2026 Histio Run in Memory of Jeffrey White

JEFFREY

Our second son, Jeffrey, was born after a long eight and a half years after our first son. Our miracle baby! At birth his platelet count was low but after a couple of days corrected itself and was written off to jaundice. We took Jeffrey home thinking we had a healthy baby boy. Four months later symptoms began. Jeffrey had a strange, unresponsive diaper rash, what looked to be cradle cap, and white “cottage cheese” looking stuff in his mouth. Doctors initially attributed these to common baby issues, but we insisted that it wasn’t. After four months of being camped out in doctors’ offices, the diagnosis finally came: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). We couldn’t even pronounce it, let alone grasp what was happening. We were told there was only skin and bone involvement and six to twelve months of chemo should do the trick. But once Jeffrey started chemo it just seemed to make the disease angry. Jeffrey just got sicker and sicker. It moved to his spinal fluid then his liver, spleen, kidneys, and brain. Then the diagnosis changed from LCH to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Jeffrey was transferred to a Texas hospital for a bone marrow transplant. After three months the doctors decided he was well enough to do the transplant. It seemed to be working; his bone marrow was making his own blood and his blood counts were coming up to normal. At fifteen days out the doctor told us there was nothing wrong with him now that they couldn’t fix. But then the next morning, on Thanksgiving Day 2001, Jeffrey crashed. The doctors worked on him until noon to no avail; our miracle baby went to heaven at 2:30 PM. For those of us who loved Jeffrey, it will never seem right that he is gone. Things like this are not supposed to happen to people like him, but yet they do. We owe it to Jeffrey to live the best lives we can live as individuals and to raise as much money as possible to further research on HLH so that others can have the chances he didn't.

ABBY

In late 2014, Abby began experiencing pain in her shoulder. At first, we assumed it was just growing pains and tried every home remedy we could think of—but the pain only continued to increase. By early March 2015, the pain had become so severe that Abby struggled with everyday tasks like showering, getting dressed, and even brushing her hair. After months of testing and time spent in the hospital, Abby was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH)—a rare disease that causes an overproduction of white blood cells, which can lead to organ damage and the formation of tumors or lesions. In Abby’s case, she had a single lesion on her second rib. The lesion had eroded the rib to the point of fracture, causing intense pain and requiring months of physical therapy. Her physicians chose to treat the lesion with a steroid injection, hoping it would shrink—and it did. This journey was hard. It was exhausting. But through it all, Abby learned that she can do hard things. Her diagnosis is just one part of her story—it does not define her. If you asked Abby what carried her through her hardest days, she would tell you it was her faith (her favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11), along with the love of her family and friends. And now, she wants to be a source of hope for others who may be walking a similar path—which is why funding and support mean so much.

CALEB

Caleb's journey began July 22nd, 2016. He woke up that morning with an extremely high fever that wouldn't subside, so we went to the doctor. He diagnosed him with strep throat and sent us home. By July 26th we were admitted to the children's hospital. After several misdiagnoses, including Kawasaki disease and leukemia, a doctor came in and stated that the criteria aligned with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Caleb's condition started to deteriorate quickly. They placed him in a medically induced coma. They started him on a series of intense treatments, including blood transfusions, chemotherapy, and steroids. He stayed in the hospital for 14 days and his condition was touch-and-go. HLH is a rare, life-threatening immunodeficiency disease that rapidly attacks vital organs. Caleb experienced low blood counts, high fevers, and organ failure as a result. After 6 months of treatments he was finally in remission on January 26th, 2017. HLH at that time was typically a genetic disease, however Caleb's was secondary. They can not tell me what caused this to happen. The Dr also said there is a 50/50 chance it could return, but those chances fade over time. It has been 8 years now and Caleb is a healthy 16, almost 17 year old young man who is thriving! We thank God everyday for giving Caleb the strength to pull through this!