He was just a toddler when he began difficult leukemia treatment NOW, HE’S CANCER-FREE
Jessica Encalada smiles at the sound of her son Lucas’ high-pitched laugh as the 5-year-old rolls in the grass outside Indian Trace Elementary School in Weston.
“I’m just grateful he’s still here with us,” she says.
In 2019, Lucas Salazar was diagnosed at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood with high-risk lymphoblastic leukemia. Ever since then, she has been by his side.
“He is a boy who has adapted a lot,” Jessica says. “He is always smiling. I always say that he has a smile that can light up a whole hospital.”
Sandra Muvdi, Lucas’ case manager at the Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation, nominated him for help from Wish
Book, noting his resilience. After grueling treatments, he is cancerfree.
In 2017, the EncaladaSalazar family immigrated to the United States from Guayaquil, Ecuador, in search of a better life. Jessica, her husband, Carlos Salazar, and their 10-year-old daughter, Luciana Salazar, settled in Weston. There they had the support of Jessica’s mother and sister.
Shortly after Carlos found work, Jessica became pregnant with Lucas. He was only a toddler when his family saw unusual bruising on his legs. She took Lucas to the emergency room, where he was referred to an oncologist for testing, and the family’s battle with his illness began.
Early in his treatment, Lucas had to be isolated in the hospital because of COVID-19. Jessica was there with him — forced to leave her husband and Lucas’s older sister, Luciana, who was then in middle school, in her grandmother’s care.
That’s when Jessica became her son’s real-life superhero.
“Lucas and I practically lived in the hospital,” Jessica says. “We couldn’t see our family for months, and I was always in complete isolation from Lucas’ father and sister.”
The family adapted to a new and unexpected lifestyle. Jessica was always at the hospital with Lucas while Carlos worked late nights. Luciana found adapting to a sick sibling particularly hard. When Lucas works on art projects while undergoing treatment, he always makes something for his sister.
But as Lucas underwent treatment, his mother said, “It was getting a bit more complicated for us to get things going at home.”
Jessica and Lucas spent around two months in the ICU, where Lucas began his year-long treatment plan. Early on, it was clear his body was reacting badly to chemotherapy.
The family then began to seek other treatment.
“The oncologists gave me several options,” she explained. “One was a possible bone-marrow transplant.”
LONG AND ARDUOUS
Lucas was relocated to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he would get his treatment. The oncologists sat down with Jessica in 2021 to explain how the transplant would