A Life Changing Visit

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.

Friday Photo Flashback

Back when I worked at B-95 in Flint, for whatever reason, my boss and I always greeted each other the same way. Oddly enough, when we call each other on the phone, we still do it. I’ll say, “Brian Cleary, ladies and gentlemen!” and he says, “Keith Allen Everybody!” (or vice versa)

Our morning guy from B-95, JB, wound up doing mornings at the Moose shortly after I started working there. He was aware of this exchange and used it on occasion, so I’m thinking he was responsible for one of today’s photos.

The first few years we did our St. Jude radiothon, we broadcast from center court of the local mall. One year, they rented a sign to show the running tally of the money we raised. Sometime shortly after I started my show, I looked over and noticed the sign.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Eventually, they moved the radiothon back to the on air studio. All the stats showed that stations raised more money this way. Less distractions, I suppose. I truly missed those mall broadcasts, though.

I loved the interaction with listeners. I loved seeing all the silent auction items that people could bid on. I loved being out in public doing the show. It gave me an energy that I didn’t get while in the studio. You get to watch people watch you and react to what you are doing on the air. It was unique and I loved every second of it.

Those were some fun days….

Friday Photo Flashback

On August 16, 1977, 47 years ago today, Elvis Presley died in Memphis, Tennessee. I was just 7 years old when he passed away, but I can recall how his passing hit my father and many others who grew up with his music and his legacy. As a kid, I knew Hound Dog, Teddy Bear, All Shook Up, and Don’t Be Cruel. It wasn’t until after he passed and as I began to dive deeper into his music that I came to appreciate his talent and why he was adored by his fans.

The first radio station I worked at (WKSG-FM, 102.7 Kiss-FM) was an oldies station, so I played my share of Elvis songs there. I played even more when I moved over to Honey Radio (WHND AM560) as they focused on early rock and roll. Discovering “new” Elvis music by playing unfamiliar (to me) songs on the radio only made me a bigger fan.

It was in the early 2000’s that I had the chance to go to Memphis on a radio trip. After we had finished our business at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in preparation for our radiothon, I had the opportunity to go to Graceland – Elvis’s home.

We had to wear these Walkman like headphones and carry a small device attached to them that allowed us to hear narration of the rooms and such on the tour. When we pulled up in front of the house I was surprised. It really doesn’t look as big as it does in the pictures.

Naturally, I had brought a camera, but the lighting within the house wasn’t that great for picture taking and there was a “No Flash Photography” rule on the tour. This was before we all carried around cameras on our phones. I had a camera with actual film in it that had to be developed. My photos came out dark or blurry. I was really upset by this.

The tour itself was really amazing. The various colors of the rooms, the 1977 appliances, the Jungle Room, the piano where Elvis played on the night he passed away, and the memorabilia had my brain overloading. One wall had gold records, awards, album covers and more line from floor to ceiling! Throughout the place were outfits from his movies and movie posters and various other things encased in glass. I was loving every second of my visit, snapping as many pictures as I could take and getting excited to show them to my dad when I developed them. And then, in an instant, I was silenced.

Full disclosure: the above photo is not mine. Mine came out blurry.

As you walk outside, you are almost at once in front of Elvis’ grave. The emotions that hit me were completely unexpected. I was overwhelmed to the point where I was almost in tears. I remember thinking, “Why am I almost crying? I never met Elvis before, yet I am overcome with feelings of sadness, wonder, and awe.” It was a humbling experience.

I had seen photos of the grave before, but now I was literally standing in front of it. There were flowers everywhere. It was beautiful. I stood there for quite a long time just lost in my thoughts and the moment. I had even forgot to press the button on the little audio thingy to hear this part of the tour.

As I think back to that moment, I really can’t explain what I was feeling or experiencing. It was surreal. It was like feeling a bunch of emotions all at once. There was respect and admiration as well as reverence and grief. Those few minutes at Graceland are certainly in my Top 5 “Most Complex” moments of my life.

There have since been some additions to the Graceland Graveyard since my visit. I wonder if it would hit me the same way if I were to go back.

Friday Photo Flashback

Last week, I posted a couple pictures from the St. Jude Radiothon that we did when I worked at B-95. (The radiothon was to help raise money for kids with cancer.) In that post, I mentioned two very special people who I met because they were local St. Jude patients. I knew that I had photos of them somewhere and I want to share them here.

I remember our St. Jude representative coming up to me and asking if it was ok to interview someone local who had been to St. Jude. Naturally I said, yes. This was tying every thing together. Many people asked why we were raising money for a hospital in Memphis. Most people do not realize that the hospital helps people from all over the country. Not to mention what I mentioned in the last post about all of the research that they share with doctors and hospitals here in the US and around the world.

Shortly before I was to go on the air, I was introduced to Vicky and her son, Kyle. I got to chat with them both a bit before going on the air. Kyle was maybe 8 or 9 at the time, maybe younger. When we went on the air, his mom and I talked about the hospital and all that they experienced. Kyle was a bit shy, but still talked about his stay and the things he liked to do and the music he listened to.

Kyle was a big fan of Shania Twain. When she came through town, I made sure that he got backstage passes. What I didn’t know was that Shania’s people lined all those backstage folks up in groups of 8 and Shania would walk to the groups, stand in front of us and a picture would be snapped. No autographs or anything. I was not about to let that be how Kyle’s backstage experience would be. I stepped out in front of her and introduced her to Kyle so she could shake his hand before they snapped that picture. Sometimes you gotta break the rules!

Kyle is probably in his late 20’s or early 30’s today. Every once in a while I will bump into him in the store as he lives close by. His mom and I are friends on Facebook, and she keeps me up to date on how Kyle is doing.

The other special person I met through the radiothon was Allyson. She may have have been about the same age as Kyle, maybe younger. Her mom and dad (Julie and Frank) became good friends with our station’s staff members too. She was a huge fan of country music and actually got some of the country stars phone numbers. She was given a signed guitar by Sammy Kershaw when he played the country fair. This picture may have been from that day.

She was a huge fan of hockey and we had a few local hockey teams that played in town. I could always count on seeing her and her family at those games. One game, we tossed out t-shirts or something from the ice at a game. Our team were champs one year and we had the “cup” and we all got to be out on the ice and hold it. Allyson was right there with us.

After I left B-95, she kept in touch. She often called me just to say hello and I love you. She was such a sweetheart. I DJ’d in her back yard for her 21st birthday, if I remember correctly. Her folks threw a big party because they had told them that she wouldn’t live to see her 21st birthday. It was a joy to be there and play music for her.

Sadly, Allyson lost her battle with cancer a few years later. In 2013, she passed away at age 24. I think of her often and am glad to have some photos of us together.

These two special people benefitted from the work done at St. Jude. If you have ever thought about donating to the hospital, I can assure you, every penny counts.

Friday Photo Flashback

One of the greatest things about working in radio was being in a position to help people. This is where local radio wins! Real people helping real people.

My Friday Photo Flashback this week takes me back to the very first B-95 Country Cares For St. Jude Kids Radiothon. When Brian Cleary took over as our program director, we partnered with them to raise money for kids with cancer.

I had heard of St. Jude because I was familiar with Danny Thomas. Today, there are plenty of commercials for the hospital featuring Marlo Thomas, Danny’s daughter. Back when we started doing radiothons, there was a whole lot less exposure for the hospital.

The photo below brings back a ton of memories of some of the greatest people I have ever worked with. From left to right we have Anne, Kristine, Brian (kneeling), Buzby (our mascot), Lonnie (the winner of an autographed guitar), Jim and me. What a fantastic on air staff!

Each of us was flown to Memphis to tour the hospital, meet the doctors, meet patients, meet parents of patients, and meet with many of the country stars who also supported the hospital. When I went, my ex was still pregnant with my firstborn. You can only imagine the emotions I experienced while I was there!

It was like nothing I had ever experienced. The stories, the happy endings, and the sad endings. The amazing facts and figures that were shared about how the research that they were doing was not only helping kids with cancer, but anyone with cancer. The discoveries made and the treatments that were making a difference in the lives of many were astounding. The two days I spent in Memphis were full of emotions!

We got to take the things that we saw, learned, and present them on the air, while raising money for the hospital. It was because of this radiothon that I met two very special kids (who may pop up in a future Photo Flashback), Kyle and Allyson. Both of them were St. Jude patients and I became fast friends with them and their families.

For two days, we were set up in center court of our local mall broadcasting from there. We had our volunteer phone banks set up on the floor to the front and side of us. We broadcast live from the stage, where all of the microphones and equipment was set up (which you can see in the last photo).

We weren’t a very big radio market. We weren’t sure what to expect for our first radiothon. If I remember correctly, our St. Jude rep, Amy (pictured on the left in the bottom photo) thought we might raise like $40,000. We beat those expectations by almost $20,000.

Without a doubt, it was one of the highlights of my radio career. Even though there was a ton of preparation and work that went into the event, it was one I always looked forward to. There is a lot of satisfaction knowing that you play a small part in helping save the lives of children.

Friday Photo Flashback

This is a “feature” I started a couple weeks ago with a Daily Writing Prompt. It’s been fun to find a photo to write about each week. I stumbled on a picture this week I didn’t know I had. It was one that I hadn’t scanned yet and it features one of the bravest and strongest young men I have ever met.

The photo above was taken during our first St. Jude Radiothon at B95. The young man on the right is Kyle. If I had to guess he is about 10 years old here. We are in center court of our local mall raising money for kids with cancer.

The St. Jude Radiothon was one of the most emotional and satisfying things I have ever done. I loved having the station out in public broadcasting live. Today, they do this all from the studio, but back then it was something really special.

The hardest thing for me was listening to the various pre-recorded stories of families who had both happy and sad outcomes connected to their visit to St. Jude. Not crying in public was quite difficult at times, but the radiothon was a rollercoaster of smiles and tears.

Our St. Jude reps would connect us to families in the area that had been to St. Jude to share their stories of hope. Knowing that local people were helped by St. Jude helped us raise money for our cause. I was happy to interview Kyle and his mother Vicky during my shift during that first radiothon all those years ago.

We’d meet other children, too, from year to year, but Kyle was the first one I met and holds a special place in my heart. His mother shared the story of how they discovered Kyle was sick as an infant. His first surgery was at 6 months old. He has since had at least 15 surgeries. She shared their story and stories of the people that helped them at St. Jude.

As I look at this picture it seems that I am listening to Vicky, who is obviously not in the picture. She is probably right across from me. Looking at the photo, it is easy to get distracted by the equipment in it. The microphones and microphone stands were obviously lifted right out of the on air studios. One thing I noticed that I am wearing glasses. I had Lasik surgery around 2000, so I’m guessing the photo is from 1999 or early 2000.

I see the three ring binder which played a very important part of the radiothon. Each day had a folder. In the folder were all of the cue sheets for the recorded pieces we’d be playing on air. The basket the folder is sitting on is what our reps would put notes in. Those notes could be pledges (Bill from Flint is a Partner in Hope, Bob from Burton gave $500, and Flint Police have raised $3000), challenges (Steve from Saginaw will match all donations for the next 20 minutes, Nick has challenged all parents with baseball players to make a pledge), and notes about things that needed to be promoted or upcoming guests, or hourly tallies.

This photo brings back so many memories of a time when radio was fun to do. This was an event that made a difference and I was proud to be a part of it. I don’t recall how much money we raised that year, but knowing that it would help with research to find a cure for childhood cancer, it meant a lot to all of us.

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to still be in contact with Vicky and Kyle. As I have already stated, Kyle is one of the bravest and strongest young men I know. He’s had chemo, radiation and more! He’s had so many surgeries – as a matter of fact, he is currently recovering from another recent surgery and doing well. He’ll have another one coming up in a few months.

Knowing that the picture above is over 20 years old, it shouldn’t surprise me that Kyle will be turning 33 this year, he’s not the young boy in the photo anymore. This is really amazing, especially since they didn’t expect him to live long as a baby. He is a hero to me – a true hero. Knowing Kyle and his family has been a blessing for me.

A lot of time has passed since that radiothon. A lot of money has been raised, and many breakthroughs and treatments have been discovered and created to help kids with cancer. Somewhere in my pile of photos, I have a picture with our entire radio staff and Kyle holding a guitar from our final tally that day. I will have to find it and add it to this post in the future, or maybe I should just do another Friday Photo Flashback.