St.jude Childrens hospital

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St Jude Children Research Hospital
One of the current challenges in the medicine world is cancer. However, cancer incidents amongst children are quite rare. Nonetheless, statistics indicate that the disease is the leading cause of infancy death amongst children (Dome et al. 194). Statistics indicate that 12% of children diagnosed with cancer do not survive yet 43 children are diagnosed with the condition every day. One of the challenges that contribute to the death of children through cancer is because its risk factors are not well understood (Pui et al. 2009). Pui et al. attribute the situation to the fact that the type of cancer affecting children is diverse and rare (2009). Poor understanding of the causes of disease affecting children is touted to be the main contributor of death amongst them. As a result, Danny Thomas was motivated by the need to start St Jude Children Research Hospital as an initiative to help conduct relevant researches on the diseases that are affecting children. The hospital lives up to its mission statement: “Finding Cures, Saving Children” by taking part in research and delivering new cures for cancer amongst children (St Jude Children Research Hospital). Today, the center is believed to play a vital role in ensuring that more children receive reliable cancer treatment. Thus, the society should consider the need to support efforts put in place by St Jude Children Research Hospital to ensure that pediatric cancer and other life-threatening conditions amongst children are eliminated.

When Danny Thomas founded St Jude Children Research Hospital, the society recorded very low rates of children suffering from cancer. Unfortunately, experts were incapable of containing the situation. Danny Thomas had committed to ensure that he would open St Jude Children Research Hospital if God gave him the type of job the desired. The opening of St Jude implied that even children from low-income families would have reliable access to cancer treatment. At its start, statistics indicated that the survival rate for children suffering from cancer was less than 20% (St Jude Children Research Hospital). However, since the founding of the organization, a variety of interventions have been implemented and now up to 80% of reported cancer cases get treated (St Jude Children Research Hospital). While the survival rates of some cancer cases are still below 50%, St Jude has managed to post some of the most encouraging trends in cancer treatment amongst its patients. Moreover, some of the researches conducted in its facilities have benefitted adults as well.
St Jude relies on donations, charity and well-wishers to meet its obligations. For instance, in 2013, the hospital received up to $851 million in public donations (Morella). The hospital is known to employ some of the best brains in the region, who have been influential in the provision of a variety of solutions to its beneficiaries. A typical case is a project that received massive support in 2012 in the quest to find an ideal treatment for eye cancer. The researchers were successful in the identification of genomes that were related to St Jude’s patients and then went ahead to develop treatment using a blocking mechanism. Such achievements will not be realized if the society does not take into account the needs of the organization and hence offer its support to St Jude.
The community should be committed towards the support of the organization’s initiatives. Several success stories from St Jude Children Research Hospital are evidence of the commitment of the organization towards the elimination of cancer in the society. A typical case is such as that of Sebastian, an eight-year-old, who was suffering from Leukemia. Sebastian’s family was incapable of finding a reliable treatment that would guarantee the cure of the rearrangement of a gene in his body referred to as MLL. The rearrangement of the gene is known to result in abnormal protein, which triggers the development of cancer cells. Sebastian’s parents had faith that he would be healed at the center considering that the center offers cure albeit the fact that some of the conditions are not covered by insurance. At St Jude, families are guaranteed of a peaceful stay because the hospital absorbs all the expenses (Morella). In fact, the hospital offers travel, food and accommodation for up to four people who accompany the sick. Based on the initiatives that St Jude is undertaking, it is imperative that the society comes out to support the cause of the hospital in attaining its objectives.
In conclusion, supporting an organization such as St Jude is a guarantee that an individual’s money would be put to good use. The organization has a financial rating of 83.77% and its accountability and transparency score spans at 100%. It is evident that the founder and the administrators at St Jude are committed towards the elimination of strains of diseases that affect children in the society. Supporting the organization would ensure that access to drugs, research efforts and the administrative costs of managing the organization are done effortlessly. More children from cash-stricken backgrounds will also be guaranteed of good health and probably also develop similar urges to contribute to the society through similar initiatives. Individuals can support the organization through its various initiatives including cards, gift vouchers that possess the organization’s logo or in any other way. Such efforts would enable the organization to find relevant cures to save children in the society.
Works Cited
Dome, Jeffrey S., et al. “Improved survival for patients with recurrent Wilms tumor: the experience at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.” Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology 24.3 (2002): 192-198.
Morella, Michael. The Story of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. US News. Sept. 23, 2015. Online at< http://health.usnews.com/health-news/hospital-of-tomorrow/articles/2015/09/23/the-story-of-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital> On23rd November 2016
Pui, Ching-Hon, et al. “Treatment outcomes in black and white children with cancer: results from the SEER database and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 1992 through 2007.” Journal of Clinical Oncology (2012): JCO-2011.
St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Finding cures. Saving children. 2016. Online at https://www.stjude.org/. On 24th November 2016