been eliminated. Colton was declared cancer free.
“I feel great,” Colton said. “I feel like there’s nothing wrong, honestly. I feel like I’m able to just put it behind me and just live my life as I can.”
Now a sophomore in high school, Colton is on the track team, earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and shares his story publicly to give hope to others facing a cancer diagnosis.
How you can help
No family is asked to pay for anything at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The lifesaving work of St. Jude is made possible through generous donations and fundraisers like the Dream Home Giveaway.
You can reserve your ticket for the 2026 Arizona St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway starting on Feb. 25. Reserve fast; the tickets are expected to go soon. The home will be given away live on Good Morning Arizona on May 6.
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