Together: Powered by St. Jude

Built for Families

Diane Roberts, director of medical content and patient outreach, says the Together name reflects a key St. Jude ethos: “We’re in this together with patients and families.”

Patients and families have been involved every step of the way, offering input about their information needs and preferences as well as sharing their experiences in support of other families facing similar journeys.

The launch of Together in September 2018 was a first step. The site now contains more than 450 pages, including 118 medication summaries, 67 videos and 20 medical illustrations. Earlier this year, the Together team won the Center for Plain Language’s ClearMark award for best website, topping the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Every single page was developed from the ground up,” Roberts says, noting that more than 200 St. Jude subject-matter experts made Together possible. St. Jude pediatric oncologist Jamie Flerlage, MD, understands the significance of this effort.

“One thing that is very important to me is having an up-to-date and trustworthy site for patients and families to go to,” Flerlage says. “There is a need for something reliable, and it brought all of these experts together.”

Filling a Global Need

In the last year, people from countries large and small — China and Croatia, India and Iceland — have accessed Together. Last count: 151 countries, all 50 states and all 10 Canadian provinces.

The need for this resource is clear. Earlier this year, Roberts attended a pediatric oncology meeting in Europe.

“It was remarkable,” she says. “We had people from over 35 countries approach us.”

This highlighted the next step — translating the site into multiple languages. The Spanish Together site is up, and Together will be available in five additional languages in 2020 with more planned.

Pay It Forward

Roberts talks about a “pay-it-forward” attitude. She sees it again and again: patients, families and health care professionals coming together to provide a resource so that no family has to face pediatric cancer alone.

“It’s not just about helping my patients, it’s about helping all children with cancer,” Flerlage says. “This website is another example of sharing this wealth of knowledge and resources we have at St. Jude with as many people as possible.”

Alexander, who turned 9 on his first day of school, loves fishing, bugs and playing Minecraft. If someone asks a question, he says, “I don’t have a second belly button. This is actually from my G-tube.”

 “I knew the photos of his G-tube would benefit other moms,” Jillian says. “I did it in the hope of helping other mamas.”

SUGGESTIONS WELCOMED AT together@stjude.org.