st. jude children's research hospital

"success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. 

it is what you do for others." 

danny thomas

tomorrow is my last day at st. jude children's research hospital.
let me tell you a little bit about the blessings i have experienced the past two and a half years. 

st. jude was founded in 1962 by entertainer, danny thomas. danny was a struggling actor and prayed to st. jude to help him find his way in life. if he did, he would build a shrine in his name. mr. thomas eventually got his big break and remembered his prayer. with the support of this great city, he built what would become the biggest and best center for pediatric oncology in the world. 

st jude is special. magical really. i always compare it to a children's museum. except here, miracles aren't just make believe. they happen. every single day. the research performed here saves lives. doctors and nurses dedicated to a cure, save families. therapists and social workers and teachers and janitors are all working towards one mission: hope. you can feel it every where you go. you can see it in every soul. you can smell it. you can taste it. and it is incredibly special. 

what makes this place even more amazing is that it is supported by donations. 100%. it takes 1.4 million dollars a day to run st. jude. yeah. you read it right. 1.4 million. children and families have free housing, free food, free transportation, free holistic medical care. and they should. they are facing the most horrific reality anyone could imagine. thanks to donors, they can breathe easier and totally focus on curing their child of cancer. stepping in these doors every day makes you appreciate mankind. there is good in the world. and that good is alive in every minute that st. jude continues to stay open. 

i know i will never again get the opportunity to work in such a place. but for the rest of my life, i will remember the faces of the children that walked these halls. i will donate as much as i can. i will include the families, the doctors, the nurses, the therapists, the chefs, the researchers, the teachers, the children in my daily prayers. 

thank you, Lord, for granting me this unique experience. thank you for exposing me to a world that i would not have otherwise known. thank you for trusting me to work with your precious children and their parents. thank you for giving us the gift of this hospital. thank you, Lord, for st. jude.

for more information or to make a donation visit stjude.org