Hank's Journey

Meet Hank the Tank and His Family

Hank has been fighting Neuroblastoma since he was two years old. Six years of chemotherapy, surgeries, radiation, relapses, and setbacks and still, he wakes up every morning ready to go. This is his story.

Hank Strong
Hank Strong fighting strong
Hank Strong with family
The Carpenter family

Watch Hank's Channel

Get to Know Hank

See Hank's videos, follow along on social media, and meet the kid behind the fight.

The Beginning

A Bump that Changed Everything

Hank was just two years old when his mom noticed a bump on his head. She thought he had fallen. A few days later, the bump was bigger. They rushed to the pediatrician, who sent them for an MRI. When the results came back, the family was asked to return to the hospital immediately. The diagnosis was Neuroblastoma — a rare pediatric cancer that had started in his adrenal gland and spread through his entire body. All of this — at two years old, at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

"Hospital visits became his new normal. He doesn't know anything different and somehow, that made him braver than any of us."

Biological · Psychological · Social · Spiritual

Cancer Affects the Whole Family — In Every Dimension

Our mission is to support the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of how cancer affects the whole family — not just Hank.

The Journey

Hank's Fight, Step by Step

2020 — Age 2 — Diagnosis

A Bump That Became a Battle

Hank's mom noticed a bump on his head and thought he had fallen. Days later it was bigger. An MRI led to an immediate return to the hospital — Neuroblastoma, starting in his adrenal gland and spread through his entire body. Over 70% of his bone marrow contained cancer cells. He was two years old. The COVID-19 lockdown had just begun.

2020 — Fighting for the Right Care

When the Local Hospital Said No

Chemotherapy stopped working. The local hospital told Hank's family there was nothing more they could do — and the treating physician refused to release his care to a neuroblastoma specialist across the country. His family fought back. They won. In the middle of a pandemic, they packed up and moved across the country to find the treatment that saved his life.

2021–2023 — Treatment

Years of Fighting, Round After Round

Chemotherapy. Tumor removal surgery. Immunotherapy. Multiple types of radiation. Stem cell extraction. Trial treatments. Relapse after relapse, each one met head-on. Hank spent more time in hospitals than most adults ever will, and he faced every procedure with a courage that left his care team in awe.

June 2024 — Relapse #6

Cancer Reaches His Brain

Hank's cancer spread to his brain. Emergency surgery successfully removed the tumor — but left him with decreased mobility in his left arm and leg. He began physical and occupational therapy, relearning movements most of us take for granted. And he kept going.

2025 — Relapse #7

Right Shoulder. Left Leg. Still Standing.

New tumors were found on Hank's right shoulder and left leg. His seventh relapse. The weight of six years of treatment is real  Hank is beginning to show signs of depression, and the whole family carries the toll of chronic illness. And still they show up. Every single day.

July 2026 — Right Now

Active Treatment. Active Fight.

Five new spots are found. Hank is currently in active treatment. He is eight years old. He has spent more than half his life fighting cancer — and he is still here, still smiling, still the kid who makes everyone around him feel like everything is going to be okay. His family needs your support now more than ever.

Every Dollar Carries this Family Forward.

Help Hank and his family keep fighting. Your donation goes directly to the Carpenter family to support the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs that pediatric cancer puts on everyone who loves him.