The Morford Milestone

At 8 years old, a child should focus on fun with friends and family, learning and reading, climbing jungle gyms and playing with toys. What a child should not have to endure is what George Morford had to go through, beginning in February 2025.

Each year more than 10,000 children are diagnosed with cancer and nearly one in three cases is a form of leukemia. There are two main types of acute leukemia, with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) being the least common in children. In 2025, George Morford was diagnosed with AML at 8-years-old.

George’s diagnosis and hospitalization came one month before The Blast, a community walk along the Trinity River benefitting the Cook Children’s Hematology and Oncology Center.  His family and friends formed “George’s Purple Tomatoes,” on his behalf since he couldn’t go and they ended up becoming the organization’s largest team of 132 participants that year.

Now in remission, George will walk The Blast for the first time as the leader of his renamed team “George’s Funky Town Fight Club” at the 2026 event on Saturday, March 28 at Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth.

“Cook Children’s is meant for kids, and it has everything a kid could need and it makes me mostly only remember the good things,” said George.

It’s why The Blast is close to the Morford family’s hearts. Support George and all of his colleagues by clicking here to register for or donate today! 

The diagnosis

After weeks of feeling ill and various doctor appointments, Sarah Morford, George’s mom, noticed bruises on his body. Sarah knew something wasn’t right; a mother’s instinct is rarely wrong. The next morning, she woke him up and told him to gather his favorite stuffed animal and blanket. She looked up the nearest children’s hospital and drove immediately to Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth.

The staff listened as Sarah recounted their journey; George hadn’t been to school for three weeks because he was sick.

“The medical staff began palpating his stomach within five minutes and told us they wanted to rule out cancer,” said Sarah.

What came next happened so fast that Sarah barely had enough time to tell her husband, Zac Morford, that they were at the medical center. He rushed to his wife and son, arriving just in time to hear the ugly, six-letter, earth-shattering word.

Cancer.

Holly Pacenta, M.D., director of Cellular Immunotherapy at Cook Children’s Hematology and Oncology Center, diagnosed George on Feb. 26, 2025.

“This is serious. I wish you guys weren’t here,” Dr. Pacenta recalls telling the Morfords and reassuring them they were in the best hands. “We have a clinical trial through a collaboration with St. Jude and their doctors. We hope this treatment is the next best thing and while it’s scary, I do feel like the odds are in your favor.”

According to the American Cancer Society, AML starts in the bone marrow, the soft inner part of certain bones, where new blood cells are made, and most often, AML moves quickly from the bone marrow into the blood, and/or other parts of the body including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

By 3 p.m., the medical center staff moved George to a room on the fifth floor, where he would live for the next five weeks. Sarah affectionately calls it the “fifth-floor AML hotel.”

George began chemotherapy the next day.

The hero she didn’t know she needed; Cook Children’s emphasis on family-centered care

Outside the medical center walls, friends and family showed up in little and big ways: text messages, letters, care baskets, spreading awareness for the stem cell ‘Fort Worth Swab Drive’ and creating a team for The Blast 2025. George’s friends never made him feel forgotten. They even filmed a weekly update every Friday from their classroom recapping everything from crushes between students and the latest school sports highlights from a student news anchor.

Inside the medical center walls, George’s care team took care of him and his family. On one particular day, one particular nurse made a world of difference for Sarah. George was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) due to complications. His body was filling up with fluid due to a complication from his treatment, and it put pressure on his heart and lungs.

Laurel Summers, a PICU nurse, and Sarah teamed up on what Sarah recalls as one of the longest, darkest days the family endured. She says Laurel was delicate, listening to her concerns about George losing his dignity as an 8-year-old. For instance, instead of using the word ‘diaper,’ Summers coined the term ‘hospital pants.’

“I think knowing the small acts of kindness I showed Sarah that day made a lasting impression is super rewarding to know that it helps,” said Summers.

As a result of the complications George experienced, his medical team decided to modify his chemotherapy plan.

“I was completely spiraling. I mean, I truly had no idea, if he would live or die,” said Sarah.

Dr. Pacenta says it was a hard decision but necessary.

“You have to take a step back, if the side effects outweigh the benefits,” said Dr. Pacenta

Sarah recalls being terrified, but Summers focused on Sarah’s care too.

“She put her arms around me in the chair and sometimes you just need human touch, to just release something within you,” said Sarah. 

Sarah recalls Summers’ thoughtfulness. When she noticed Sarah hadn’t eaten all day, she brought her a drink and snacks from the nurses’ lounge.

“I'll just never forget her as somebody who I just felt went so above and beyond that day to show just a different level of empathy,” said Sarah. “She's so good at her job. I remember her face. I could pull it out of a lineup.”

George experienced complications from fluid but made a full recovery after the modified treatment plan.

The reunion

Months later Sarah took to social media to publicly thank Summers for her care and kindness. When Summers heard about the Facebook post, it lifted her spirits as she realized she gave the family exactly what they needed, when they needed it most.

 “That day I felt like there wasn’t anything I could do to make their situation any better,” said Summers. “It was such a sweet and unexpected message that we rarely get. We rarely hear that we made an impact on a family.”

The Morfords and Summers didn’t cross paths for the rest of George’s admission. On Feb. 26, 2026, one year to the date that George was admitted to Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth, that changed.

When the Morford family thought they were coming in to help with The Blast, a tap on the shoulder and a long hug from Summers changed the day. George and Sarah finally reunited with Summers for the first time.

“I’ve seen your face in my head so many times,” Sarah said to Summers right after the surprise. “Thank you for being there on that day, thank you for hugging me and for feeding me and just seeing me.”  

George has made a full recovery from his treatment complications and is in remission today and says he is grateful to everyone who supported him.

“My family was just the most supportive, and best thing that could ever happen to me,” said George.

Photo credit: Meredith Green Photography