Behind the runway: The inaugural St. Jude Fashion Month and Runway Show

When the first patient stepped onto the runway in the Danny Thomas/ALSAC Pavilion September 25, the cheers were deafening. It was a fashion show unlike any other—not only because of the designs, stitched and pressed by patients themselves, but because of the hands and hearts from every corner of St. Jude that helped bring it to life. 

What began as one patient’s idea became a cross-campus collaboration—the inaugural St. Jude Fashion Month and Runway Show. Gracie Madsen, a patient with a creative spark and a will to see it through, worked with Child Life specialists to bring her vision to life while Family Commons staff and 42 volunteers from across the institution worked with patients to transform sketches into garments. 

“She craves the opportunity to give back to St. Jude and do more,” said Heather Haluska, senior Child Life specialist. “She’s such a creative thinker. She met every challenge with a solution, and the rest of us wanted to help her succeed.” 

Added Gracie, “My goal was to find every reason for it to work.” 

Staff from departments far from patient care stepped in, sitting beside children and parents, pressing T-shirts, helping to cut fabric and cheering when something finally came together. 

Staff from departments far from patient care stepped in, sitting beside children and parents, pressing T-shirts, helping to cut fabric and cheering when something finally came together. 

“That’s what I think is so cool at St. Jude,” Haluska said. “If you come up with a great idea, let’s give it a go and see what happens. It’s such a cool way that St. Jude serves the patient population—listening to the need and finding creative ways to meet it.” 

For Sarah Benstock, PhD, a research technician in Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences, it was a rare chance to connect directly with the children whose lives she works every day to improve from behind the lab bench.

“I sew at home, so having the opportunity to help kids figure out how to sew or glue things together and watch their creativity was special,” Benstock said. “I don’t think I’ve smiled this much. Watching those kids come down the runway—the laughs, the smiles, the way their faces lit up with the applause—that was precious.” 

The red-carpet event revealed more than handmade clothes. It revealed the fabric of St. Jude itself: a community where researchers, clinicians, staff and patients come together not only for cures, but for joy, pride and belonging. 

Each garment carried the story of a patient’s imagination. Each step down the runway carried the story of the St. Jude mission, made possible by a community willing to stop, listen and help a vision come true. 

For Gracie, it was an opportunity to give those patients a chance to shine. “We’re all given a light,” she said. “Mine’s not diminishing anytime soon. Why not spend it on something good?” 

By the end of the show, it was hard to tell who was prouder—the patients walking the stage or the staff who stood behind them, smiling and cheering every step of the way.