William D. | 2026 All-Star | Connecticut Children's Foundation

From Athlete to Hodgkin Lymphoma Patient: William’s Story

For months, Kim and Bill tried to find an answer that would explain her 11-year-old son William’s symptoms. An ultrasound to examine a swollen lymph node in his neck turned up nothing concerning. Ditto for an x-ray of his lung.

Then last summer, William began losing weight and coughing—so much that he sometimes threw up. An asthma specialist prescribed an inhaler, but that didn’t make much difference. The cough lingered.

On the Monday after Halloween, William felt sick and Kim reached a breaking point. “That’s it,” she said. “I’m going to Connecticut Children’s because no one was finding anything.”

They arrived at the Emergency Department (ED) at 9 o’clock in the morning. A multi-sport athlete, William had been to the ED before for a wrist injury, so he was more curious than scared by his surroundings. He and Kim spent the day waiting for tests, bloodwork, and results.

William giving a thumbs up in his hospital bed with care team member

News no parent expects to hear

“At first, they were saying it was pneumonia, because they were seeing something on the lung on the X-ray,” Kim said. “But the bloodwork was showing so much more. By the end of the night, they were thinking it was lymphoma.”

His parents didn’t tell him right away. “We couldn’t even absorb it,” Kim added. As he was wheeled up to the eighth floor, they explained only that more tests were needed and they would be there for a while in order to figure out what was causing his cough.

In a late-night huddle, Connecticut Children’s hematologist-oncologists Kerry Moss, MD, and Elisabeth Ekman, DO, laid out a plan for the week. A biopsy was scheduled for the next day. A chemotherapy port was placed on Thursday, and a PET scan on Friday determined the treatment plan.

News no parent expects to hear

When it came time to explain the diagnosis to William, Dr. Moss, Dr. Ekman, and hematologist-oncologist Evan Cantor, MD—along with a Child Life specialist—delivered the news.

The very first thing William said was, ‘Cancer is life-threatening' ”
Kim, William's Mom

The doctors reassured him that not all types of cancer are fatal and that Hodgkin lymphoma was treatable.

A boy in charge of his own destiny

From that moment on, William took ownership of his care. He listened carefully as doctors explained procedures. A Child Life specialist showed him a doll with a chemotherapy port before his own was placed. Today, he applies his own lidocaine cream before chemotherapy and reminds the nurses when it’s time to take his vitals.

William powered through his first two months of chemotherapy—even feeling well enough to return to school part-time, where his favorite classes are math, science, and French. Month three brought a new chemotherapy regimen that has taken a toll on his energy and spirits.

In addition, it’s been hard to temporarily give up the sports he loves—basketball, baseball, golf, and flag football—as well as winter fun with friends. His doctors nixed skiing and sledding due to his treatment-related low platelet count.

Even on the harder days, William loves being at Connecticut Children’s, where he’s made lots of friends among the nursing staff and enjoys the Hematology-Oncology clinic’s constant busyness. Long hours spent building Lego creations leave him with a sense of accomplishment. “It becomes your second home,” said Kim.

William with UConn Men's Basketball Team in hospital

For now, William and his parents are taking his treatment journey one step at a time—celebrating the good days and leaning on the care team they’ve come to know so well. He continues to face each new phase with the same determination he’s shown from the start.