For many, the holidays bring a sense of comfort as loved ones travel home and families spend time together. But when a child is sick, it can disrupt the joy that comes this time of year.

Now one little boy’s love for Christmas is helping restore the spirit of the season for children and families at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. Each year, the hospital’s Parade of Lights winds by the Corpus Christi location, spreading joy to children and families like Derek Jones and his wife, Marchee.

From Derek’s vantage point, there’s a sight that takes his breath away, reminding him the parade is about more than floats and Santa Claus: the faces of young patients peering out from the hospital’s solarium windows, glowing just as brightly as the twinkling lights cutting through the dark.

“For that little bit of time, they forget they’re in the hospital,” Derek explained. “It’s not something you can put into words, seeing their faces light up.”

It’s a moment that captures the true meaning of Christmas — finding joy even during the heartbreak.

The Jones family knows heartbreak well.

Their son, Lucas, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in August of 2020. He loved Christmas, the lights and the festive spirit of the season. But that year, Lucas spent December in the hospital, isolated from his usual family traditions and the comforts of home.

“What do you mean the whole month?” Lucas had asked when his parents broke the news. That December, as COVID-19 parades became a way to celebrate safely, Lucas’ aunt, Chante Warner, had an idea.

“She knew how much Christmas meant to Lucas,” explained Marchee. “So, she thought, why not decorate cars with lights and bring the celebration to him at the hospital?”

The family approached Mary Carol Sixta, a certified child life specialist at Driscoll. The hospital’s Child Life Program helps create emotional outlets and address any additional stressors that can be felt by children and caregivers during their treatment.

Driscoll Children’s Hospital cares for 150,000 pediatric patients each year. This 225-bed tertiary care center offers more than 30 medical and surgical specialties treating children throughout South Texas — from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande Valley to Victoria and Laredo.

Always focused on the family, Driscoll Children’s didn’t hesitate to help turn the Jones family’s vision of a parade into a reality. And despite starting small with just a few dozen cars the first year — the holiday parade quickly became an annual tradition growing to the celebration it is today.

“That first year, it was thrown together in days,” recalled Marchee. “Lucas had no idea what was planned. They wheeled him outside in his chair, and the moment he saw his dad’s truck covered in lights, he lit up. He was jumping and waving, just so, so happy.”

Remembering Lucas

Lucas’ love for life was contagious — and so was his resilience. At just 7 years old, he adapted to the challenges of his illness. He taught himself to swallow pills because he hated the taste of liquid medicine. He found humor in tough times, even becoming a “hospital food reviewer” on social media.

“He loved making people laugh,” said Marchee.

During what was supposed to be a time of celebration for Lucas completing his 2.5 year battle with leukemia, the medical team discovered Lucas had relapsed. Despite additional treatments at a facility in Houston, Lucas lost his battle. Still, his memory lives on through those who knew him most.

Lucas is never far from brothers Aiden and Caleb, and especially his twin, Logan, who remembers him in his own way. “Logan loves to talk about Lucas,” said Marchee. “He plays baseball now because he knows Lucas would be playing.”

The family’s faith has also deepened, inspired by Lucas’ own turn to faith in his final days.

Annual parade ushers in joy

The parade, which began as a way to cheer up Lucas, has grown into a cherished event for the hospital and another way to remember this boy who inspired so many.

“The event has grown tremendously over the years,” explained Sixta. “We’ve had to start staging cars blocks away because there are so many participants now. It truly requires a team of people to make it happen.” Departments at the hospital decorate floats, and the event, held Dec. 12, includes performances by high school bands and folklorico dancers. Navy jets even perform a flyover.

“It’s become something our staff looks forward to just as much as the kids,” Sixta added.

For the children watching from the hospital’s windows, the parade is magical. But they aren’t just observers — Driscoll provides plenty of glow sticks, light-up antlers and necklaces so all can join in.

“We have to remind people in the parade to look up because the kids are up there waving their lights,” Sixta said. “Every year, I tear up. I think about Lucas and the joy he brought to all of us.”

Derek and Marchee’s grief is still fresh but the parade is a comfort. “It’s a way to remember him,” his mother said.

The family continues to put up Christmas lights at home, carrying on Lucas’ favorite tradition. “It was his thing,” Derek said. “He wouldn’t stop bugging me until the lights were up.”

For the Jones family, the meaning of Christmas has forever changed. And like all that twinkles, Lucas’ light continues to shine. “When you see those kids smiling, you realize it’s not about gifts or decorations,” Derek said. “It’s about bringing light into the darkness.”