Meet Benjamin.

On Father’s Day 2022, Benjamin and his brother spent the day celebrating their dad and playing outside. That night, when his mom, Reyna, put him to bed, she noticed bruising on his body. After a long day playing outside with his older brother Gregory, Reyna just assumed the boys were playing too rough with each other. While she was inspecting the bruises, she noticed petechiae spots too. The next day, on his first day of basketball practice, Benjamin fainted. When his family took him to the hospital, they were told Benjamin had blood abnormalities and would need to undergo further examination. They were transported that day to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, where they discovered Benjamin had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Both Benjamin and his family could not wrap their heads around it. How did he go from basketball practice to finding out he would have the fight of his life?  

Benjamin spent the next three months in the hospital undergoing treatment to help fight Leukemia. The first month was the roughest for them. Benjamin was isolated from Gregory which was hard on both boys. Benjamin did not want to engage in activities and was quiet most of the time, frequently saying, “I can’t do anything. I’m sick.” On top of his parents adjusting to their new reality, they were also worried about Benjamin being separated from his brother and the emotional side effects this began to have on Gregory too. After the first month, Benjamin and Gregory were finally able to reunite. Once together, it was as if a spell had been lifted. They spent their time together playing video games and watching scary movies.  

  Benjamin is now in remission and continues to hold on to his positive energy. Coastal Kids helps limit the number of hour-long trips to the hospital by providing nursing check-ups and blood draws. His visit nurse, Emily, said, “I love working with Benjamin and his family. His mom is so involved, and you can see how much love, care, and thought she puts towards Benjamin". At ten years old, Benjamin enjoys swimming, video games, and scary movies, all with his brother. They especially love walking to their local ice cream shop and getting raspados (shaved ice) together. Benjamin and his family continue to believe in the magic of a positive attitude and the love of family. Through it all, they have grown closer than ever before.  

“Coastal Kids Home Care has helped make it easier for us.” - Benjamin’s Mom