Laughing, playing, and above all, living. Sebastian has come a long way.
"Sebastian is doing well. Yeah, he's nine-years-old now,” says Jordi Catasus, Sebastian’s father. “The tumor was very aggressive, but St. Jude worked a miracle for us.”
Seven years later, he is an active 3rd grader, who from the outside doesn't look like he fought the battle of his young life.
Sebastian grew up surrounded by his friends Sam and Zelly. Many children are blissfully unaware of the threat of cancer, but Zelly remembers and she was scared for him.
“I knew he had a brain tumor and I was pretty sure he would die,” says Zelly.
Sebastian was only two-years-old when he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. The surgery and treatment at St. Jude saved his life, but it was by no means an easy journey back to good health. There were times when his parents didn't know he would survive.
“He's very resilient, and he understands very well what happened to him and what he went through,” says Jordi.
Some of those memories at St. Jude stand out more than others.
“But the times I do remember, was being with my other friend Sam, who actually had a brain tumor, too. Well he wasn't quite as lucky as me,” says Sebastian.
That's why he volunteered during the last dream home giveaway to share his luck and help draw the names of winners from the hopper!
Sebastian returns to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital every 3 months. He has hearing loss and growth issues as a residual of the cancer treatments and through it all, his friend Zelly thinks of him as a true survivor.
"I couldn’t really imagine how it could be to have a brain tumor; I know if I had a brain tumor, if I survived I would be amazed,” says Zelly.
No more amazed than Sebastian himself.
"I’m thinking every day almost, I just think about how if it weren't for St. Jude, I wouldn't be here doing this interview,” says Sebastian.
