Caden Ledbetter's stem cell transplant in December was a test of modern medicine.

The six weeks of blood transfusions, fevers and fits that followed, all in an isolated hospital room, was a test of the Coppell toddler's spirit. In the latter battle, Caden came out a winner Monday. Doctors released the 2-year-old from Medical City Dallas Hospital, where he spent nearly two months in treatment for neuroblastoma, which is a fast-growing cancer of the nervous system.

The centerpiece of Caden's care was an unusual transplant, in which stem cells taken from his own umbilical cord at birth were pumped back into his body Dec. 28.

It's unclear whether Caden will get his health back, but his freedom returned Monday.

Wearing a surgical mask and a look of trepidation, Caden walked through the hospital lobby Monday afternoon with a teddy bear in his hand. Caden's parents and doctor cheered as the boy broke through a set of streamers that nurses had taped up at the hospital doors.

"He's been here for so long," said Robin McCune, a pediatric nurse. Without Caden, "it will be an adjustment. Everybody just adores him."

Caden's transplant appears to have been a success. Doctors wiped out his cancerous cells with chemotherapy and replaced them with his prenatal stem cells, which grew and rebuilt most of Caden's immune system.

The question is whether Caden's new cells will develop cancer, as his old ones did. An answer could take years.

"It's just the uncertainty of the future that gets a little bit scary," said Caden's mother, Lexie Ledbetter. "You've got to stay with today and say, 'Yay, we're going home' and see what happens then."

Neuroblastoma had spread to Caden's bones, liver and bone marrow by the time his mother discovered a lump on his head last summer.

Donors usually supply cord blood for stem-cell transplants, but Caden's parents paid to save his own on a whim.

The stem-cell transplant using one's own cord blood is so unheard of that experts disagree on the long-term benefits of using it to treat cancer.

Dr. Joel Weinthal, a Texas Oncology physician who is treating Caden, says it's the boy's best shot against a deadly disease that comes back about half the time.

"We're not talking about his being cured of his neuroblastoma right now," said Dr. Weinthal. "It's certainly a very positive thing that he gets to go home from the hospital, but he has a long road ahead of him."

The first stop Monday was the family home in Coppell, which looked ready for a new baby more than a recovering hospital patient.

Balloons and welcome-home signs waited in the front yard, and Caden's beaming grandparents stood at the door.

"I went to work today, but I couldn't do much of anything," said Mary Collins, Caden's maternal grandmother. "I couldn't even eat lunch."

Caden's 5-year-old twin brothers, Joshua and Zachary, raced out the front door when they saw the family's black sport utility vehicle pull up.

"Part of it is they miss him, and part is they really want his toys," Mrs. Ledbetter said, laughing.

It was business as usual when the three boys got inside – singing karaoke, playing with their trucks and watching a video of Caden's favorite singing group, the Wiggles.

Mrs. Ledbetter and her husband, John, equipped the family home with air purifiers, a new heating and air-conditioning system and dust-free air ducts – all to protect Caden's fragile immune system.

There will be almost daily doctor visits, as Caden continues special radiation treatments for cancer.

His parents are as realistic as the doctors about Caden's health. On Monday, they were reassured by his renewed spirits.

At the hospital, "he didn't talk and everything was 'No, don't touch me,' " Mrs. Ledbetter said. "Now we're almost back to the Caden that we know."