Lucas Tate, Honored Hero

For the Tate family, Father's Day 2009 will forever be remembered as the day their 7-month-old baby boy, Lucas was diagnosed with leukemia. Lucas had been running a fever for several days and when the fever continued to climb, his parents took him to an urgent care center where they did blood work. When the blood test suggested leukemia, he was rushed to UCLA for what would be the start of a tumultuous year of chemotherapy, lengthy hospital stays, infections, and the realization that they were now a family with a child fighting cancer. Lucas’ family came together to face this challenge. Both his parents quit their jobs to care for Lucas full time, splitting their time between home and the hospital. His treatment lasted one full year. Lucas was strong, smiley, and inspired everyone around him. Today, Lucas is a healthy, thriving four-and-a-half year old who enjoys spending time with his big brother, watching Doctor Who, and playing Pokemon. He is active and bears no memory of the time that he faced cancer and won.