William Wofford was diagnosed with leukemia five days after his first birthday. In an attempt to help balance out the struggles and pain the family was going through at the time, his dad brought a piano into their Saugus home. Music, like other arts, Wofford’s dad said, has a way of “bringing a sense of humanity back to our daily lives.”
Wofford, now 18, would go on to learn piano, he’d undergo six rounds of chemotherapy to beat cancer, he’d pick up other musical instruments, and he’d play in the 2024 Rose Parade in Pasadena. Now, after graduating from Saugus High School in May, Wofford plans to go to the University of Oregon to double major in music and biology.
“I’m going into biology to become, I hope, a neurosurgeon,” he told The Signal during a phone interview. “Through hard work that the doctors did to save me, I’ll have to also work hard to become a doctor. So, obviously being in the hospital for a while has helped me realize that nothing comes without hard work.”
Wofford’s dad, Josh Wofford, said that while his son was in the hospital he’d observed one particular doctor, who was about 28 years old at the time, doing her rounds by day, then by night going across the street to do research, while also participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and running triathlons.
“It just reminded him that nothing comes for free,” his dad said. “I mean, he (Wofford) wouldn’t be here, except for the fact that somebody decided to sit their butt in a chair and study the hard things.”
And while Wofford remembers details like these during the end of his battle with cancer, he obviously doesn’t recall the day he was diagnosed. Yet he said he feels like he’s always known he had it.
“We checked into the hospital the day after his first birthday,” said his mother, Alicia Wofford. “At like 10 months, I found a lump on his rectum when I was changing his diaper. At first, they thought it was an abscess. Then they thought it was a hemorrhoid. They did a biopsy and they said it was something called Burkitt lymphoma, which is like a 90% curable cancer.”
At that point, doctors explained that the family would spend about a week in the hospital, and then they’d get to go home. However, after more tests, they found that Wofford had acute myeloid leukemia, and this form of cancer, Wofford’s mother said, was 46% curable with intensive chemotherapy.
Upon diagnosis, Wofford went into treatment. He said he essentially lived in the hospital for almost an entire year.
Wofford’s mother said she was pregnant with her second child at the time and had to quit working.
“We had to sell our house,” she said. “My husband still worked. His work was amazing. They did a barbecue for us and a fundraiser, and people donated sick time to him.”
The Michael Hoefflin Foundation in Santa Clarita, which is a nonprofit organization assisting local families with children up to 18 years old who have cancer, also came to the Wofford family’s side soon after Wofford was diagnosed. According to Wofford’s mother, the foundation found them.
“They just reach out to you,” she said. “They find out that you are a pediatric-cancer family, and they just come to you, and they bring you a basket, and they give you gas cards and grocery store cards, and then they come and visit you, and that’s how we became part of them. You don’t really get a choice — they kind of jump into your life and try to make things easier.”
According to Lety Garcia, a family liaison at the foundation, Wofford and his family had been participating in the social and emotional events from the beginning.
“It’s a community that needs a lot of support, whether emotional or social, and at the beginning it’s financial,” she said.
The foundation’s website indicates that the group accomplishes its mission through family events, counseling support, financial assistance, emergency support and more.
Garcia said that a Michael Hoefflin Foundation family event – which include picnics, bowling parties and gatherings at MB2 for miniature golf, go-carting and games – is for families with children who are in treatment, out of treatment and also bereaved.
“Our family events, the way I have seen it, have so many components to it,” she said. “Not only do siblings get to talk to other siblings going through having a sibling being sick, but also the patient child talks to other kids that are going through the same thing, and they share stories or they share tips. My favorite one is kids sharing scars: ‘Oh, look at my scar. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.’”
Garcia said parents, too, can find comfort in being with others who are going through similar issues. Families discover that they are not alone in these battles.
Wofford beat cancer when he was 6 years old. Still, his mother said, he’s had challenges.
“So, because of the type of chemo he had, he damaged his heart, and his heart didn’t grow to its full size,” she said. “He can run as much as he wants, he can do that kind of stuff, but he can’t do any heavy lifting.”
Wofford said those early years following his treatment weren’t so bad. However, once he got into fifth and sixth grade, he wanted to play sports and be more active, but he couldn’t do it. Doctors, he said, were concerned that if he exerted himself too much his heart would give out.
Having the piano in the house prompted Wofford to learn it. He began playing at 5 years old, and when he was in junior high school, he leaned into it, joining the band at Arroyo Seco Junior High. That led to him playing other instruments, including the clarinet, saxophone and tuba.
During his time at Saugus High School, he continued getting better and more serious, his dad said, adding that “around 10th grade, 11th grade, after summer of 11th grade, I really saw a shift in his enthusiasm. We went to Ohio State so that he could march in a summer program there, just to give him a glimpse of what it’s like to stay in the dorms, being around a professional band, being around that level of expertise. Again, we kind of saw another change in his attitude toward what it takes to be really good at music.”
Upon returning from that trip, Wofford’s dad said his son showed how serious he was about music when he was playing with Saugus High School’s jazz combo band, jazz big band and salsa band at Vincenzo’s Pizza in Saugus, the Grace Baptist Church orchestra in Valencia, and the Santa Clarita Valley Concert Band.
In his senior year last year, Wofford’s work and drive paid off, getting the chance to perform with the Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band in the Rose Parade.
“They’re one of two bands that march in the Rose Parade every single year,” Wofford said. “But in order to get in that, you can either be in the college or be in one of the surrounding high schools or colleges, and you have to audition. I auditioned on clarinet and beat about 50 people in order to get one of the spots in that band.”
Wofford’s mother said the whole family, including her husband and mother, and Wofford’s 16-year-old brother, 15-year-old sister, 13-year-old brother and 7-year-old sister, got to go to the parade, everyone very excited to see him play.
“Practice was hard,” she said. “He had practice every day. They started before Christmas break, then through Christmas. Of course, he got COVID during practice. That was the first time he’d ever had it. And if you miss a day, they kick you off. So, he just went.”
Wofford graduated from Saugus High School in May, with plans on moving out to the University of Oregon at the end of August. He’s set to play tuba in the school’s marching band.
“I’m excited for him,” his mother said. “I’m also a little worried. It’s going to be a lot.”
She sounded a bit nervous about the workload he’s going to have to manage. And while she appreciates that music is his passion, she said even he knows that a career in music is a gamble. Studying biology is not only training for a career that’s more lucrative, but also something he’s wanted to do since experiencing cancer.
“He’s so inspired from the doctors who helped him,” she said, “that that’s just what he wants to do with his life.”
Wofford’s dad added that hard work is part of the process.
“You owe it to the people around you to be great at whatever you do,” he said, “because if his doctors decide to take a day off or not study this part of cancer, down the road that might affect his chances for survival and everybody around him.”
In June, the city of Santa Clarita recognized Wofford for his achievements in school, for his performance in the Tournament of Roses Honor Band during the 2024 Rose Parade, and for his drive, despite the adversity he faced early on in life and still to this day. Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth said the entire City Council felt the recognition was well deserved, adding that Wofford serves as a great inspiration to the community.
“He’s a very impressive young man in his own right,” Smyth told The Signal in a phone interview. “And then when you learn his history and the challenges that he’s had to overcome, and the obstacles he’s faced at such a young age, it makes his accomplishment much more impressive.”
Garcia said, “William, like many other great kids, has surpassed and outlived this horrible disease, and he has made great things happen for him. Such a tragedy, and he’s made it into a good thing because he is full of life and he wants to live it and he wants to do his best.”
Smyth added: “This football season, everyone’s got to keep their eye on the Oregon band and see if you can find William out there playing in it. I’m a little bit jealous he’s going to be able to perform at some of the most iconic stadiums in the country. And he’ll be representing Santa Clarita.”
Know any unsung heroes or people in the SCV with an interesting life story to tell? Email [email protected].
