When James Hall was just four months old, his world was small, tender, and wrapped in the quiet love of his parents. To Ashley and Nate, he was a happy baby, full of smiles, showing only the ordinary little symptoms any infant might have.

No one imagined their lives were about to turn in a direction they could never have predicted.

The Beginning of the Storm: A Small Sign — A Devastating Blow

When James reached ten months, recurring ear infections led his parents to bring him to an ENT specialist. At first, it seemed harmless — maybe a small cyst, the doctor said. A CT scan would clarify everything.

It clarified nothing.
It shattered everything.

There it was —
A tumor in the left temporal lobe of their 10-month-old baby.

Ashley remembered the moment their life split into two parts:
Before and after.

“We weren’t prepared,” she said. “Who thinks their child has a brain tumor?”

But the nightmare wasn’t done with them.

Further scans revealed a second tumor, located at the back of James’s skull. As the family waited for their next appointment, a nurse gently told them they wouldn’t be visiting the ENT clinic anymore. Their new destination:

The 11th floor — Pediatric Oncology.

That floor would become their second home.
The doctors and nurses there would become their second family.

A One-Year-Old Steps Into a Battle No One Chooses

James had just turned one. At home, he had two older siblings — and another baby on the way. Instead of learning to walk, James was thrown into a world of needles, medicines, and medical terms that even adults struggle to understand:

• MRI

• X-rays

• Biopsies

• Port placement surgery

• Chemotherapy

“It all happened in a whirlwind,” Ashley recalled. “But we knew we were in the right place.”

Doctors initially tested for three possible conditions. When the final results came back, they confirmed:

Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) — a rare disorder that mimics cancer, damaging tissues through abnormal immune cells.

Ashley’s voice trembled as she remembered:
“Out of the three possibilities… this was the worst, but still somehow the best.”
A sentence no parent should ever have to say.

James began chemotherapy and heavy steroids.
He temporarily lost hearing in his left ear, battled fevers, fatigue, and endless side effects — yet he kept smiling.

Hope Returns — Only to Be Snatched Away Again

In May 2022, James finished chemotherapy.
His scans came back clean.
The family celebrated, rang the victory bell, and prayed they had left the nightmare behind.

But childhood cancer rarely closes a chapter so easily.

Later that year, James began vomiting suddenly — sometimes at night, sometimes in the afternoon. When it didn’t stop, the doctor ordered another MRI.

On May 8th, 2023 — one year and two days after celebrating remission — they received the call every oncology family fears.

A new brain tumor.

Ashley said:
“It was the worst day. Nothing prepares you for that moment.”

This one was in the brain stem — an incredibly dangerous location. A biopsy could kill him. His case was so rare that no doctor could find another patient like James anywhere in the world.

James went back on steroids.
Back to chemo.
When chemo failed, he endured 28 rounds of radiation.

Still, the tumor didn’t shrink.
Doctors considered a second diagnosis: low-grade brainstem glioma, a tumor that must be monitored for life.

Then, in January 2025, LCH returned — this time in his thyroid and pituitary gland.

James would need chemotherapy until at least the next spring.

Yet Through Every Storm, James Remains a Light

Despite countless hospital visits, James — now 5 years old — still loves baseball, basketball, swimming, and especially… video games during his hospital stays.

He has an adorable nickname for the hospital:
“Dr. Dickens’s Hospital.”

Perhaps because Dr. Dickens was among the first to sit beside him after that initial diagnosis.

From One Sick Child — to a Ripple of Love Reaching Hundreds

In 2021, after James’s first diagnosis, Dr. Dickens took his team to Field of Dreams in Dyersville to lift their spirits. Ashley invited local families, selling tickets to raise funds for the hospital.

From a tiny idea, something extraordinary took root.

Each year, the Field of Dreams event grew larger:

• More families

• More awareness

• More support

Then the Hall family founded the Why We Wave Foundation — helping families with children battling cancer.

Last year, Ashley dreamed of something simple but meaningful: giving families the chance to attend a Hawkeyes game and take part in the heartwarming “Hawkeye Wave” — when the entire stadium waves to the children watching from the 12th-floor windows of the children’s hospital.

Within one week, 63 families signed up.

Patients and parents fundraised on their own so more families could join.

Today, Why We Wave Foundation provides:

• Gas money

• Meal support

• Sports tickets

• Recreational outings

• And, above all: hope

Ashley said:

“It’s been four years since my son’s diagnosis. There are good days and bad days. But the most beautiful thing is… people always show up. They keep caring.”

The Hall family made a choice:

To help families walking the same path — even while they are still fighting their own battle.

Because, as Ashley said:
“It gives James’s diagnosis meaning.”

And Through All the Fear, One Thing Never Changes

“We always knew James was getting the very best care at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.”

James’s battle continues.
His story is still unfolding.
And the wave of love that began with one little boy is now lifting hundreds of families just like his.

James is not fighting only for himself.
He’s fighting for the children who come after him.
And with every wave from the community — he is reminded that he is never, ever alone.