Meet ASK Kid Joseph

Medulloblastoma (muh-dul-o-blas-TOE-muh) is a very big word with a heavy meaning for a very little boy.  While Joseph, a baseball lover, is busy learning terms like “home run,” “grand slam,” and “fastball,” his parents, Becky and James, are learning about this fast-growing, cancerous brain tumor.

At just 13 months old, Joseph was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, and life for him and his parents changed in an instant. Before his diagnosis, Joseph had been sick often. After four visits to the doctor in a single week, he vomited one morning, and his parents rushed him to St. Mary’s for a CT scan. That’s when the tumor appeared.

Instead of hitting “home run hits!” as Joseph adorably says it, this little baseball fan was now undergoing brain surgery to remove the tumor and relieve fluid buildup in his brain. Doctors caught it early, but the tumor was fast-moving. Joseph immediately started three rounds of chemotherapy, and an intense stem cell transplant, spending almost a month in the hospital.

Despite Joseph’s intense treatment, he remained “a bright light to anyone and everyone he came across,” his dad James shares. His mom, Becky said, “You’d never know what he’s been through,” smiling as she spoke. Joseph not only fought through treatment, but he also graduated from physical, occupational, and speech therapy. But Joseph and his family didn’t fight alone. From the very first round of chemo, ASK was there to lend a helping hand.

A call came to Becky asking if the family needed anything, and it wasn’t just words. “Other organizations are wonderful, but ASK is different,” she says.

ASK stepped in with financial support that helped the family cover their mortgage after Becky had to step away from work to focus on Joseph’s health. Through the Adopt-a-Family program, ASK also made Christmas magical for Joseph, providing gifts from the family’s wish list thanks to community partners.

Beyond family support, ASK offers connection through program events. The family attended ASK Night at the Diamond and participated in the ASK 5K & Fun Walk, where “Ferocious Joseph and Lil' J's Brigade” became one of the largest teams in Walk history and helped raise funds for other children and families in Virginia facing childhood cancer.

Joseph in the 2025 ASK 5K & Fun Walk

More than that, ASK gave Joseph’s family a community–a circle of people who understood the unique challenges of childhood cancer. “They get the little things. They understand. They connect us with people who live right here in our community. You don’t feel alone,” Becky shared.

Two-year-old Joseph is thriving now. His future is bright, filled with dance moves to the “Mickey’s Hot Dog” song, and “home run hits” as spring approaches. His parents reflect on their journey with gratitude–for the skilled doctors and nurses at the hospital, for their decision to stay close to home, and for the unwavering support of ASK.

“It can happen to anybody,” James says. “But childhood cancer isn’t always a death sentence. Our kids are stronger than we are. Life changes in an instant, but you also discover kindness, compassion, and the good that’s still in the world. ASK reminds us every day that we don’t walk this journey alone.”