Team captain for a day

Last September, Archie, a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, had an amazing opportunity. He attended an Atlanta Braves baseball game as an honorary team captain, complete with personalized jersey.

“Archie’s experience that day was awesome,” said his mother, Georgia. “It was so exciting for us to be able to represent St. Jude in such a fun way.”

As honorary captain, Archie met several Braves players, participated in a VIP batting experience on the field and even exchanged the lineup card at home plate, before settling in to watch the game. Archie was able to do this as a guest of Shaw Floors. Shaw has raised more than $2.8 million for the kids of St. Jude since 2012. They are “building hope from the floor up” in their year-round partnership with St. Jude.

Archie’s family is grateful to St. Jude for helping to save his life. When Archie was found to suffer from lymphoma in 2012, his family turned to St. Jude for his care. Archie’s family was already familiar with the hospital – his grandmother worked as a nurse at St. Jude for two years in the mid-1980s.

Archie’s treatment included several months of chemotherapy. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children.

Today, Archie is finished with treatment and visits St. Jude yearly for checkups. He’s an active and social high school sophomore who plays football, runs track and swims. He’s also dedicated to helping raise awareness for St. Jude.