Each year around 13,500 children are diagnosed with cancer in the US. That is 13,500 children holding onto their lives, and that is 27,000 parents getting torn apart and holding onto dear life hoping and praying that their children will fight the cancer and have another chance to live. There are currently 35,000 children that are in treatment for cancer. Those numbers are terrifying, and make you wonder what you could do to help save the lives of thousands of children. 25% of those thousands of terrifying numbers don’t survive from their diagnosis.
That is a very big percentage, and that is a lot of children. More children die of cancer every year than adults died in 9/11, 2,996 lives were taken in that tragic accident. But does that number compare to the number of lives taken from cancer? I don’t think so. The mission of St. Jude children’s research hospital is to find and advance cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Thanks to the founder of St. Jude Danny Thomas, no child has been denied treatment based on any kind of race, religion, or families ability to pay.
All expenses are supported by donations from ALSAC. The majority of their funding comes from individual contributions, and because of donors families never receive a bill from St. Jude. Because of the donations to St. Jude families that go to get treatment don’t have to pay a single penny, because it is all payed for by the donations. The St. Jude foundation was founded in 1962. The hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility on children’s catastrophic diseases. St. Jude treats brain tumors, leukemia, infectious diseases, blood disorders, sickle cell disease, and solid tumors.
Their treatment resources are bone marrow transplant, cancer predisposition, radiation oncology, surgery, clinic on campus, St. Jude affiliate clinics after cancer treatment. During the next few years St. Jude will greatly increase the number of children that are treated world wide. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and from all around the world. Danny Thomas once said that “No child should die in the dawn of life”. Over 80% of lives have been saved, that is 50% more lives than it was 50 years ago. St. Jude has plenty events to help raise money for cancer patients.
They throw golf and running events, and they also do car races to help raise money for care and treatment. They throw all these activities and events just so parents don’t have to pay a dime for their children’s life. Cancer is a really scary and terrifying thing to go through and here are two courageous and strong children that fought through the pain. Gracie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of five. They first started to think that something was wrong when at Gracie’s birthday party she got a fever of 102, they took her to the doctor and they told her that she had mono.
They transferred Gracie to St. Jude so she could be checked. Gracie didn’t want her stomach to be touched, it made her mom fear appendicitis. But the diagnosis was actually worse. The doctor called Jessica and told her that less than 1% of the cells in flow came back abnormal. The doctor said that the only way that they could rule out leukemia was if Gracie had a bone marrow transplant. They took gracie back the following morning and she confirmed that it was leukemia.
Gracie began a treatment plan called chemotherapy for two and a half years at St. Jude children’s research hospital for free. Jessica claims that Gracie was never scared or sad when she went to st. Jude, she was always happy and excited. I believe that every child diagnosed with cancer should be as brave and proud as Gracie. “Everything St. Jude is doing for us, and we don’t have to pay a bill? That’s amazing. Being able to focus on nothing but your child is a wonderful thing” – Jessica Gracie’s mom. Gracie never gave up faith and hope, and she stayed strong through her whole process and helped her mom stay strong as well.
Liam was diagnosed at the age of 2 with ATRT (atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, a type of brain cancer) After one year of treatment Liam returned to st. Jude for his first post-treatment MRI check up for atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor. The results of the MRI will tell if the cancer returned to his brain. After easter the family got a stomach flu and Cassie said that it seemed to have hit Liam the hardest, the pediatrician that it was a virus and that he would get over it, but he didn’t. The family took him to the emergency room. Cassie stated that when they told the doctors the symptoms they automatically ordered a ct. can. In the ct. scan they found that Liam had ATRT.
The tumor was the size of a tangerine and that he could be at a 9. ATRT is a very severe and aggressive type of cancer and that the children under 3 have a less than 10% chance of survival. Their local ecologist said that Liam would be dead within a couple months. But then a older man explained to Cassie what his daughter did at St. Jude and it gave the family hope that there was a chance. St. Jude is where doctors often send their toughest cases because St. Jude has the world’s best survival rates for some of the most aggressive childhood cancers.
Liam’s dad says that when you hear the phone ring your heart always stops because you will never know if it is good or bad news. The doctor said the MRI came back clear, there was no sign of the tumor, and that the liquid has no cancer cells in it. ” Because we didn’t have to worry about housing or medical costs, we were able to be together as a family. There are so many things that we didn’t have to worry about . We could focus on Liam and his well being. ” Liam’s mom Cassie. Hearing these stories about young children getting cancer and what they have to go through, and also what their parents have to go through is heartbreaking.
But just seeing how St. Jude brings them joy and hope is heartwarming and makes you want to donate and contribute to their charity and help save lives. Every person that donates is a hero to thousands of people that have cancer. The charity impacted the families lives because they didn’t have to worry about paying any medical bills or worry about their children’s safety because they knew that they were in great hands and would be cured from their disease. In other words, it gives them hope.
I want to get involved in St. Jude because I believe that all kids should feel like they are loved and like they have a chance for a longer life, and i just feel like i should be helping people that are sick and that need help. I am going to run for cancer, i will golf for cancer, and i will race for cancer. I am going to go to all events that i can to help raise money and save children’s lives. I have two personal connections to this because my aunt Wendy and cousin Jake had FSGS,Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is a cause of nephrotic syndrome in children and adolescents, as well as a leading cause of kidney failure in adults.
My aunt Wendy passed a few years ago, but my cousin jake is in college and healthy. Be a hero, save lives, contribute. Do anything you can to help save the children at St. Jude. They are counting on you. I am going to donate as much money I am able to until i can’t anymore, and I suggest you do the same. “I always knew that St. Jude was an amazing organization but meeting the kids and seeing how the hospital works first hand was truly beautiful. It doesn’t feel like a regular hospital all dreary and sad. It’s a colorful, beautiful, comfortable, fun place to live and the energy is wonderful”. -Ariana Grande