St. Jude Children’s Hospital

The Heart of the Matter

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Offers Hope

BY STACEY GUALANDI  |  PHOTOS COURTESY OF ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

When loyal supporters of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital gather on September 18th for its 4th annual Heart of Fashion event in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness month, it will be a cause for celebration.

“It is going to be our first in-person event in more than a year and a half,” says Erica Thompson, Development Specialist for the Southwest Region ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.

“This year, we’re really going to be focusing on celebrations. We want to salute all of those individuals coming together who are allowing us the ability to continue giving celebrations to our children.”

Back in 1962, when founder and television icon Danny Thomas first opened the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee—now a global leader in the research, treatment, and defeat of childhood cancers and other life-threatening diseases—he had one singular vision: eliminate childhood cancer and ensure that no child dies in the dawn of life.

Since then, the survival rate of children with cancer has gone from only 20 percent to an incredible 80 percent, thanks to advancements in cures and prevention at St. Jude.

But Thompson says that isn’t the only St. Jude success story. Doctors and researchers continue to make tremendous strides, one milestone at a time.

“When we first opened our doors, only four percent of children were surviving acute lymphocytic leukemia [“ALL”], which is one of the most common forms of childhood cancer. It was pretty much a death sentence,” says Thompson. “But today, 94 percent of kids who get an ALL diagnosis are surviving.”

Children from all 50 states, as well as from around the globe, receive St. Jude support. In keeping with Thomas’ original mission, no child has ever been denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family’s ability to pay.

“Our families never receive a bill from St. Jude,” emphasizes Thompson. “We cover their treatment, their travel, their housing, and their food. It’s simple why is because we want them to focus on helping their child live. Even in this past year of COVID-19, we were able to continue that promise so that our families never once had to worry about receiving a bill. It’s extremely expensive to treat somebody with cancer, so for a family to not have to worry about that financial burden is such a relief.”

St. Jude patient Cindy, diagnosed with blood cancer.

Thompson says she first heard of St. Jude through her sorority at UNLV but has spent 20 years working in the non-profit world for such organizations as Catholic Charities, Three Square, and Shade Tree before joining ALSAC (American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities) six years ago.

Now she oversees a variety of events in Nevada with a “mighty team of three people,” including the St. Jude Walk/Run of Las Vegas, the “Against All Odds” Poker Tournament, and the sold-out Heart of Fashion gala at the Las Vegas Ballpark. Their goal this year is to raise $200,000.

“The evening will be filled with St. Jude ‘mission moments’,” says Thompson. “We’ll have a patient/family joining us to share their personal story, and we’ll have dinner, live entertainment, a fashion show featuring the fashion of Anne Fontaine (and Anne Fontaine herself!), and amazing silent/live auction items that will be up for grabs.”

It’s events like this, Thompson says, that help St. Jude keep its promise to those families who are forced to face a cancer diagnosis.

“There are definitely tears to be shed, but it’s also a place of so much joy and comfort,” says Thompson. “A lot of our families say it doesn’t feel like a hospital. They have a support system like none other…and it really helps them not to focus constantly on their treatment or their child. That’s something our founder had strong feelings about; he didn’t want children to be confined to a hospital room, but instead, be able to experience life as if nothing was happening.”

St. Jude patient Olivia, diagnosed with blood cancer.

Painstaking efforts have been made to ensure that patients at the Memphis-based research hospital can live a normal life as much as possible. St. Jude offers an on-campus school; hosts proms, kindergarten and high school graduations; and even throws “no more” chemo parties.

As a mother of two young boys, ages 7 and 9, Thompson says her work gives her a unique perspective.

“I hug [my boys] a little bit tighter because you hear the stories where families are just living life like normal and then a little headache or a bruise, and all of a sudden, their whole world is turned upside down. That can happen to anyone at any time.”

St. Jude patient Miguel (Mikey), diagnosed with eye cancer.

So Thompson continues to spread the St. Jude message and believes there is always an opportunity to grow support through the help of local leaders, donors, sponsors, and volunteers. Like St. Jude, she won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.

“When I see these breakthroughs and discoveries and hear a patient share how we’ve been able to save their lives, or just to know families who’ve lost their loved ones are so appreciative of St. Jude that they got 2, 3 or 4 more years with their child that they didn’t think they were going to have, it’s just so rewarding.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital