St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital continues Danny Thomas’ promise to help children

MEMPHIS, TN (AZFamily) — It started with a promise to the patron saint of hopeless causes.

Entertainer Danny Thomas vowed to build a shrine and hospital to help children from all over the world. On Feb. 4, 1962, Thomas kept his promise by opening St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The hospital was dedicated to treating children with catastrophic illnesses, especially cancer. From the beginning, the mission was revolutionary — no child would be denied care because of race, religion or a family’s inability to pay.

Research and treatment advances

Today, some of the world’s best researchers work at St. Jude, dedicated to defying the odds.

“The donations that St. Jude receives allows us to do research that is so challenging to do anywhere else,” said Tim, a St. Jude researcher. “It enables us not only to recruit the best talent, the best minds, but also to reduce some of the roadblocks we have to doing research.”

Families never pay for any treatment, travel, food or housing, allowing parents to focus on keeping their child alive.

“It wasn’t until we came in through the red gates of St. Jude, and there was a nurse there that knew absolutely everything about Brady, and we met with the doctor that first week, and it was the first time that we felt hope in a hopeless situation,” said one parent. “Everything was covered on our child.”

Survival rates and ongoing challenges

Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago.

Still, 1 in 5 kids diagnosed with cancer will not survive.

“St. Jude gave my family the gift of more time, and how do you pay for life?” said Katy, whose family received treatment at the hospital. “St. Jude was able to give that to me and my family. It’s a lifetime of memories.”

Continuing the mission

Fundraisers like the 2026 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway help keep hope alive for future patients.

Charlie, a former patient now in remission, said he wants to help find treatments and cures.

“Because I don’t want to see anybody else suffer from cancer, from leukemia, from anything else,” Charlie said. “I want to be able to help these doctors and scientists find treatments and cures so that no one, no child, has to go through what I had to do.”

You can reserve your ticket for the Glendale St. Jude Dream Home starting on Feb. 25 for $100.

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