St. Jude Patients and Martha Pullen Sewing Family Originals

 

These St. Jude patients are wearing outfits created by Martha Pullen designers using the Hancock/St. Jude fabric. Each designer donated her time to create these garments. These outfits will be featured in the May 2004 issue of Sew Beautiful.

  Five-year-old Brenan, who dreams of being a nurse, draws a picture in the elementary classroom located in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Equipped with four fulltime Memphis City school teachers, the school program at the hospital allows patients to keep up with their school work while at the hospital. Brenan’s family was told she had severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) when she was only 3 months old. This disease, which is often referred to as the “boy in the bubble” disease meant that Brenan had to be in an isolation room when she was a baby. In 1999, Brenan had a bone marrow transplant that has kept her disease in remission.
Taylor, a lovable three-year-old with a blood disorder, dreams of being a singer. She is sitting in one of the hospital’s clinic waiting areas. Refurbished approximately three years ago, the hospital’s clinic waiting areas are very child-friendly with colorful murals and plenty of activities for the patients. The waiting area Taylor is sitting in has a beach theme atmosphere and is home to two salt water fish tanks.  
 

Even though Tori, 5, has T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), she still has many dreams. She wants to be a cheerleader, dancer and a singer when she’s older. She is in the hospital’s rehabilitation area where patients come to work their muscles during and after their treatments, and retrain their bodies to return to normal activity. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form of childhood cancer. St. Jude has helped bring the survival rates for ALL from four percent when the hospital opened in 1962, to better than 80 percent today.
Two-year-old Elliot has a brain tumor called pineoblastoma. At St. Jude Elliot has had chemotherapy treatments, a surgery and radiation treatments to rid him of his illness. Elliot loves trains and most toys that move on wheels. He is smiling beautifully in one of the hospital’s newly-remodeled Child Life areas. This fun, new place is decorated to look like a trolley car and is staffed by one of the hospital’s Child Life Specialist who keeps the room full of toys and activities for patients who have to stay at the hospital.  
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