Adam was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on Dec. 11, 2007.

ALL is a form of leukemia or cancer of the white blood cells characterized by excess lymphoblasts. Malignant, immature white blood cells continuously multiply and are overproduced in the bone marrow. ALL causes damage and death by crowding out normal blood cells in the bone marrow and spreading to other organs. It is the most common type of childhood cancer with a peak incidence at two to five years of age.

“The diagnosis came out of nowhere and turned our young family upside down,” said Adam’s mother Shelley Hudson. “We were stunned by the diagnosis, but equally stunned when they told us the overall treatment would last over two years.”

Adam began a grueling schedule of weekly chemotherapy, massive doses of steroids and regular bone marrow biopsies and lumbar punctures at McMaster Children’s Hospital.