What Is St Jude Childrens Research Hospital (VIDEO)
I was tasked with the mission of trying to explain "What exactly is St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital". This is a tough thing to do, because St Jude has so many pieces and parts. I have been lucky enough to travel to Memphis to see this wonderful place, and it's hard to put in words what we learn during this life changing experience. If you don't want to read my novel, click on the video above. Here's my shot at explaining what miracles they perform each day.
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St. Jude is a research hospital. They work every day to get closer to a cure for cancer. Danny Thomas created the hospital in 1972 with the dream that “No Child Shall Die In The Dawn Of Life”. Living in the deep South, Danny also had the dream of a place where all children could be treated – regardless of their race or inability to pay. Such a place was unheard of at that time, and he just simply didn’t care. At St. Jude, they don’t even have a billing department. Parents never see the cost of what these services add up to. They are not making decisions for their child’s health on what they can or cannot pay, or what insurance will or will not pay.
When the doors of St. Jude where opened – childhood cancer was a virtual death sentence. In 1972 had you lined 100 kids up with A.L.L (the most common form of childhood cancer) 10 would have survived. Today if you line up 100 kids – 90 would be looking at a bright future. This is the work being done at St. Jude.
This research will carry over into cancer as a whole, and I truly believe the cure/treatment/cause/whatever will come out of the doors of that hospital. The research done at St. Jude is not kept under lock and key (think how much money the person who finds the cure will make), it’s published to anyone and everyone who wants to know about it. I get emails about every 3 months about a major advancement they have achieved, and most the time I can’t understand more than a handful of words.
People always ask when I get to travel to Memphis, Why do you want to go to such a sad place. Now, don’t get me wrong – seeing sick kids is VERY sad. HOWEVER – sadness is not what you feel when you walk through the doors of St. Jude. What you feel is Hope.
When families have arrived at the hospital, they have heard the worst imaginable news about the loves of their lives – their children. I cannot imagine the horror of hearing – your child has cancer. And it doesn’t look good. I think you need to go somewhere like St. Jude. They usually leave within a few hours of hearing that devastating news, and many have to fly across the country to try to save their kids. By the time they get to Memphis, their heads are racing, their hearts are broken, and they are consumed with worry. Then the wonderful doors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital open and from that moment on – they hear nothing but hope. We will do everything we can to save your child, you don’t have to worry about money, we don’t care if no other child has ever lived from this disease before – maybe yours will be the first. Can you even contemplate what these words of endless hope mean to these families? Its difficult to comprehend. If a child in Montana is being treated for cancer, most likely they are working with the doctors at St Jude and collaborating on the best approach to save their lives.
The 11th Annual St Jude Radiothon will be March 7th and 8th 2013, all day on XL, and on the morning shows on MY. We are very close to raising a million dollars over that time, right here in Bozeman. You will hear myself, Russell, Colleen, Mark and Missy (and appearances by Shelly) pour out our heart and soul over the air for 24 hours - raising the funds. For most of us, it's our favorite 2 days of the year. Please Join us!
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