With no time to lose, Emily became the first patient to enroll in the new trial, making her the first pediatric patient ever to receive the treatment and the first patient of any age to receive it for ALL. Ten years later, it is clear the Whiteheads found the miracle they sought.

Emily is the first child in the world to have her immune cells activated to fight cancer. This innovative approach to treating cancer is called CAR T-cell therapy. Today, Emily is more than ten years cancer-free!

Emily is alive today because of cancer research. Cancer research saves lives, but researchers need funding for innovation to happen. CAR T-cell therapy saved Emily's life, and we are dedicated to supporting research that will improve cancer treatment options for children.

It was October 2011 when Emily Whitehead’s cancer relapsed for the first time. The 7-year-old girl had been fighting the most common childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), for more than a year.

At only six-years-old, Emily Whitehead was facing a life-threatening recurrence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. Emily’s cancer resisted over 16 months of chemotherapy treatments when her parents were told that her cancer had relapsed and that she would not survive.

2022年5月10日 · Emily Whitehead, now 17, received life-saving treatment at CHOP, transforming the field of cancer immunotherapy.

2023年10月30日 · Emily Whitehead, 18, was the first pediatric cancer patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy. She’s now 11 years cancer-free and attends the Univ. of Pennsylvania as a student, which happens to be where she received the groundbreaking treatment.

Take for example Emily Whitehead, as fresh-faced a 16-year-old as has ever graced the planet. Her eyes nearly sparkle with intellectual curiosity and dreams for a fulfilling future. But Emily is not a “typical” teen.

On May 10, 2022 Emily Whitehead celebrated 10 years cancer free since becoming the first pediatric patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy. With this important milestone reached, this revolutionary cancer treatment can officially be considered a CURE!

2022年10月30日 · Emily Whitehead has a secret weapon: "My T-cells, part of my immune system, were trained to fight and kill my cancer." She was only six when she became the first child ever to receive...