Meet the patients

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Amber had been playing with her brother when she fell and hit her head.

"She had a little goose bump," recalled her guardian, Liz. "And like a mom, I got her an ice pack and gave her a kiss. The next day, I noticed it hadn't gone down any."

The pediatrician thought she might have cat scratch disease, but tests ruled it out. Then a second bump appeared on Amber's head. The two bumps kept growing, and within days, the original growth had tripled in size.

"It was shocking to see the tumors growing that rapidly," said Liz, who is a registered nurse.

A biopsy of the growths indicated cancer.

"There's fear when you hear the word 'cancer,'" said Liz. "Fear that you're going to lose a child. But I thought to myself, 'I have got to focus on getting Amber better. I cannot break down. I cannot picture her dead because she's living right now.'"

Amber would need immediate and ongoing care.

"The hospital recommended two different places as being the best for Amber," said Liz. "The children's hospital close to us is a great place. The other choice was St. Jude. I had seen the St. Jude TV commercials, and it meant hope to me. And I asked a nurse at the hospital, 'If it was your child, where would you go?' She said, 'St. Jude. I'd choose St. Jude.'"

Liz obtained the referral, and she and Amber flew to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital within days.

At St. Jude, Amber was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive soft tissue tumor that can arise virtually anywhere in the body. Her primary tumor was in her right calf muscle, but her tiny body was riddled with cancer. Amber began a new St. Jude treatment protocol that alternates chemotherapy with targeted radiation. She and Liz lived at Target House while receiving treatment.

Amber is back home now and thriving. She sings and dances constantly. She hopes to marry a cowboy, live on a dude ranch and have 17 children and 200 horses.