The day after his 19th birthday, Kaleb Delgado learned he had a brain tumor.
“I was diagnosed August 19th with medulloblastoma,” Kaleb said.
On top of the diagnosis, Kaleb also experienced leptomeningeal disease, which occurs when cancer spreads to the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
“The doctors said that’s usually really hard to treat because it’s around everything and spinal fluid was building up in his brain and causing a lot of pressure,” Lilly Fisher, Kaleb’s girlfriend, said.
What followed for the Grand Island teenager was a journey through surgery, chemotherapy and rehabilitation. It tested not only his body, but his determination to get his life back.
The diagnosis forced him to pause the life he knew as an active young adult and begin a completely new path forward. He faced a complex and aggressive treatment plan.
When Kaleb first arrived at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, the effects of treatment had taken a significant toll. Chemotherapy, combined with spinal cord involvement from his diagnosis, left him incredibly weak and exhausted. Sitting up or moving required significant assistance.
“When Kaleb first got here, he struggled to do anything out of bed,” Taylor Bryson, PT, DPT, Kaleb’s physical therapist, said. “He was exhausted. He needed two people and a heavy lift to move at all.”
Moving several hours away from family was intimidating at first, but Lilly says they got to know Kaleb’s care team and other patients really well, and she feels like Madonna has become a second home for them.
“When we got here, we quickly realized it was the best choice we could’ve ever made,” Lilly said. “I’m so grateful that we came here.”
And from day one, the goal was clear: regain independence, whatever that would look like.
Kaleb’s rehabilitation journey was unique and carefully coordinated. Throughout his stay at Madonna, he repeatedly traveled back and forth between Nebraska Medicine for his chemotherapy treatments and returned to Madonna for intense rehabilitation.
“Oftentimes patients at Madonna in our cancer rehab program are here to continue to get stronger, work on their endurance and ability to tolerate treatment like chemotherapy or radiation,” Amy Goldman, PT, DPT, Madonna’s Cancer Program Manager, said. “They will often be with us in between their treatments to continue to stay strong, tolerate the treatments, as well as help reduce any kind of complications that might arise.”
Madonna’s cancer experts were able to adjust the intensity of each session based on how Kaleb was feeling in that moment. They knew when to push him and when to let his body rest, because they knew he would always give as much effort as he physically could.
During that first week back each time, even waking up was tiring for him,” Tyler Pribnow, OTD, OTR/L, said. “Sitting up at the edge of the bed felt tiring, but then he’s so resilient, strong, and his character is top notch. He would fight through all of this to participate in therapy, so I mean when you think of ideal patient, that’s him.”
Madonna clinicians adapted Kaleb’s therapy plan to address both his cancer diagnosis and spinal cord involvement, using specialized rehabilitation technology to help him regain strength, endurance and mobility.
“Typically, with a spinal cord injury, we would want to do some functional electrical stimulation with our FES bike, but with a cancer diagnosis, that can often be contraindicated, so we had to get approval from his oncologist,” Bryson said. “They agreed that it was a very appropriate exercise for him, so we’ve consistently used the FES bike on his legs at least two times a week, sometimes even three times a week when it was appropriate.”
Madonna’s driving simulator not only showed Kaleb what technology existed to get him back behind the wheel, but helped him envision a new way to return to one of his favorite activities – driving his Corvette.
“He’s big into cars, so it was fun to find ways to work with him on things that he enjoys,” Pribnow said. “For it being his first time using hand controls, he did really well.”
As Kaleb progressed physically, Madonna’s rehabilitation team also focused on helping him reconnect with life outside the hospital walls.
“Prior to being hospitalized for 9+ months, he was a very active 19-year-old, so we really wanted to focus on getting back to the community,” Alannah DiBerardino, CTRS, a recreation therapist said.
Outings included trips to Scheels, Scooter’s, Starbucks, Bob and Willy’s Wonderbowl and some karaoke.
“The community outings really helped provide some normalcy during a time that is not normal,” DiBerardino said.
Throughout every setback, every hospital stay and every difficult day, Kaleb’s girlfriend, Lilly, remained by his side.
“Kaleb and Lilly are definitely a package deal,” Bryson said. “And they never once complained. Every single challenge, obstacle, everything, they were like, ‘Ok, yeah, what do we need to do?’”
Despite a heavy diagnosis, Kaleb and Lilly focused on fun and laughter, creating a TikTok account to document their journey.
“When I was first diagnosed, my family asked me to create the account and share my story, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to,” Kaleb said. “Then we started reviewing food and we started doing funnier TikToks and stuff like that.”
Lilly says she is proud of how positive Kaleb has stayed throughout his cancer rehabilitation.
“It’s been a really hard 10 months, but there’s been a lot of good things to come out of it too,” Lilly said.
Kaleb’s positivity became a defining part of his journey not only for Lilly, but for the staff and patients around him.
“I try not to get too down because I don’t want everyone else to get down too,” Kaleb said.
Over time, the progress that once felt impossible began to add up.
“When he first got here, he barely could sit on the edge of the bed for a few seconds,” Bryson said. “Now he can completely transfer himself. He can get in and out of bed by himself. He can propel his wheelchair community distances, wherever he wants.”
After months of coordinated treatment, rehabilitation and perseverance, Kaleb reached one of the biggest milestones of his journey: ringing the bell to celebrate the end of chemotherapy. He said he was overcome with emotions thinking about his personal journey and that of his birth mom, who passed from cancer when he was little.
“That was definitely the greatest accomplishment of my life,” Kaleb said. “I worked really hard for that. It was a long road.”
Lilly says doctors believe surgery, chemotherapy and radiation removed all evidence of Kaleb’s tumor. He will continue to go for routine MRIs to make sure there is no tumor regrowth, but they’re optimistic he shouldn’t have to do any additional treatments.
Today, Kaleb is continuing therapy, making plans for the future and looking forward to life beyond cancer alongside Lilly.
“We have several things planned,” Kaleb said. “We have a cruise this summer, a Bruno Mars concert, a Chris Stapleton concert, and more to come!”
Lilly quickly adds, “Many more TikToks, for sure.”