James
2025 Atlanta Honored Hero
Age 10
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, High-Risk
James's Story
In April of 2018, James Budd Jr. was three and a half years old. He loved dinosaurs, swimming, eating macaroni and cheese, and his baby sister named Katie. When he started exhibiting some health problems, doctors didn’t seem too concerned; after all, young kids get sick sometimes, and it’s usually just from picking up some germs at all of their activities.
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However, James’ mom, Kelly, knew her son well enough to know that something deeper was going on, and on April 23rd, everything changed. Yes, they received an answer, but not the answer any family wants: James had high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
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Everything moved very quickly following the diagnosis. James was immediately admitted to the hospital to begin his treatment, and the family ended up spending over 100 nights in the hospital that first year. Some of these visits were planned, but many were not – despite his body generally responding well to treatment, constant fevers had him back in the hospital on a regular basis.
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The treatment was invasive, extreme, and long. Chemo was given both orally and intravenously, paired with port surgeries, several bone marrow biopsies, spinal taps, and more pills than anyone could count. Thankfully, the painful treatment eventually paid off, and James completed active treatment in August of 2021! As Kelly says, “he was a brave little warrior through treatment, and we are so proud of him!”
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Today, James is 10 years old and ecstatic to be one of the big kids in fifth grade. He’s an avid Harry Potter reader (ask him what house he’s in!) and will happily defend The Empire Strikes Back as the best Star Wars movie. He still loves swimming, Legos, and mac ‘n cheese, and is on his way to being a star chess player. He continues to do follow-ups with the oncology clinic, and he had his first survivor’s clinic visit in 2024!
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When asked what he would like to say to LLS supporters, James’ answer was simple: “Thank you! I hope someday they can find a cure for this disease!”
The Importance of Having an Honored Hero
Far too many of us have a personal connection to cancer. Whether it's a family member, friend, teacher, or someone in your community, you've seen the pain of cancer firsthand. You're able to share their story and integrate their journey into your campaign, truly bringing a face to cancer.
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However, some people may have not had a loved one touched by cancer; instead, they have our Honored Hero to celebrate and use as the face of their campaign. You can share James' story with your donors, sponsors, and supporters to exemplify that cancer affects all of us, even when it may not seem so at first.