St. Jude Spotlights

Meet my friend Sharon. While she’s living the retired life now, she was thrilled to share about her time at St. Jude.

Sharon worked for St. Jude for 20yrs as a patient care coordinator. [I had no idea what this position was so she explained it to me.] “When a family comes to St. Jude, they have a patient care coordinator assigned to them for the duration of their time being a patient. The coordinator schedules all the patient’s tests, treatments, and any services for the family. They are essentially a concierge for the patient and patient’s family during their time at St. Jude.”

When I asked Sharon why her job was important for patient care, she said, “Having the ability to arrange a patient’s schedule to ensure they received the best treatment possible but also allowing them to be a kid and participate in family activities. It is so important that these patients have as much of a normal life as possible.”

St. Jude is such a special place! Unless you have been a patient/family of St. Jude, it’s impossible to know how above-and-beyond they go for their patients. I asked Sharon why she loved working for St. Jude. “Knowing if something is needed for a patient it will be done, insurance is not an issue. All patients are unique and are treated as such. So many patients cannot afford treatment. Donations allow for tests and treatments without thought to cost. Also, donations allow for the continued research searching for cures.” Donors are a necessity for the continuation of St. Jude’s mission that no patient receives a bill.

Come along with me in supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Click the link below to donate!

https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=5979638&fr_id=154861&pg=personal&copy_link_share

Allow me to introduce you to my friend Chiquita:

She has been working at St. Jude for 15yrs in the Environmental Services department. St. Jude patients usually have a suppressed immune system due to the extensive treatments they undergo, so having a clean and sanitary environment is detrimental to their health. When asked about why she loves her job, she said, “I love to be able to provide a clean environment daily for the families. I love to be a part of the mission of St. Jude.”

I so appreciated my time talking with Chiquita. She reminded me that donors are vital to the St. Jude mission so families can get the treatment they need at no cost to them.

We need you to join the fight against childhood cancer. Click the link below to make a donation.

https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=5979638&fr_id=154861&pg=personal&copy_link_share

Say hello to my friend Tiffany:

Tiffany has worked at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for 2 years as a Patient Representative and loves what she does! I asked her why she loves working at St. Jude. She said, “It’s all about patient care and their families.” Working for an employer in the medical field that truly values exceptional patient care is an amazing blessing. Tiffany told me about an interaction that impacted her greatly:

“When I first started, there was a new mom. While her son was receiving his first MRI, I watched her begin to cry starting the journey of radiation. I got up and hugged her and just allowed her to cry in my arms.”

That’s a humbling experience. Loving and serving others is such a blessing. I closed with this question: “Why is the St. Jude Heroes program important for St. Jude?” She said, “Their donations save lives.”

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Meet my friend Laura:

Laura has worked for ALSAC/St. Jude for almost 11 years! She is a Territory Principal Advisor for the west territory. When asked about why she enjoys working for ALSAC/St. Jude she said:

“It’s a privilege to collaborate with colleagues and foundation partners worldwide, raising awareness for St. Jude’s noble cause against childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The most fulfilling aspect of my role is devising strategies that not only support our current endeavors but also secure our future, ensuring sustained funding for our treatments, groundbreaking research, and comprehensive care. Knowing that my efforts contribute to the greater good is an extraordinary source of fulfillment.”

It’s great people like Laura who have a passion for helping others that makes St. Jude such a great place! I asked her what motivates her to continue working for St. Jude. She replied:

“It is the courage and resilience of the patients and their families that leave a mark on my heart. As a parent, I cherish every moment watching my children flourish and am deeply grateful for their health and each milestone I get to experience with them. However, I know all do not have this privilege, and it’s an honor to be part of an organization that ensures families face no financial burden for treatment, travel, housing, or food at St. Jude, allowing them to concentrate on what matters most— focusing on helping their child live.”

Laura closed with these thoughts on the importance of St. Jude donors:

“Every child deserves a chance to live their best life and celebrate every moment. When you 

support St. Jude, you can help make cures possible for kids with cancer. Together, we can save more lives. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live. At St. Jude, we believe that all children should be given the quality care that they deserve. Because the majority of St. Jude funding comes from generous donors, we have the freedom to focus on what matters most — saving kids regardless of their financial situation.

An estimated 400,000 children worldwide get cancer each year. In many countries, 4 out of 5 will not survive, largely due to the lack of access to quality care. At St. Jude, we believe that children all over the world deserve the same chance at survival and are working with doctors and healthcare institutions worldwide to make that dream a reality.”

Thank you Laura for working so hard for these families!

I love running for St. Jude. If you’ve never taken a tour of the campus you should check it out. You’d be amazed at how fun, energetic, and encouraging the atmosphere is. While you’re there, you should stop by the blood donor center and donate some red stuff. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can click the link in the comments to donate some green stuff instead.

Click here to donate

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Allow me to introduce you to my friend Angelia:

 

Angelia was happy to share her story with me. Her daughter was a patient of St. Jude from 2007 until her tragic death in 2013. Angelia said, “They become your second family. Literally all we had to do from day one was to show up with our child. They have everything ready for you and mapped out for you!  They  tell you step by step what to do, where to go: very accommodating and understanding to ANYTHING that comes up’ and each day is different!”

 

St. Jude goes above and beyond for their patients and families. She shared this story with me:

“One of her nurses saw that I was exhausted and needed a “break” she took it upon herself to treat me on her off day to lunch and a pedicure to relieve some stress!”

 

St. Jude made a lasting impact in her life. “They gave us six years with our daughter that we wouldn’t have had. And after they had tried everything and we saw that our girl was not to be healed here on earth, they made her last days comfortable.“

 

Donors are vital to St. Jude families because, “Simply put… they save lives and they change lives each day. And nothing is more important than the life of a child!”

 

I’m so thankful that Angelia shared her story with me. For some reason, I didn’t imagine it would be this emotional doing these interviews. If you’d be interested in donating to St. Jude, click the link below to go directly to my fundraising page.

St. Jude Heroes

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I’d like to introduce you to my friend Theresa. She is a St. Jude patient’s mom. Tragically, her son, Timothy James Jackson died in January 2012 from cancer.

Timothy was diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2011. Theresa said, “Going from the outside to being an insider, we were blown away at experiencing first hand how St. Jude has a big heart for their patients and families. The team that was assigned to our son was awesome. The beauty of St. Jude is beyond the red doors and the big pink buildings. The beauty is the patients, families, and staff members.”

She told me a story that changed her life while at St. Jude:

“One day my son had to have his port implanted and this little patient saw me having a difficult time dealing with it and he came over with his bright smile explaining how his port was his "buddy". After our conversation, I became settled and not too worried about the  procedure. The smiles and the attitudes are infectious coming from the children.”

When asked how St. Jude has impacted her life and the life of her family, Theresa responded with a statement that stopped me in my tracks: “St. Jude made an impossibly hard time bearable.”

She finished with, “We donate yearly to St. Jude by running the races, buying the car tags, and purchasing tickets for the dream house. Our son may no longer be here but we are FOREVER a St. Jude family.”

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My first guest of honor in the “St. Jude Spotlight Series” is my guy Garrison and his family.

Garrison has been a patient of St. Jude since 2006. His mom Amanda said, “My son was given less than a 30% chance to make it to his 3rd birthday. This year he turns 20.  That has impacted my life more than anything ever has. I owe that to God and St Jude.” That news must have been devastating to hear! As a parent myself, I can’t imagine the pain and despair they were going through.

Amanda went on to say, “Not only did St, Jude focus on my son but my family as well! They made sure we were taken care of and had everything we needed while there.” People don’t understand that families being uprooted and moved to Memphis from all over the world and even those that are local still have to carry on with life AND be a caretaker for their children. It’s easy to forget that.

When asked why donors are important, Amanda said, “Without their donations, the hospital would never have the chance to save another child. Help the family be able to stay there with their child and not have to worry about their other children not having somewhere to stay or being separated while the patient goes. Any amount helps! Without donors, my son probably wouldn’t be here with me today! With y’all’s help I was given hope and a life with my son. Something I will forever be grateful for! So thank you!!”

I’ll end this post with the answer that brought tears to my eyes as I read it:

How has St. Jude impacted your life?

“They gave me hope when I had none.” -Amanda