There is nothing more painful for a parent than to see their child suffer. The agony of feeling utterly helpless when he cries in pain is beyond description. The constant and continual fear that your child will be lost before he can receive the treatment that will save him is almost unbearable. Adding impact to injury is the unsettling acceptance that you don’t have the money to make him well or even ease his suffering. There are many loving parents in this and many other countries that live with these realities every day.
St. Jude’s Children Hospital sees patients and their families that match the above description every day. The difference is that this particular hospital offers its services to sick children with or without insurance, with or without the financial ability to pay. You might imagine that a hospital that offers this type of charity to its patients would somehow lack in the areas of care, technology and expertise.
But this is the farthest thing from the truth.
In 1996, Peter Doherty, Ph.D., of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work that he did related to how the immune system kills virus-infected cells. In fact, many doctors from the around the world send their toughest cases and their most vulnerable patients to St. Jude’s.
Not only is St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital the 3rd largest health care charity in pediatric treatment, it is also a world class research facility. Discoveries of new cancer treatments and other diseases have changed the way world treats these catastrophic illnesses. Some of the world’s most gifted researchers come to St. Jude’s to conduct their science work.
According to the 2007 Scientific Report released by St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the center accepts over 400 children each year for cancer treatment. The Cancer Center also includes a Cancer Prevention & Control Program. The center receives an outstanding amount of financial support from its independent fund-raising branch, ALSAC which stands for American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities. The hospital also conducts a significant amount of research on immune deficiency disorders identifying and characterizing the genes responsible for these disorders. And this is just the tip of the iceberg on what this hospital has accomplished in research and treatments for ailing children.
The hospital was founded in 1962 by the late entertainer Danny Thomas and he insisted that no child would be refused treatment based on their inability to pay. According to the hospital’s website, cancer survival rates that ranged between 4%-20% in the 1960’s now enjoy survival rates that range between 64%-94% depending on the type of cancer.
This success rate is due mainly to the research that has been conducted right here in the hospital. This hospital was featured in the movie “The Client” based on the novel by John Grisham. The “client’s” little brother was admitted to the hospital after suffering from symptoms of severe shock when he witnessed an attempted suicide which was foiled by the two brothers. The family’s financial situation in the movie was completely destitute and so the chosen hospital to feature was very appropriate given this hospital’s policies.
Sources:
www.stjude.org, www.thefreedictionary.com, 2007 Scientific Report by St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, www.britannica.com, wilkepedia.org, www.nobleprize.org
