When Katie Baxter moved to South Carolina with her three boys, she was determined to build a fresh start. Just six months later, her world shifted again.
Jase, then 10 years old, had just started football season when he began complaining of leg pain. What seemed like growing pains quickly turned into something far more serious. After routine lab work revealed critical results, Katie was told to drive straight to the hospital—no stops, no detours. Within days, Jase was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His bone marrow was filled with cancer cells.
As a single mother with no family nearby, Katie faced the overwhelming reality of managing full-time work, medical appointments, and the emotional weight of a life-altering diagnosis. For two and a half years, Jase endured intensive treatment, including high-risk chemotherapy and a long maintenance phase of daily oral chemo. Now, with treatment nearly complete, Katie reflects on the long road behind them with gratitude and relief.
Despite everything, Jase has remained resilient. A dirt-bike riding, truck-loving, football-obsessed 12-year-old, he is known for getting his hands dirty—whether changing his brother’s oil for $20 or racing down hospital hallways on rolling stools with other patients. He has even been named an honorary firefighter after helping save a neighbor’s home from a kitchen fire.
Clement’s Kindness became a source of joy and community during their most difficult seasons. From holiday ice skating parties to Clemson football experiences, these events gave Jase the chance to simply be a kid. For Katie, they offered something equally valuable— a reminder that they were not alone.
As Jase prepares to close this chapter of treatment, Katie holds tightly to hope. “We’re so close,” she says. And after years of uncertainty, close means everything.
