Alex Arrieta, 10, succumbs to cancer
Alex Arrieta, a fifth-grader at Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts who was known for his ever-present smile and his gentle heart, died early Wednesday morning at MUSC Children’s Hospital in Charleston.
“Alex is no longer suffering, around 2 a.m. this morning, (his grandmother) welcomed him to heaven. He is now a happy, healthy boy,” a family member posted on the Alex “Smiles” Arrieta Facebook page Wednesday morning. “He beat cancer. He is free. We, his family, are beyond heartbroken.” The page is followed by more than 2,000 community members who were hoping for a different outcome.
Alex, 10, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in February 2015. After a months-long hospital stay in Savannah and several rounds of chemotherapy, he was in remission until this past January when the leukemia returned.
Alex and his parents, Brandon and Caroline Arrieta of Hilton Head, have been at MUSC since January.
This story will be updated.
Related content:
- Where are they now? Mike Myers, Pope Francis help Hilton Head boy overcome cancer, Dec. 11, 2015
- Hilton Head Island boy stricken with leukemia prepared to 'fight with smiles', Feb. 16, 2015
This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Alex Arrieta, 10, succumbs to cancer."