Meet Ruby and Max, your February Butterfly Buddies! Ruby, 11 and in the 5th grade, is a brilliant and creative soul with a love for painting, sculpting, and—most of all—dance! A fierce competitor on her dance team, she thrives in everything from jazz to hip-hop and would be in the studio every day if she could. Wise beyond her years, Ruby is also an outstanding student, earning straight A’s despite missing the first 22 days of school —just one example of her unstoppable spirit. Her brother Max, 8, may be younger but towers over her in height - the tallest in his second grade class! The ultimate friend to everyone he meets, Max is a funny, kindhearted protector who shares an unbreakable bond with his sister. A huge sports fan, basketball is his passion, and he can rattle off stats like a pro. Ruby and Max live with their parents, Nichole and Michael, and their energetic rescue dog, Zoey, in Essex County, MA.

In 2017, life was moving fast for Nichole and Michael—Nichole had just started her dream job at a startup, their family had recently moved into a new home, and they were adjusting to life with a newborn. In the midst of it all, Ruby, at just three-and-a-half-years old, began experiencing persistent knee pain and unexplained fevers that would come and go. Though doctors initially suspected juvenile arthritis, Nichole couldn’t shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong. Her pediatrician trusted her instincts and urged her to keep pushing for answers. Then, one day, while out with her grandmother, Ruby was in such excruciating pain that she couldn’t get out of her car seat. Nichole rushed to her side, and by the next morning, she was demanding an ultrasound at the hospital—refusing to leave until they got one. When the results came back, their world shifted. Doctors found a tumor wrapped around Ruby’s celiac valve, and on June 27th, they delivered the heartbreaking diagnosis: Stage 4, high-risk neuroblastoma. Just days later, on July 3rd, Ruby’s treatment began, marking the start of a journey that would test their family in every way– but also reveal Ruby’s incredible strength.

Ruby’s treatment can be described as nothing short of intense. She endured eight rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a stem cell transplant, and then underwent a grueling 20-hour surgery to remove her tumor. The complications afterward were severe—she spent 81 days in the hospital, and was in an induced coma for 11 days, even sleeping through her fourth birthday. During this time, her body had to relearn everything—how to talk, breathe, eat, and walk. She then underwent 22 rounds of proton radiation, requiring daily sedation due to the widespread nature of her cancer. Immunotherapy followed, taking a brutal toll on her body.

It was during their long hospital stay at Tufts Children’s Hospital that they first encountered Lucy’s Love Bus, when the Love Bus Healing Room’s massage therapists visited to provide comfort and care—offering a rare moment of relief in an otherwise overwhelming journey. As Nichole vividly remembers, “the comfort of the massage would visibly calm Ruby, lowering her heart rate on the monitors. It was such a small, but meaningful, moment of peace in the middle of everything.”

For a while after treatment, Ruby’s health remained stable, but complications from her excision eventually led to liver trouble. In August 2024, she underwent a liver transplant—another step in her eight-year journey. The surgery was expected to keep her in the hospital for up to six weeks, but Ruby amazed everyone by going home in just 11 days. Her resilience is undeniable, and despite the late effects of her illness—her petite frame, occasional fatigue—she refuses to let anything slow her down. She loves spending time with her best friends, going to sleepovers, making jewelry, and dancing at her studio, fully embracing the joy of just being a kid.

Ruby knows when to push through and when to rest, listening to her body as she navigates life with the same strong spirit. "We live in a really great neighborhood," Nichole shared. "There are kids everywhere, but sometimes she’ll just say, ‘I’m good. I’ve had enough,’ and head home. And that’s fine—listening to her body is important." Meanwhile, her brother Max has carried the weight of her illness in his own way. The anxiety that once had him waking early to check if his parents were still there has softened, but his protective nature remains. "He just always needs to know Ruby’s okay," Nichole said.

Lucy’s Love Bus has been a constant source of comfort for their family, offering experiences that help both Ruby and Max heal. In addition to massage therapy from Ginny, Deborah and Jillian, Ruby found joy in music therapy with April, and yoga and meditation with Ann– other members of the Love Bus Healing Room team at Tufts. "Ruby doesn’t remember the pain—she remembers April playing guitar when she didn’t feel good and Miss Ann’s Boston terriers, just like the one we had," Nichole recalled. Even now, Love Bus continues to be part of their lives, covering a portion of the lofty costs of Ruby’s dance classes and dance camps, giving her an outlet that she absolutely loves. Max, too, has found confidence through Love Bus, tackling horseback riding at Ironstone Farm and embracing football with his best friends. "We didn’t think Max would get on that horse," Nichole said. "But by the end, he was beaming—‘Mom, did you see this thing I did?!’ That was huge for him."

For Nichole, these moments of joy are invaluable. "To have something that brings your child peace when nothing else does gives us as parents such peace of mind," she said. Lucy’s Love Bus has given them not just financial support, but experiences that shape who Ruby and Max are becoming. "When you’re terrified and everything is scary, having an organization and supporters there to bring your child joy and comfort, even for a moment, means everything."

Thank you for your generous gifts, which bring joy and comfort to children like Ruby and Max, and their parents, Nichole and Michael!