CINCINNATI — An 11-year-old boy is cancer-free after battling stage 3 lymphoma, a journey marked by a special promise from an FC Cincinnati player.
Jude Simmons' family planned a special trip to the Grand Canyon — and Reds spring training — in February 2025. Shortly after, he woke up vomiting with severe stomach pain.
"We thought he had a stomach bug ... cancer wasn't on my radar at all," said his mother, Jordan Simmons.
One day, Jude was running around, playing baseball. The next, he was in the hospital learning of his lymphoma diagnosis.
"I was crying speaking with the oncologist and asking questions and stuff, but also wanting to regain composure as best as I could to then remain calm for Jude," Jordan said.
Jude told us he remembered the first time he learned about cancer, asking his mom what happened to a kid he saw in a magazine.
"My mom said, 'They have cancer.' I'm like, 'Oh, I hope that doesn't happen to me,'" Jude said. "And my mom's like, 'Probably not, it's unlikely.' But then here I was, in the hospital with cancer."
So, he battled — but not alone. During his hospital stay, FC Cincinnati players visited him.
Watch: How one FC Cincinnati star kept his promise to Jude
"I was minding my own business, then I found out I had cancer, I felt miserable, but then these um famous FC players just walked into the room," Jude said. "I just felt ... loved and that I just felt special."
FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund bonded with Jude over the video game Minecraft.
"We honestly were just hanging out, we were chatting, we talked about Minecraft because that was his favorite video game, that's the thing that he liked to do," Hagglund said.
Hagglund not only hung out with Jude but also told him he'd dedicate a goal celebration to him.
"I asked him if I could do a celebration, what he'd want me to do if he scored a goal," Hagglund said.
Hagglund said he didn't know much about Minecraft, but Jude told him about a sword. That's when he suggested a sword pull celebration.
"I (was) like, yes, that'd be awesome," Jude said.
Jude said the celebration was about more than just scoring a goal.
"You're pulling a Minecraft sword out, and you act like you're like conquering something, and technically for me it's conquering cancer," Jude said.
Jordan said she wasn't sure the celebration would come to fruition. Hagglund, a defender, typically scores one goal per season with Cincinnati.
"I was like, there's no way, but also he's kind of promising that to my 10-year-old son who has cancer, so it seems like this might happen one day," Jordan said.
And it did happen one day. In the opening game of the 2026 season, more than nine months after making the promise to Judge, Hagglund scored a game-sealing goal in the 90th minute.
Hagglund ran in front of the supporters' section and, with all eyes on him, performed the sword pull.
"I just love how confidently and strongly he pulls out that sword. My uncle sent me your interview of Nick, where Nick was like, saying, like, 'No this this is for Jude,'" Jordan said. "I can't doubt it past that, you know, that I was just like, 'Oh my gosh.'"
I asked Hagglund what was going through his mind in that moment.
"Honestly, I'm just thinking like, 'I hope Jude's seeing this right now,'" Hagglund said.
And Jude did see it.
"Whenever I see Nick pull the sword, then I remember it for the rest of the day, and then when I play Minecraft, I hit those zombies as hard as I can," Jude said. "It's like the zombies are cancer and the sword is me, and I'm just like (does slashing motion), it just feels amazing."
But maybe the one thing even more powerful than pulling the sword is ringing the bell, which Jude was also able to do after winning his battle with cancer.
We asked Jude for his advice to people going through hard things.
"I felt this way too. I've been through hard things," Jude said. "If I can do it, you can do it ... I've been through this too; you can make it through."
Hagglund told us, "Jude is a warrior."
"He can get through anything, you know, if you can do this at such a young age, it says a lot about his character and his positivity," Hagglund said. "He just always has this huge smile on his face, and I think that that's gonna go with him through his entire life."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
