Childhood cancer survivor gives back ahead of major milestone  (index.html)  (https://www.wtva.com/2026/10/04/childhood-cancer-survivor-gives-back-ahead-major-milestone/?outputType=amp)                               (../../../../../webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/favicon.ico@d=596&mxId=00000000)  (../../../../../webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/favicon-16x16.png@d=596&mxId=00000000)  (../../../../../webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/favicon-32x32.png@d=596&mxId=00000000)  (../../../../../webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/favicon-48x48.png@d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-60x60.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-72x72.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-114x114.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-144x144.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-167x167.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)  (https://webpubcontent.gray.tv/gray/arc-fusion-assets/images/favicons/wtva/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png?d=596&mxId=00000000)    (../../../../pf/dist/components/output-types/default.css@d=596&mxId=00000000.css)  (../../../../pf/dist/components/combinations/default.css@d=596&mxId=00000000.css)  (../../../../pf/resources/dist/__global/css/style.css@d=596&mxId=00000000.css)  (../../../../pf/resources/dist/wtva/css/main.css@d=596&mxId=00000000.css)  (../../../../../cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/6.7.2/css/all.min.css)     (index.html#main) Skip to content (https://www.wtva.com/)        (https://www.wtva.com/)     (https://www.wtva.com/livestream) Watch Live  (https://www.wtva.com/news) News  (https://www.wtva.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.wtva.com/sports) Sports  (https://www.wtva.com/video-gallery/news) Videos  (https://www.wtva.com/about-us/contact-us) Contact Us              (https://www.wtva.com/homepage) Homepage   (https://www.wtva.com/livestream/) Watch Live   (https://www.wtva.com/news) News   (https://www.wtva.com/content/news/local/) Local   (https://www.wtva.com/content/news/mississippi) Mississippi   (https://www.wtva.com/content/news/alabama/) Alabama   (https://www.wtva.com/content/news/national/) National      (https://www.wtva.com/weather) Weather   (https://www.wtva.com/weather/alerts) Alerts   (https://www.wtva.com/weather/radar) Radar   (https://www.wtva.com/weather/maproom) Forecast Maps   (https://www.wtva.com/page/list-of-local-storm-shelters/) Storm Shelters   (https://www.wtva.com/community/user-content/) Submit Weather Pictures/Videos   (https://www.wtva.com/weather/closings) Closings   (https://weathercallservices.com/wtva-nexgen) WeatherCall   (https://www.wtva.com/weather/cams) Cameras   (https://www.wtva.com/weather/junior-weather-authority) Junior Weather Authority   (https://www.wtva.com/weather/elijah-experiments) Elijah Experiments      (https://www.wtva.com/sports) Sports   (https://www.wtva.com/content/sports/high-school/) High School   (https://www.wtva.com/sports/friday-night-fever) Friday Night Fever   (https://www.wtva.com/sports/scoreboard/) Friday Night Fever Scores   (https://www.wtva.com/content/sports/college) College   (https://www.wtva.com/content/sports/national) National   (https://www.wtva.com/2026/05/14/wtva-air-several-atlanta-braves-games-throughout-regular-season/) Atlanta Braves on WTVA      (https://www.wtva.com/page/download-our-apps/) Download WTVA Apps   (https://www.wtva.com/newsletter/) Receive Email Alerts   (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/wtva/browse) Obituaries   (https://www.wtva.com/community) Community   (https://www.wtva.com/community/senior-fair) Senior Health Fair   (https://www.wtva.com/community/studio-9) Studio 9 with Tanya Carter   (https://www.wtva.com/2026/06/04/tickets-2026-tupelo-st-jude-dream-home-giveaway-go-sale-june-25/) Tupelo St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway   (https://www.wtva.com/video-gallery/community/johnny-stars) Johnny D. 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By (https://www.wtva.com/authors/taniya-mcqueen/) Ta'Niya McQueen  and  (https://www.wtva.com/authors/tanya-carter/) Tanya Carter    Published: Oct. 4, 2026 at 10:56 AM EDT | Updated: 7 hours ago     Share     (https://google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.wtva.com)  Add Us On Google Add as a preferred source on Google      TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) — A childhood cancer survivor is turning her own journey into a way to give back to the hospital that helped her family through some of its most difficult years. Lily Baker was just 3 years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. After three years of chemotherapy and treatment, she finished treatment at 6 years old. Now, Lily is preparing to celebrate another major milestone. Oct. 10 will mark six years since she became cancer-free. On Saturday, Lily’s family, friends and supporters gathered at Mae’s To-Go Cup in Tupelo for a pumpkin-painting fundraiser benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.   “At three years old I was diagnosed with leukemia, and at six years old I was free,” Lily said. “They never made my family pay a dollar, so that’s why we’re doing this.” Despite undergoing treatment at such a young age, Lily said she remembers finding reasons to smile. “Every day there was just, even though I had leukemia, I was still really happy,” Lily said. “If you look at the pictures around this place, you can see me just full of giggles.” For Lily’s mother, Nicole Wray, St. Jude’s support allowed the family to focus on Lily rather than the financial burden that can come with a cancer diagnosis.  “We did not get a single bill, and thank God for St. Jude and doing what they do, because when you have a child with cancer, the last thing you can focus on is money,” Wray said. Wray said that support allowed her to focus on spending time with her daughter throughout treatment. “If it wasn’t for St. Jude, I wouldn’t have been able to have focused on my daughter and just spending time with her and being with her,” Wray said. “But St. Jude did that for us.” The family says Saturday’s fundraiser was not only a celebration of how far Lily has come, but also a way to help other children and families facing childhood cancer. With Lily’s six-year cancer-free anniversary just days away, the pumpkin-painting fundraiser gave her family another reason to celebrate while giving back to the organization that supported them along the way.  Copyright 2026 WTVA. All rights reserved.            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