Finding Peace 2,700 Miles From Home: Solo's Leukemia Story

Program Impact

·Sep 23rd, 2026

Solo and Mom 1x1 — Solo and Rachel in Seattle

The Place She Never Imagined Going

Five-year-old Solo is active, spunky and loves to play. Living with high-risk b-all leukemia, he’s also spent most of his young life in the hospital.

Living in Hawaii, he received a transplant at Kapiolani Medical Center, one of Starlight’s hospital partners. Getting back into everyday life after remission, Solo experienced trick-or-treating for the first time, was preparing to go back to school and being around family again.

Devastatingly, Rachel got a call from the doctor, and her heart dropped - Solo’s cancer had come back.

With no time to say goodbye to loved ones, Solo and his mom Rachel immediately flew to Seattle to get his second transplant, 2,700 miles away from home.

Solo in Wagon 1x1 — Solo peacefully resting in the Hero Wagon at the hospital.

A Constant Comfort, Even Across States

As soon as he arrived, Solo missed his family. He didn’t understand where his siblings were and wanted to go home. At the same time, he couldn’t help feeling anxious.

He began to fear needle pokes, swabs in the nose, or having his body touched. When a doctor entered his room, Solo often ran towards his mom. He jumped into her lap and squeezed her tight. “Why does everybody have to mess with me?” he asked her.

One thing remained the same in both his Hawaii and Seattle hospitals – Starlight. Solo used a Starlight Hero Wagon in Seattle, which completely changed his hospital experience.

When he was in the wagon, he felt calm and at ease. On days Solo was going through the worst of it, he found comfort staying in it. The wagon was the only place in the hospital where he felt peace.

The Happiness He Needed to Heal

Feeling comfort in the wagon enabled Solo to get the rest and care he needed.

When Solo had a fever, he could sleep soundly when he was in the Hero Wagon. On days he felt too sick to sit up, he rested in his wagon. When doctors came to his room to give him medicine, instead of running to his mom, he would be in the wagon. The peace he felt helped him stay calm when the doctor came into his room.

“My wagon is so comfy. It’s comfortable and keeps me safe,” Solo says.

“He tells me all the time, ‘Mom, I love my wagon.’ And I say, ‘Son, I love your wagon too.’”
- Rachel, Solo's Mom

Solo_Hero Wagon Help Cope with Cancer — Solo making a silly face in the Starlight Hero Wagon.

Give Kids the Peace They Need

At Starlight, we believe that Healing Begins with Happiness™. Happiness from Starlight programs helps kids find relief from anxiety, allowing them to get the care they need.

Partnered with over 800 hospitals and medical facilities, Starlight programs are in every single state in the US.

Wherever a child may be treated, Starlight is there to give kids comfort, reducing medical trauma. Thanks to our supporters, over 3 million crucial moments like these were created this year.

Give kids anxiety relieving support.

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