Cancer is a laughing matter at St Jude

You know how hospitals smell?? That weird mixture of antiseptic, air spray and circulated air that hits you full force when you step through those sliding doors? I braced myself as we pushed through the doors…and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Murals contain children of all ethnicities and genders, showing them healthy, without hair, with eye patches and other things with which they can identify.

Inside the bright red rotating doors you’re greeted with huge windows, light, fresh {no sterilized feeling to be found or sniffed}, smiling faces and vibrant joyful artwork. In fact, I’d dare you to find a place in the hospital where the people aren’t genuinely kind souls and the walls aren’t adorned in something uplifting.

“Laughter is poison to fear.” – George R. Martin

I have so much I’m dying to share with you about this trip. I’d talk your ears off for an hour if we were having a little coffee date, but I’ll try to boil it down to some of the most intriguing things I learned and experienced in our jam packed 2 day tour.

Hold on to your horses, it’s about to be a wild ride of information. {Below from the Brad Paisley room in the Target House – a long term apartment housing option provided for free to families staying 1-3 years}. See what I did there…hold on…horse saddle…funny..right?WHERE A FREE LUNCH IS REALLY FREE
We’ve all heard the commercials saying no family is ever charged, but I had no concept of the magnitude to which St. Jude goes for the patient and their families!

Paying for travel
Providing housing for up to 3 years in many cases
All medical expenses from treatment to rehabilitation at St Jude
All onsite food and gift cards for the local Kroger’s
Shuttles not just to the hospital, but other places in Memphis
Enrolling siblings in local Memphis schools
An on-site school for patients
Daily activities for patients and siblings
Hair cuts for mom and dad because who has time to think about that otherwise
Yoga classes

How is it even possible to do all of this? Amazing sponsors, companies who give back through sales and yes each of us who average just a $30 donation each year make it possible for the hospital to save lives every day… on a $1.9 million dollar a day budget.

PUTTING THE SHINE ON A DIAMOND
What consistently blew my mind throughout this trip was the added touch, that extra little oomph which makes anything special extraordinary.

Picking out the highlights is like declaring your favorite child {me in my parent’s case}, but I tried:

Little red wagons to pull kids around the hospital who may not feel like sitting up in a wheelchair after treatment or simply make it more fun
An onsite garden to provide the highest possible nutrition from food {and cost savings!}
Kindergarten and high school graduation ceremonies
PROM!! That’s right partners like Lancôme come in an do make up for the girls, others donate dresses, tuxedo’s and limo’s giving them the FULL experience
Massively awesome Halloween with trick-or-treating throughout the hospital!
Memory building activities — some are private so I won’t share details, but truly these families are creating GOOD memories along with the rough stuff to have no matter the final result

WHAT IS ST JUDE

It’s not an ER, they don’t even have one
It’s not just a children’s hospital
It is a research hospital specializing in tough cases and looking for cures
It is open to all children regardless of age, gender or race — one of the first to ever have that mission
It is a not for profit – any cure they find is immediately shared with hospitals everywhere
Children are admitted here after a physician referral and if they have on of the diseases currently being researched at the hospital
It is about more than the treatment plan, it’s about the whole child {school, housing, food, fun}

One of the many things that surprised me were the housing options. Since many kids could be in treatment for 1-3 years they don’t just live in the hospital, it’s a little more like having a job. They come in during the day for treatment, school, appointments, lunch and then in the evening go home as a family. Each of the housing facilities are set up like apartments or hotels giving them access to all kinds of common areas, toys, etc…but most importantly just time to relax together, not in a hospital.

LAUGHTER
“I swore I’d never walk through those doors. It would just be too emotional for me.”

“Why are all these people so happy?!”

“Don’t they know they are bald?! Have cancer?!”

This is how one mom started her story…shortly there after she said the words I heard all week “these people are family” and the upbeat attitude throughout this hospital is what makes it possible to get through something so very difficult.

Family also means they break down together, they cry together, they celebrate together, they fight about options and everyone CARES deeply about the whole child, not just treating their illness. When I say St. Jude laughs at cancer it’s not to mitigate the seriousness of the disease, but instead to show that they embrace life and do everything they can to make each day wonderful regardless of the circumstances.

St. Jude treats the tough cases.

The cases that don’t yet have a recognized cure. The cases that are so small most pharmaceutical companies aren’t event attempting drugs because there is no profit. Which means among all the laughter there are certainly many days of tears.

Thanks to the fearless doctors and 182 research labs on campus, St Jude has helped to increase the worldwide survivor rate for childhood cancer to 80%.

Please consider sharing this story and helping people to understand what St. Jude really does for these families. Click to tweet>> What do little red wagons, prom dresses and cancer have in common? Find out >> https://ctt.ec/PJ0eU+ via @runtothefinish

Thanks for letting me Think Out Loud once again this week. I’ve got so much more I want to share about yoga and nutrition and what St Jude does that you can expect a follow up!! In the meantime, checkout these 3 Mother’s Day gifts that give back to St. Jude.

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