PEORIA, Illinois (WMBD) – A 19-year-old cancer patient at OSF Children’s Hospital received a long-awaited surprise. After years of waiting, he finally goes home.
In 2017, 19-year-old Peoria resident Hakeim Jones injured his side while playing sports. After taking him to doctors in Macon, Georgia, his family learned that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
“They said he had cancer, blood cancer,” said Princess Daniels, Hakeim’s mother.
For the past five years, Hakeim has been treated at OSF Healthcare’s Children’s Hospital in Illinois. Just over a year of that time was spent in Almost Home Kids, a temporary medical facility.
“He’s really been going back and forth. But the good thing about it is that everyone here really got to know him and we all love him very much,” said Cristol Klicker, social worker at Almost Home Kids.
Almost Home Kids’ education taught Hakeim’s parents how to take care of him and his circumstances. He was released from hospital on Wednesday.
“It means a lot. We’ve been waiting for about five and a half years now, and we’re just excited for him to come home. It’s been a long wait,” Daniels says.
Hakeim was greeted and cheered by smiling family, friends and hospital staff as he walked away.
“Today it was so important to see how people can get through that,” Klicker said.
As Hakeim begins the next chapter of his journey home, his mother said she is grateful for the staff who made this possible.
“They know, I know, they’ve been there for me, and I thank you (hospital staff) very much. It’s been a long time,” Daniels says.
Due to the training she has received, Daniels is now a certified caregiver for Hakeim, as well as others if she chooses to. Daniels also said Hakeim’s four siblings are more than happy to see him return home.
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