CAR T-Cell Therapy Saved Royce’s Life — It’s Coming to Valley Children’s Soon

Published October 10, 2025

PORTERVILLE, Calif. — A cutting-edge cancer treatment that reprograms the body’s own immune cells saved a Porterville child’s life — and it’s coming soon to Valley Children’s, offering hope to families in Central California facing the most devastating diagnoses.

Royce Madrid’s journey began on September 16, 2021, when he was born to parents Andrea Steward and Rudy Madrid.

“Having him and holding him after everything was said and done, it was the best feeling in the world,” said Rudy.

Just eight weeks later, Rudy noticed Royce was unusually lethargic. He called Andrea and asked her to come home from work. As soon as she arrived, she insisted they go to the emergency room.

At the hospital in Porterville, doctors couldn’t immediately confirm a diagnosis, but they suspected leukemia. Soon after, Royce was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

Working with Royce’s care team, Rudy became Royce’s bone marrow donor. But despite the transplant, Royce relapsed months later. The setback was compounded by a severe case of the flu and a full respiratory infection, which led to Royce being placed on ECMO — a life-support machine reserved for the most critical cases.

For Rudy, the ordeal was heartbreakingly familiar. Years earlier, his older sister, Sophia, had been diagnosed with leukemia. She relapsed, developed pneumonia and passed away.

“I put it together — my son had the same thing. Leukemia, the respiratory failure,” Rudy said. “Are we going to have to deal with this all over again?”

After Royce recovered from the infection, his care team turned to a groundbreaking treatment: Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

“In simple terms, CAR T-cell therapy is a form of treatment that uses a person’s own immune cells to attack and kill their cancer cells,” said Dr. Vinod Balasa, medical director of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Valley Children’s.

T-cells are a type of white blood cell and the body’s primary defense against infected cells — and they can be effective in killing cancer cells, Dr. Balasa explained. However, cancer cells can sometimes evade T-cells and spread.

To counter this, CAR T-cell therapy involves collecting the patient’s T-cells, sending them to a lab, and genetically engineering them to target and destroy cancer cells before returning them to the body.

“While chemotherapy uses a shotgun approach that can impact normal cells while it kills cancer cells, CAR T-cell therapy is a targeted treatment,” Dr. Balasa said.

The body can also continue producing the engineered cells, providing ongoing protection against the cancer.

Royce received the therapy at Stanford — a turning point in his journey from crisis to recovery.

“CAR T saved him,” Rudy said. “And we strongly believe that.”

Today, Royce is thriving. He celebrated his fourth birthday in September, attends preschool and recently started playing soccer. He continues to visit Valley Children’s for regular checkups, where his family says they feel supported by the care team.

“I actually call Royce my miracle baby, because when I first met Royce, he would just lay flat all the time,” said Kelly Folmer, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner at Valley Children’s. “Now, I’ve had the pleasure of watching him run around our clinic, coloring and playing basketball. He’s doing all the things that other kids his age do.”

Because Royce’s CAR T-cell therapy was administered at Stanford, his family endured long drives and extended hotel stays. Soon, families in the Central Valley won’t have to travel so far.

Valley Children’s is preparing to offer CAR T-cell therapy through the Dr. Vonda Lee Crouse Bone Marrow Transplant and Cell Therapy Program — bringing the advanced treatment closer to home.

“In starting the CAR T program here at Valley Children’s, we are ensuring that we are able to provide this state-of-the-art, life-saving treatment to our patients right here in the Central Valley and are positioning ourselves to continue advancing the care for the most complex and difficult cancer patients,” Dr. Balasa said. “It is a huge step forward in our efforts to providing the best care to every child.”

Now, Rudy is sharing Royce’s story to offer hope to other families facing similar battles.

“When you hear the word cancer, you automatically think the worst. But it doesn’t have to be that anymore,” Rudy said.

“I’ve seen my son go through a lot, and I still get to see my son. And I know that it’s because he’s had great care and because of CAR T.”