6 Lessons Learned as a St. Jude Blogger

Last month I spent three days in Memphis learning about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and all they do for children with cancer and their families. I was part of the St. Jude Blog Ambassador program and my travel, food, and accommodations were covered. The Blog Ambassador program is designed to immerse bloggers from across the country in the details of St. Jude and to help give us a personal connection to this great endeavor. It worked.

I joined a small group of bloggers at the St. Jude Blog Ambassador trip last month.

6 Lessons Learned as a St. Jude Blogger 

1. I learned about the ground breaking research that has helped to push the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to over 80% now.

2. I learned about the mind-boggling breakthrough of the pediatric genome project which was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the top scientific discoveries in 2013 and is helping to decode the mysteries of childhood cancer.

3. I learned about the fact that no family gets a bill from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. From the treatment to the medicine to accommodations, travel, food, and even some fun…no family will ever have to pay for any of it. All families need to do is concentrate on their loved one getting well.

We heard from the father of a St. Jude patient who teared up when talking about what it meant to never get a bill.

4. I learned about how the money that St. Jude needs to operate is given to them in small bite-sized pieces. Though they do have strong support from companies big and small, the majority of their donors are individuals who give an average of $30. These small donations add up and help run this magnificent hospital.

5. I learned how Danny Thomas designed St. Jude to break color barriers in what was then the Jim Crow South and how that feeling of inclusion and openness has prevailed there throughout the decades.

A brave St. Jude patient shared her inspiring story.

6. I learned how lucky I am to have healthy kids. I came home with deeper appreciation for my four healthy kids, as well as the realization that “but for the grace of God go I”. To quote the St. Jude tag line, I came home giving thanks for the healthy children in my life and urging all of us to give to those who aren’t.

Please consider support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There are so many ways to help. In Atlanta this weekend, tickets are still available to attend the St. Jude Southern Evening of Hope. This September 58 communities across the country will host the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer. Think about getting a team together and joining one near you. And of course, a straight donation is always appreciated too.