64 years ago today, entertainer Danny Thomas opened St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Along with Danny, there were 9000+ people in attendance for the opening. From that day forward, they have worked nonstop to save the lives of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

It was back in 2001 that I first visited the hospital. Our radio station became part of the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids radiothon family. We would go on to host a two day radiothon every year to raise money for St. Jude. The trip was part of our training in preparation for the radiothon.

During our trip, we visited some of the laboratories and heard what they were working on. We also met with teams of doctors who shared stories, both happy and sad. We watched many seminars with country music stars who had worked with St. Jude over the years. Most importantly, we met patients and their families. The entire experience allowed me to bring back things that I could share on the air during the radiothon.

Danny Thomas was born here in Michigan. When he first started out in show business, it was a struggle. During my visit they shared the story of how the hospital came to be.

About 70 or so years ago, Danny was a young entertainer with a baby on the way. Work wasn’t easy to come by, and his despair grew. He turned to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, and vowed: “Show me my way in life, and I will build you a shrine

That prayer marked a pivotal moment. Soon after, he began finding work, eventually becoming one of the biggest stars of radio, film and television in his day. He was on Make Room for Daddy, later known as The Danny Thomas Show.  Danny used his fame to fulfill his vow, and, in 1962, St. Jude opened, changing the lives of thousands of children and their families. 

In 1983, he received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Ronald Reagan for his work with St. Jude.

St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Through groundbreaking treatment and research methods, expert staff and our community of supporters, St. Jude provides customized care for some of the world’s sickest children regardless of their race, ethnicity, beliefs or ability to pay.

That was the thing that was most amazing to me – the patient and their families will NEVER receive a bill for the treatment they receive. My medical bills alone can be overwhelming. I cannot imagine wondering how I would pay for cancer treatments for my child. What a burden lifted for these families.

They not only treat cancer, but also treat blood disorders, immune disorders, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, and genetic predisposition syndromes. All of the research done at the hospital is shared freely throughout the world.

Here are just some of the stats:

• St. Jude has helped raise the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to over 80%!
• Survival for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has risen from 4% to 94% since the hospital opened. Medulloblastoma survival rates are 85%.
• The hospital has treated children from all 50 U.S. states and worldwide.
• On average, 7,800 active patients visit the hospital annually, with roughly 260 treated daily.
• The facility operates 78 inpatient beds.
• St. Jude is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.
• The Pediatric Cancer Genome Project has sequenced more than 800 patient genomes to understand the origins of pediatric cancer.
•  25 official international partner sites exist in 17 countries.
• St. Jude freely shares its groundbreaking discoveries, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists can use that knowledge to save thousands more children around the world.
• St. Jude creates more clinical trials for cancer than any other children’s hospital and turns laboratory discoveries into lifesaving treatments that benefit patients – every day.

Danny Thomas once said, “No child should die in the dawn of life.” That has become the visionary motto for the hospital. Their hope is to find a cure for all types of cancer. One staff member said during my visit, “The greatest day for us will be when we can close the doors, because we have succeeded in curing cancer.”

During my first visit to the hospital, my first child was yet to be born. Parents often worry to the extreme during pregnancy, and I was that way. I went to every OB visit to make sure everything was ok. When I returned home from my trip, I remember having a great sense of comfort knowing that if, for any reason, I needed St. Jude, they were there.

The cost to run the hospital PER DAY is about $2million. Everything they do and are able to do relies on donations and support from others. 64 years later, St. Jude continues to make strides in discovering new treatments and I am proud to donate to the cause on a monthly basis.

For more information, statistics, and how you can help, visit their website.