Posted By: ivillagecares on
What I care about most is helping children who are gravely ill. It seems so unfair for little kids to miss out on the carefree joys of childhood and have to face something that scares even grownups. I've met a lot of these children and their parents through my work at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and I've seen the difference that hope has made in their lives.
When my father, Danny Thomas, founded St. Jude 45 years ago, he made a promise that no child would ever be turned away for a family's inability to pay. That means if you don't have insurance, everything is free -- travel, food, housing and, of course, treatment. So I work with a team of people to raise the funds to keep this promise.
I also care deeply about raising awareness -- so that moms and dads everywhere know that St. Jude is there for them, so that every child has the best chance at survival.
And it's the spirit of the place that gets to me.
I'll never forget the first time I visited St. Jude after my father had died. I was afraid to go inside -- afraid that I would be overwhelmed by memories. I drove up and sat in the driveway and just cried.
Once I pulled myself together and headed into the building, I saw a room filled with balloons, and a cake, and kids in party hats. The happy clamor of children was everywhere. I asked a nurse whose birthday party it was, and she said, "Oh, it's not a birthday party. It's an off-chemo party!"
Here was a roomful of brave little kids, staring down sickness with courage and laughter. From one child's turn for the better, they had all derived strength.
People ask me how I keep my passion year after year. It's because of the children. When you look at their faces and see the courage and the strength -- the compassion they have for each other and the incredible capacity for joy in the face of such adversity -- it's impossible to turn away. It's why I care so deeply about St. Jude. And I know I always will.
Visit St Jude Children's Research Hospital online for more information.
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