In 2015, the Steigelman family was busy preparing for the holiday season when Lucas began feeling sick. His parents, Stacy and Bill, assumed he was sick because of the cold weather and busy schedule, so his 6-year-old body came down with something. After Christmas, he turned 7 on Dec 30th and celebrated the New Year, still feeling ill. Stacy took him to the doctor in early January, and he was diagnosed with a respiratory virus and an ear infection. That weekend, he continued to feel sick at his dads, Bill’s house, and he was too tired to get ice cream or do the fun activities he usually enjoyed. He went back to the doctor again on Monday, but the doctors still believed it was a respiratory virus. Stacy didn’t believe this diagnosis, and two days later they took Lucas to the local emergency room.
At the emergency room, the team conducted many tests, and Lucas endured endless poking and prodding. When the scans came back, both of Lucas’s lungs were white, signaling pneumonia. Lucas was admitted, and the team planned to keep him overnight while Stacy and Bill found someone to watch Lucas’ sister and brothers.
About an hour later, the nurse came in to do more blood tests and told Stacy and Bill that they were in contact with Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center so they could be transported. They immediately knew that something was wrong. When they asked what was going on, the nurse said, “Whatever it is, his white blood cell count is 375,000, his hemoglobin is 14 thousand and his red blood cells are below four. Whatever it is, it seems like it’s cancerous.”
Bill’s and Stacy’s hearts sank, and Bill rode in the back of the ambulance with Lucas on the way to Hershey. All that 7-year-old Lucas wanted was his Teletubbies’ blankie and to go home, but the testing continued late into the evening. The doctor told Bill and Stacy that Lucas had some form of Leukemia, and they needed to begin treatment as soon as possible. The next morning, Lucas was diagnosed with High-Risk T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This diagnosis was rare for his age, and the last known case was 10 years prior.
The medical team began coordinating with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and St Judes. Lucas’ chemotherapy regimen was intended for adults, so his treatment was considered a trial to see if it could work for kids.
About a week later, Four Diamonds stepped in. Their social worker explained that Four Diamonds would take care of every cost that was not covered by insurance. In an instant, the financial burden was lifted, and Bill and Stacy were able to focus on Lucas.
Lucas spent three weeks in the hospital, and he was discharged on Valentine’s Day. Bill’s fire company drove fire trucks to the hospital, and Lucas rode home in style. Soon after, Lucas began weekly chemo treatments and had many unexpected hospital stays due to his counts being too low for discharge. Lucas often had to go to Hershey multiple times every week for different treatments and appointments. The gas cards provided by the work of THON and Four Diamonds relieved the stress of the consistent trips to and from Hershey.
Frequent inpatient stays and trips to the hospital were draining and difficult for Lucas. “He was 7 years old, all he cared about was his Teletubbies, Paw Patrol, and Batman and Superman on TV.” Although treatment was challenging, Lucas channeled his inner superhero. Whenever Lucas put his port cream on his chest, they put cellophane over top. It pressed against his chest and made it look like Iron Man’s chest Arc Reactor, and his nickname became Iron Luke.
One of Lucas’s favorite ways to spend his time in the hospital was with the therapy dogs. He got as many collector cards as possible, meeting every dog he could. He also loved the Ronald McDonald cart that came around the floor, getting the snacks that he had been craving. He spent time with his favorite Child Life Specialist, Haley, coloring and watching his favorite videos of Jeffy the Puppet on YouTube. The nurses loved Lucas, especially one who was a Leukemia survivor himself!
Lucas also met friends who were going through treatment at the same time as him. Through online pages for parents to connect, he met Anthony, a boy around his age who was also battling a rare cancer. Anthony was from Florida and was an aspiring YouTuber. They became good friends and enjoyed playing together online with gaming and watching Anthony’s YouTube channel. Lucas and his family got small gifts for Anthony and his family when they were visiting Philadelphia for treatment and helped them endure the cold weather. Unfortunately, Anthony passed away on January 17th, 2021, at the age of 10.
The Lancaster Barnstormers, now the Lancaster Stormers, a minor-league baseball team, launched a contest to design their home uniforms. Lucas and Bill worked on a design in their free time in the hospital, and their design was chosen as one of their home-game uniforms for the 2016 season. He even got to be a Barnstormer for a day, and he played wiffleball in the field with some of the players. Lucas was able to see his design at the home games, and he has a replica jersey with his name framed at home.
Lucas started to lose his hair in July 2016. By August, he had started to adjust, and he was ready to go back to school. However, right before the school year began he ended up with two broken wrists. He went back to school with a pink cast and a purple cast, and he tried to use his injury as an excuse for his dad to do his homework for him. Since he could play video games just fine, his dad knew he could do his own homework, too.
Lucas’s Make-A-Wish options were a Philadelphia Eagles game or a trip to Disney World for his family. Since Stacy was a Dallas Cowboys fan, he chose the trip to Disney. Lucas still loved the Eagles, so he wrote a letter to the team. Doug Pederson, the head coach of the Eagles at the time, wrote back with an autographed business card and a personalized postcard! Coach Pederson said, “Keep fighting and never, ever give up.”
Lucas and his family were paired with the Student Nurse Association at Penn State (SNAPS). That summer, they had many barbecues and events with SNAPS and their partnered organization. He especially loved playing Fortnite with the boys! Unfortunately, in 2017, Lucas got sick right before THON Weekend. He was upset he couldn’t be at THON, looking forward to the water guns and the performances. SNAPS has been a consistent support system, keeping in touch and making plans to see the family! They especially love running into SNAPS members at Hershey while they are in the nursing program there.
In 2018, Lucas went through long-term maintenance and therapy and was able to attend his first THON Weekend. Lucas attended THON Weekend again in 2020, although he wasn’t able to stay as long as he had hoped since he did not feel well.
Lucas went through three and a half years of treatment, with his final chemotherapy treatment in May 2019. In July, his port was removed. In 2025, Lucas reached long-term maintenance! He is now 17 years old and is a junior in high school. He is even taller than his dad and both of his brothers! He loves playing video games, fishing, and boxing. Lucas is working on getting his driver’s permit, and he is hoping to stand all 46 hours at THON Weekend 2026!
Bill says, “Without THON, without Four Diamonds, the unimaginable would happen. All the events… it means so much to the kids that they know they’re not alone.”
To ensure that THON is able to donate 96 cents of every dollar raised to Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, we heavily rely on donor support. These donations provide us the resources to create endless memories for our Four Diamonds families & foster a deep love & connection to our mission for our volunteers through Pre-THON Events, alternative fundraisers, & THON Weekend.
