Local 12-year-old battling brain cancer receives encouraging scan results, leads national art contest
ROBERTS, Idaho (KIFI) — Painter Bob Ross once said, “You need the dark in order to show the light.” For 12-year-old Caellum Hebdon, who is battling brain cancer, that light is now coming in the form of encouraging news about his treatment.
The update comes days after Hebdon’s story first aired on Local News 8, highlighting the Idaho Falls middle schooler’s battle with brain cancer and his passion for drawing prehistoric creatures.
Caellum Hebdon and his family recently received results from a follow-up MRI that showed his chemotherapy and radiation treatments are working better than doctors expected.
“We just see minimal cancer in there now — just two little spots left,” said his mother, Kaylene Hebdon. “So much has cleared up. It’s just amazing.”
Hebdon was diagnosed in 2025 after he suffered a stroke. He was life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, where doctors discovered a bleeding tumor in his brain and performed emergency surgery to save his life.
The stroke temporarily took away his ability to speak and move the right side of his body. This became an obstacle that Caellum had to overcome, because he was right-handed and art is his passion in life.
When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Hebdon had a quick answer. “Artist.”
Months of therapy helped him regain those abilities — including the ability to draw. His artwork has since earned him national attention as a finalist in the “Bob Ross presents: America’s Most Artistic Kid” competition.
Following the Local News 8 story, his family says the community support helped push Hebdon back into first place in his contest group.
“He’s back at number one in his group of about 60 people,” said father JayC Hebdon. “All the extra votes people have been giving have made a really big difference.”
Doctors say the radiation therapy Hebdon completed last fall will continue working over the next year as his body clears damaged cancer cells.
His family says the latest scan results have given them something they’ve been waiting months to feel.
“Before, we didn’t know what was going to happen,” said his mother, Kaylene Hebdon. “Now we know the treatment is working. There’s hope.”
To celebrate the encouraging news, the family took a spring break trip to California, visiting Legoland and SeaWorld before heading to Universal Studios.
Caellum, who remains quiet but appreciative of the support, offered a simple message to the community, helping him stay in the contest.
“Thanks for all the votes,” Caellum said.
If Bob Ross taught generations that painting can bring calm in difficult moments, Caellum is Eastern Idaho’s living proof.
Voting for Hebdon in the national art competition remains open, with the top contestants advancing to the next round.
If you want to help Caellum bring home that national title and help his family with those medical bills, there are a few ways to get involved. The "America’s Most Artistic Kid" contest relies on community support. You can cast one free vote every 24 hours by heading to the contest website.
