At just 13 years old, Quinn has faced challenges that would test even the toughest adult—yet her story isn’t just about survival. It’s about grit, advocacy and a relentless drive to turn hardship into hope.

Quinn’s journey began in December 2022, when severe rib pain led to a diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer. Within days, Quinn underwent a biopsy and started chemotherapy. “They told me I had cancer, and I just screamed,” Quinn recalls. Over the next several months, she endured one of the most aggressive treatment plans doctors use for kids with cancer—rounds of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation, including whole-lung radiation after the cancer metastasized to her lungs. Despite the grueling treatment, Quinn’s resilience shone through; she rang the bell to celebrate the end of chemo on July 31, 2023.

But her fight wasn’t over. Quinn enrolled in a clinical trial to prevent relapse. The trial came with harsh side effects, including turning her hair white, but Quinn pressed on. Then, in fall 2024, an unexpected crisis struck: just weeks into middle school, Quinn developed severe pain and fever. What began as a mystery illness escalated into a life-threatening emergency—her oxygen levels plummeted, and she went into cardiac arrest. For five days, Quinn was on ECMO, a machine that kept her heart and lungs functioning. Doctors believe her body had an extreme immune rebound reaction after stopping the trial drug, triggering a multisystem inflammatory response.

After almost two months in the hospital, Quinn faced a long road to recovery, relearning how to walk and eat through intensive rehab. Through it all, she never lost her spirit or her sense of hope. Her objective was clear: to attend Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. “All my rehab goals were about being able to walk to the concession stand at the concert,” Quinn says with a smile. And she did it—traveling to Vancouver with her mom and favorite teacher to see the show.

Recently, Quinn and her family faced another devastating and unimaginable heartbreak: the tragic loss of her younger brother, Carter. “We are absolutely heartbroken,” says her mom, Brooke. “But the love we received from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and oncology teams during Carter’s final days was something we will never forget. They were so compassionate and genuinely caring—they answered every question, spent time with us and even cried with us. We could not have gotten through this horrible experience without them.” That deep compassion has only strengthened the family’s commitment to supporting Children’s Hospital Colorado. “I felt so much love and support from everyone there,” Brooke adds.

Quinn dreams of becoming an oncologist, inspired by nurses who once battled cancer themselves. She continues to participate in research and clinical trials, knowing her experience could help others in the future. “If it feels okay, we do it,” says Brooke. “Because something good should come out of all of this.”

For Quinn and her family, Children’s Colorado has been more than a hospital—it’s been a lifeline. “The team never focused on what she couldn’t do,” Brooke says. “They focused on what she could—and that gave us hope.”