A Tupelo girl marking six years cancer-free raised money for St. Jude

Lily Baker finished leukemia treatment at age six. Her family held a pumpkin-painting fundraiser for the hospital that never sent them a bill.

Verified · Source: WTVAOct 4, 2026 · 1 min read

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Brick and painted storefronts along a street in downtown Tupelo on a sunny day — Downtown Tupelo, Mississippi. Lily and the fundraiser are not pictured. Fredlyfish4 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Lily Baker was diagnosed with leukemia at age three and finished three years of chemotherapy and treatment at six. On October 10, she marks six years cancer-free, WTVA reported on October 4, 2026.

Ahead of that milestone, Lily's family, friends, and supporters gathered at Mae's To-Go Cup in Tupelo for a pumpkin-painting fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "They never made my family pay a dollar, so that's why we're doing this," Lily said.

Her mother, Nicole Wray, said not getting a single bill let her focus on spending time with her daughter during treatment instead of worrying about money. Lily said that even during treatment she was "full of giggles." The family said the fundraiser was a way to celebrate and to help other children facing cancer.