In my work, I have the great privilege of meeting and talking with many of the incredible families who turn to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for the care and treatment of their children.
They speak from the heart about how much St. Jude means to them and the impact the hospital has had on their lives. How St. Jude gave them hope that the battle for their child’s life could be won. And how the generosity of donors meant they didn’t need to worry about how to pay for that treatment — or even for travel, housing or food — because families never receive a bill from St. Jude for anything.
But they almost always mention something else: how much they appreciate that St. Jude encourages their kids to be kids — not patients with a terrifying illness — but girls and boys who want to run and play, go to school and hang out with friends. And who want to participate in that great rite of childhood — going trick-or-treating on Halloween.
So every year, St. Jude ensures that our patients and their siblings don’t miss out on this special event. Everyone from nurses and doctors to researchers and social workers to teachers from the St. Jude School and ALSAC employees, volunteer to make this a truly amazing day for our patient families.
I wish that each and every one of you could see the joy and wonder on the faces of the kids as they come by the decorated booths that line the hallways of the hospital, calling out “Trick or Treat” and getting a kick out of seeing the members of their care teams dressed up as pirates or their favorite video game and movie characters.
I wish you could see the smiles of their parents — and those of everyone at St. Jude — beaming at the excitement of the many princesses, comic book heroes and ninja warriors as their bags fill with candy and treats.
At times like these, I am truly grateful to every one of you who supports the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Not only are you helping to fund the research needed to find cures for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, you are helping to provide exceptional care and treatment to children at a desperate time in their lives. And you are helping St. Jude make sure these kids and their families don’t miss out on precious childhood memories.
Thank you.
You, too, can make a difference for St. Jude kids.
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Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and we celebrate the doctors, staff and fundraisers that support our lifesaving mission.
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St. Jude celebrates Mother’s Day with inspirational stories
St. Jude employees take pride in their work and many times, they inspire family members to join the mission. This Mother’s Day, we highlight a few family members who have followed in their mothers’ footsteps.
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Mentorship is a Two-Way Street
In observance of Women's History Month, Andrea Stubbs discusses the importance of mentorship and support throughout her career.
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Austin Springer, PhD, receives highest employee honor for pandemic response efforts
For pandemic response efforts in 2021, Human Resources employee receives highest honor bestowed upon St. Jude employees.
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Why did I get the COVID-19 vaccine? Two St. Jude families share their stories
Two St. Jude families share their reasons for getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Puggle, Huckleberry to depart soon; doggy duo has changed the patient experience
The facility dogs who laid the groundwork for the hospital’s facility dog program are departing soon. Read how they changed the patient experience.
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Face masks are business as usual at St. Jude
Learn how staff members, patients and families have been wearing masks correctly for decades to protect children and prevent infection.
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Meet Rosalie: Facility dog to provide employee support
Learn how Rosalie, a golden retriever facility dog, will help support employee resilience.
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St. Jude Paws at Play to expand by four paws
Learn how the hospital’s Resilience Center is expanding to welcome a new facility dog dedicated to employees.
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COVID-19 vaccines not linked to infertility
Virtually all research outcomes have discredited infertility concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. Learn more.
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The science behind COVID-19 vaccines
It may seem like the COVID-19 vaccine moved quickly to emergency use authorization and approval, but in reality, researchers used years of data, research and advances to fast-track the lifesaving vaccines. Read about it.
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Whether you've had the virus or not, COVID-19 vaccination boosts your immune response and offers the best line of protection
A positive test does not equal protection against COVID-19. Getting vaccinated after COVID-19 will boost your immune response and protect you against new variants of the virus. Learn more
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How does employee vaccination help protect St. Jude patients?
St. Jude is requiring all its employees be vaccinated. Diego Hijano, MD explains why in a Q&A.
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COVID-19 vaccine side effects: How common are they?
Find out how you can wade through the deluge of information about vaccine side effects and make an informed choice.
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Kids Often Move Too Fast; COVID-19 Vaccine Production Didn’t
Learn why COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. It's thanks to great science, incredible collaboration and careful approval processes.