Family celebrates child being cancer free at Johns Hopkins All Children's Run

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - This past Thursday, the Ortiz family helped ring a big brass bell inside Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, signifying that their two-year-old son JoJo was in remission.

It's a sound they'd been longing to hear since their year took an unexpected turn six months ago.

"On March 9th, he was diagnosed with MLA leukemia and it rocked our world, " JoJo's father, Joseph Ortiz, said. "It was pretty tough to get that news and bare that burden and it was a really tough journey, but with the help of All Children's, the nurses, the staff, our friends and family, we were able to overcome the journey." 

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Joseph says as his son received treatments, he and his wife Jenny and their oldest son Jaden were constantly finding ways to show gratitude to the doctors and nurses caring for him.

They would bring them coffee, but it was Jaden's idea to do something extra special. 

"He said, Dad, you bring them something. I want to bring them something !" Joseph explained. "So he started with starbursts and then he was like, 'Dad, I gotta go bigger.' So we ended up ordering a snack shack tent, and went to Sam's Club and got all these goodies and then every Friday he would put on a snack stand for the nurses and patients to give back, and would say 'they took care of JoJo' so I have to take care of them.'" 

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Together, with their entire support system, alongside an even bigger snack stand that was put up on-site in their honor, JoJo and the Ortiz Family participated in Saturday's 10th annual 5K Run for All Children's, ready to close this painful chapter on a positive note. 

Both Joseph and Jenny stressed that positivity kept them going the entire time.

"Our faith has kept us strong, the staff at All Children's is phenomenal, and to any family going through this, stay positive and take it one day at a time," Jenny said.

"We always try to stay happy and positive," her husband added. "The news was horrible, but we try to make it better and twist it and bring joy to the floor and our family."