Two high school friends in Georgia faced cancer diagnoses just months apart, leaning on each other for support throughout their treatments.
Sophomore J.P. Thomas was first diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare and fast-growing cancer, after initially visiting a doctor for knee pain. Doctors discovered cancerous spots on multiple parts of his body, including his skull, shoulders, arms, hips, and legs.
During Thomas’ chemotherapy at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, his friend Camilo Henao stayed by his side. “I was like, ‘Dang, that has to suck,’” Henao recalled.
A few months later, Henao was also diagnosed with cancer. He described his first week of chemotherapy as “the worst week I’ve had in my life.” By then, Thomas had completed his own treatment and became a source of support for his friend while learning he was officially cancer-free.
When Thomas was eligible to ring the hospital’s victory bell—a tradition for patients who have completed treatment—he chose to wait until Henao could join him. “Why would I have the joy of ringing the bell when my friend is still going through the same thing?” he said.
The two friends finally rang the bell together on November 21, celebrating their recovery side by side. “We joke about losing hair a lot,” Thomas reflected on their shared experience.
Both families have praised Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for their compassionate care. Henao’s father called it “not a hospital… it’s an embassy of heaven on earth.”
