In many ways, 7-year-old Sage is a typical first grader who loves superheroes, sports, especially soccer, wrestling, and football (go Iowa Hawkeyes!), hunting, bike riding, playing with cars, and perfecting his newest talent, whistling. As an avid gamer, Mario Kart and Hunting on Nintendo Switch are his favorites. Sage loves both Halloween and Christmas so much that one year, he decided to be Santa for Halloween, and the next year he was Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas – a perfect marriage of his two favorite holidays! His little brother, Stetson, is Sage’s sidekick. As the first-born, Sage is a rule-follower who ensures that his brother follows suit.
Left to right: Sage opening presents during Christmas, Sage dressed as a police officer, Sage and his little brother, Stetson, Sage dressed as race car driver.
At first, it seemed like Sage, then 4-years-old, was fighting a virus. But after a week of increasing leg pain, back pain, and a rash on the trunk of his body, his parents feared it could be something more and took him back to the doctor. On January 31, 2022, Sage was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), type B. Sage’s parents explained that there were “bad guys” in his blood, and he needed medicine to make the bad guys go away.
Treatment started right away. The goal of the first four weeks of chemo was to get his leukemia into remission – and it worked. While Sage was considered “high risk” at diagnosis, after a month, he was deemed “high risk – favorable.” Because researchers know that cancer cells are determined to come back, the next stage of treatment was even more intense, to knock out any cancer cells still lurking in his little body. Sage was in and out of the hospital during these months of grueling treatment, missing school, and fighting one virus after another due to his weakened immune system.
Left and right: Sage at the hospital for his in patient treatment. Middle: Sage at home with his mom doing treatment.
Sage had surgery to have a double-lumen port placed in his chest and bone marrow sampling. Throughout the first 1,000-plus days of treatment, he’s received more than 13 different kinds of chemotherapy treatments. Since nothing tasted good and he had so much pain in his mouth from cold sores caused by treatment, he took medication to help him want to eat and regain weight. In addition to hair loss, he’s had many physical therapies to aid his leg muscle weakness. The steroids caused bone pain and emotional mood swings.
“At his core, Sage is the sweetest, most tender-hearted kid. To see him so angry, rage-filled, anxious, nervous, and confused because of the side effects from the medicines he takes is the reason why we fight SO hard for better treatments, and ultimately, the cure.
-Betsey, Sage’s mom
Currently, Sage visits the clinic once a month until May 2025, when he will ring the bell signaling the end of treatment. He will then continue to be seen in the clinic for follow-up labs, and monitoring of side effects from his treatment for several years to come.
Through it all, Sage’s parents are grateful for his strength and determination. “He’s such a positive kiddo,” says his mom, Betsey, “and his resilience is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed.
Left: Sage and his dad, Forrest. Two middle: Sage and his family. Right: Sage and his mom, Betsey.
Their gratitude also extends to St. Baldrick’s volunteers and donors who are making research possible.
“Thank you for giving kids a chance at a future filled with skinned knees, home runs, nature exploration, making mistakes, falling in love, and just plain experiencing life. Without your involvement, research doesn’t happen, treatments don’t improve, and kids with cancer don’t get that chance.”
-Betsey, Sage’s mom
Kids like Sage deserve a future full of adventures, love, and laughter. You can make that future possible by supporting childhood cancer research.
