CONNECTING WITH ST. JUDE FAMILIES ALWAYS INSPIRES!

I visited St. Jude for the first (and only) time back in 2017 when I was 12. The trip was for the ALSAC 60th anniversary gala, and I was being honored with an award for my fundraising. A local NBC TV affiliate did a story on me, and a very special family at St. Jude happened to be watching TV when it aired. They watched from inside the walls of St. Jude, where little CJ, age 2 at the time, was being treated for a rare form of leukemia.

Prior to coming to St. Jude, CJ’s parents had been told that he didn’t have a chance to live, and that they should prepare for the worst. But when they were connected to doctors at St. Jude, they were told that there absolutely was hope for CJ and that St. Jude’s mission was to treat kids like CJ.

Three years later, CJ is in remission, is thriving, and has a new baby brother named Ezra Jude, which means “help Jude.”

CJ has always been a big soccer fan, and when his parents saw the story about Juggling for Jude, they wanted to reach out to connect with me and thank me for what I do. We have been in touch through texting and emails and social media over the years, and we have sent each other shirts and sweatshirts and soccer balls!

Yesterday, I had a long chat with CJ and his parents over Zoom, and St. Jude is going to be featuring our story in some upcoming outreach, so I’ll be sure to share it. We had so much fun chatting, and we may have even shed a few tears!

I juggle and fundraise and speak about childhood cancer because of kids like CJ. St. Jude saves lives and they infuse hope into families like CJ’s.

You can donate HERE any time.

Thank you for your support!

Hollis