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 >> http://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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