7-year-old metro-Detroit boy’s cancer chapter ends with ringing of bell
Delton is pictured during his ringing the bell celebration at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
Celebrating the end of 7-year-old Delton Jones’s treatment for pediatric cancer Sept. 28 with family and friends is drastically different from Delton’s arrival at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Fall 2025.
The happy-go-lucky boy had complained about knee pain earlier in the year, and his nose started randomly bleeding. After his family noticed him limping across the stage of his Kindergarten graduation, his mom, Deaja Jones, began a multi-month search with different doctors and hospitals to figure out what was wrong.
Each sent him home with instructions: how to stop the nose bleed, best to take pain relievers for the knee pain.
When he awoke in a pool of blood in his bed from a nose bleed in October 2025, she brought him directly to Children’s Hospital of Michigan’s Troy Campus Emergency Department. They quickly transferred him to the Detroit campus via PANDA One, the health system’s pediatric ambulance.
‘I just thank God we went to Children’s’
“I thank God that they kept us; I thank God they transferred us to Detroit, I just thank God we went to Children’s,” Deaja said. “We never went back home.”
The diagnosis: Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, a pediatric blood cancer known as APML.
But during the diagnosis process – scans, bloodwork, transfusions and other testing – his family noticed Delton’s arms and legs making erratic movements. Something even more dire was happening, a side-effect from the cancer: his brain was bleeding inside his skull.
Suddenly, he stopped responding.
“I yelled, we need help, we need help in this room; it was very, very scary,” Deaja said.
“And we rushed back to ICU, and there were 20 to 30 people in the room – so many bright lights. Sitting in that ICU and watching them work on him, oh my gosh, it was the absolute worst thing I’ve done in my life.”
Emergency surgery spurs road to recovery
The Children’s team whisked him away to surgery, where an emergency craniotomy – the removal of part of his skull – helped alleviate pressure in Delton’s brain. They addressed the bleed, and Delton remained in a medically induced coma to give his brain a chance to heal for about six weeks.
“They just kept telling me he is a miracle,” Deaja said. “It’s going to take some time to get him back to baseline, but they kept him alive.”
His family never left his side, and slowly his medical team began to wean Delton off the sedation medication. Deaja said she got a video call at work from Delton’s father in early November, saying Delton’s eyes had started to flutter open. He held the phone in front of Delton’s little face in his hospital bed.
“I’m looking at Delton and his eyes are open, and this is the first time I’ve seen his eyes open in a month-and-a-half,” Deija said. “As soon as he opened his eyes, he seen me and he cried. And I cried. And that reassured me that he knew who I was.”
As Delton regained consciousness, his Children’s Hospital of Michigan team continued the pediatric cancer treatment they had started shortly after he arrived.
Eight months of rigorous treatment
For the next eight months, Delton had chemotherapy five days a week, as well as physical, occupational and speech therapy to address issues caused by the brain bleed.
Children’s Hospital of Michigan specialists in neurosurgery, ophthalmology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, dermatology, orthopedics, neurology and infectious disease were also part of the team that helped care for Delton, said his lead oncologist, Dr. Erin Goode, D.O.
“He was lucky he was at the hospital getting worked up when he had the brain bleed,” Dr. Goode said. “He also had all different kinds of specialists, which a family typically has to piecemeal together.”
“Delton’s the best!” Dr. Goode added. “He has the most positive attitude, even while going through difficult treatments and during his long hospital stay. He is always excited to see everyone, making it a pleasure to take care of him. He can brighten up a room.
On his last day of treatment, he even had a dance party in the lobby with his grandma.”
Great prognosis
He was finally discharged to home on March 24, with a great prognosis. He was able to spend a few days over the summer at a local camp for children with pediatric cancer, Special Days, has returned to second grade and recently started learning karate with Kids Kicking Cancer.
“Seeing patients like Delton ring the bell to celebrate success is a celebration for everyone.” said Children’s Hospital of Michigan CEO Andrew Yee. “This is why we do what we do at Children’s Hospital of Michigan: to support children through some of the biggest challenges in their lives.
“As we recognize the medical teams and families faced with pediatric cancer during Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, let’s not forget that their fight continues year-round. And we’re here for them.”
With clear scans since his discharge, Delton’s bell-ringing will be a salute to him, his family and everyone on his care team.
“From an oncology standpoint, he’s in remission, and he’ll continue to get better through his rehabilitation therapy,” Dr. Goode said. “I’m very excited that he’s back to his normal life. Everyone who’s taken care of him are so happy about how far he’s come.”
Thank you to Children’s Hospital of Michigan Communications Specialist Tammy Battaglia for contributing this article to Social House News.
