St. Jude offering hope in the fight against childhood cancer

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - You’ve probably seen St. Jude commercials on TV and heard how families never receive a bill from the hospital. In fact, they don’t have to pay for treatment, travel, housing, or food. This allows them to put their full focus on helping their child live.

“As a parent, you want to be there by your child’s side every step of the way and to know that you don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay for it.”

What you may not realize though is the work that’s going on behind the scenes.

St. Jude has published more research and clinical trials than any other pediatric cancer research institution in the United States.

They were also the first Children’s hospital to make a major investment in pediatric cancer genome sequencing, resulting in groundbreaking discoveries in several childhood cancers.

“Someday we could cure cancer and how cool would that be to say hey, I supported this hospital and I’m part of that.”

Many have been part of the process and the result has been nothing short of a miracle.

When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then the hospital has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to over 80%. And they say they won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.

St. Jude treats children from all 50 states and from around the world. They also provide thousands of free consultations for doctors treating children worldwide and right here in our own community.

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