{"id":8707,"date":"2026-08-02T04:17:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T04:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=8707"},"modified":"2026-08-02T04:17:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T04:17:05","slug":"princetons-bella-clevenger-reconnects-with-chemo-buddy-jax-hoffer-shaw-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=8707","title":{"rendered":"Princeton\u2019s Bella Clevenger reconnects with chemo buddy Jax Hoffer – Shaw Local"},"content":{"rendered":"


Bella Clevenger, 18, of Princeton and Jax Hoffer, 17, of Muncie, Ind., who underwent chemo treatments together as young children, have recently reconnected with tattoos signifying their cancer journey. <\/span>(Photo provided by Bella Clevenger)
Bella Clevenger and Jax Hoffer met under undesirable circumstances as young children.
Both were undergoing chemo treatments for leukemia at Riley\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital in Indianapolis. Bella was almost 3, Jax, not quite 2. They were routinely paired for special events such as being selected as Riley\u2019s \u201cCoin Toss Kids\u201d for an Indianapolis Colts game and attending a Colts training camp to meet all the players.
Bella Clevenger of Princeton and Jax Hoffer of Muncie, Ind., are pictured with with former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck while undergoing chemo treatments together as young children. <\/span>(Bella Clevenger)
\u201cI remember vivid parts, but other than that, it\u2019s stories I get told. At a young age, you really don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on,\u201d Bella said.
Declared cancer free, they went their separate ways, 300 miles apart, Bella in Princeton and Jax in Muncie, Ind., living their separate lives. They had not been in contact for years.
\u201cI haven\u2019t really talked to him because I really didn\u2019t know how to reach out,\u201d Bella said.
But then recently, Bella posted a TikTok clip about cancer survivors, and her old friend, Jax, popped up.
\u201cHe ended up seeing it and he messaged me through there. Then we started texting afterwards,\u201d she said.
The two long lost little chemo buddies reconnected further by getting leukemia awareness ribbon tattoos together in Indiana signifying key dates in their cancer journey.
\u201cIt was my mom\u2019s idea. He was currently texting me at the time and she gave us the idea to do it,\u201d Bella said. \u201cHis mom was there, too, (while getting tattoos) because he\u2019s not 18 yet to sign off, so I got to see her again.\u201d
Princeton’s Bella Clevenger was not quite 3 years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. <\/span>(Photo provided by Bella Clevenger)
On the inside of her arm, Bella has a tattoo of her diagnosis date (8-25-2011) and on the outside of her arm is her remission date (11-25-2012) in Roman Numerals. Jax already had a tattoo with his remission date on his chest so he added the date when they did the coin toss together, Bella said.
\u201cThey\u2019re good dates within a hard time,\u201d she said. \u201cHis just shows a good point at one of our toughest times. Mine just reminds me of when it started and when it ended and everything.\u201d
Bella\u2019s mom, Kady Rose, was happy to see the kids reconnect.
\u201cI have said many times over the years that the relationships and connections that form during these battles cannot be explained and they never truly break. This is proof that some experiences connect you for life,\u201d she said on Facebook. \u201cAs a mom, I don\u2019t think there could be a cooler full circle moment than seeing them together again after all these years.,
Bella has been having yearly checkups at OSF in Peoria since she turned 18 and was too old for St. Jude\u2019s, and remains cancer free. She\u2019ll be starting her senior volleyball season this fall. She played a role off the bench in the Tigresses victory at Hall on cancer awareness night.<\/a>
Bella Clevenger of Princeton and Jax Hoffer of Muncie, Ind., got to serve as “Coin Toss Kids” for an Indianapolis Colts game while undergoing chemo treatments together as young children. <\/span>(Photo provided by Bella Clevenger)
Kevin has provided award-winning coverage for the BCR since 1986, covering Bureau County\/IL Valley Sports. Was previously sports editor of the St. Louis Daily News and a regular contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals Magazine. He is a member of the IBCA and Illinois Valley Hall of Fames. <\/p>\n

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Bella Clevenger, 18, of Princeton and Jax Hoffer, 17, of Muncie, Ind., who underwent chemo treatments together as young children, have recently reconnected with tattoos signifying their cancer journey. (Photo provided by Bella Clevenger)Bella Clevenger and Jax Hoffer met under undesirable circumstances as young children.Both were undergoing chemo treatments for leukemia at Riley\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital in Indianapolis. Bella was almost<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t