Last weekend in keeping with my new year’s resolution of traveling someplace once a month, I visited Memphis, Tennessee. My sole purpose of the trip was to experience St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I spent all weekend with the kind folks at St. Jude. I toured the hospital, learned about their research and listened to children and parents talk about their experiences at St. Jude. My time spent in Memphis was very informative and heartbreaking at times.
St. Jude is one of the world’s premier centers for research and treatment of catastrophic diseases in children. They are leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude is where doctors send their most difficult cases. When the hospital first opened in 1962, the childhood survival rate was 20%. Now St. Jude boasts an 80% survival rate. Their goal is 90% in the next decade.
All of the research and discoveries that St. Jude uncovers is freely shared with doctors and scientists across the world. This way the information and knowledge can be used to save more children.
The hospital also takes the financial burdens off the patient and their families. They never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food. All a family should have to worry about is helping their child to live.
If you are looking to donate to an organization that is making strides in their industry, I encourage you to look at St. Jude.
Since I was in seminars and tours all weekend, I didn’t get a chance to see much of Memphis. But thankfully, I’ve already visited the city and have been all of the tour spots like the Lorraine Hotel, Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum. I did get a few moments to check out Beale Street again since my hotel, The Peabody, was a few blocks away.
