For Enrique, coming to work every day means more than just going to a job. It’s an opportunity for him to give back to the hospital that worked tirelessly on his daughter’s behalf after she was diagnosed with cancer.
That journey started in 2009, when Enrique was in the U.S. Navy and stationed in Japan with his wife, Leticia, and two daughters, Alivia and Arianna. Shortly after Arianna’s third birthday, she was found to suffer from a rare cancerous tumor called an atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT).
The family traveled to Texas, where Arianna underwent surgery, but was given very little chance of survival. Devastated, Enrique and Leticia began to research treatment options. That’s when they turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where Arianna underwent a second brain surgery and received 31 radiation therapy treatments and four rounds of chemotherapy.
Arianna was 3 when she was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumor.
Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90%, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.
Arianna responded well to treatment and remained cancer-free for 15 months. But in July 2011, the cancer returned. Doctors at St. Jude refused to give up, and Arianna underwent an experimental drug treatment.
Unfortunately, the cancer continued to progress, and Arianna passed away in 2013, weeks before her eighth birthday.
Arianna at St. Jude in 2013.
“I wanted to come back and work here and give back for everything they did to help my daughter.”
Enrique, who now works for ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.
Today, St. Jude continues to be an important part of Enrique’s life. After retiring from the military, Enrique began working at ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. He’s able to do meaningful work that reminds him of Arianna. “I wanted to come back and work here and give back for everything they did to help my daughter,” he said.
In addition, the family, which now includes 18-month-old Henry, continues to support the hospital throughout the year, fundraising for events like the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend.
“It’s important that we continue supporting a place like St. Jude because childhood cancer is not as rare as it seems,” Enrique said. “For the trajectory that my life took, I feel like this is the place where I need to be.”
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
Read more inspiring stories
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Meet Rosalie: Facility dog to provide employee support
Learn how Rosalie, a golden retriever facility dog, will help support employee resilience.
-
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.
-
COVID-19 vaccines not linked to infertility
Virtually all research outcomes have discredited infertility concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. Learn more.
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.