When he was a struggling entertainer, Danny Thomas prayed to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes: "Help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine." When Danny became successful, he made good on his promise and founded St. Jude.
Founder Danny Thomas envisioned and built St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as a beacon of equality and inclusion, with the dream that "no child should die in the dawn of life." Today, the doctors, researchers and staff at St. Jude stay true to that vision by leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened in 1962. And families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – so they can focus on helping their child live.
Our lifesaving work with children from Asia and the Pacific islands continues, and we won't stop until no child dies from cancer.
St. Jude patient Maelin-Kate
My lifelong passion is to take care of children with leukemia... My work is far from over.
Ching-Hon Pui, MD
Chair, St. Jude Department of Oncology
In 1977, the cure rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) — the most common pediatric cancer — was only 40%. Dr. Pui has played a central role in developing a series of clinical trials that raised survival rates of ALL to 94% at St. Jude today. Pui's research has also dramatically increased access to pediatric cancer care for children in China.
Making lifesaving discoveries
At the heart of our mission is a team of doctors and researchers committed to equity in global cancer treatment and care
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At St. Jude, Dr. Amar Gajjar's work reveals a lifetime of progress for brain cancer patients
Gajjar will be honored with the prestigious ASCO Pediatric Oncology Award this summer for his work to transform how doctors around the world understand and treat medulloblastoma.
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Study finds children's genetic ancestry impacts treatment, survival for kids with ALL
Findings bolster St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital's work to improve outcomes for kids with cancer across the world.
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St. Jude develops new tool to track genetic variations for rare diseases, shares it freely
Scientists have developed and shared a computational tool that could help identify why some people are prone to rare diseases — from multiple cancers to neurodegenerative diseases like ALS.
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St. Jude researcher Ching-Hon Pui, MD, honored for contributions in treatment of pediatric blood cancers
Dr. Pui, chair of the St. Jude Department of Oncology, has helped raise the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia to 94 percent.
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Where We Are
St. Jude Global has developed regional programs to maintain a strong network among our international partners. Find out where our programs are located.
St. Jude is an organization which is beyond expectation. Unless someone comes here and experiences it, no one will believe that there could be such an organization in the world.
Amit, Bella's dad
About 10% of pediatric patients of East Asian descent inherit a unique gene variation which, as discovered by St. Jude researchers, causes a reduced tolerance for a key drug related to curing ALL. These findings will help improve chemotherapy safety and effectiveness for patients of East Asian ancestry, and patients of all diverse backgrounds.
The majority of funds needed to operate and sustain St. Jude must be raised from our generous supporters.
For the past seven years, 82 cents of every dollar received has gone to support the treatment, research and future needs of St. Jude.
How our donations are used
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... could help provide a new toy*
St. Jude provides patients hospital play areas and recreational areas at St. Jude housing facilities.
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... could help provide one patient with rehabilitation weights*
Help patients regain strength and mobility after cancer treatment.
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... could help provide a pair of pediatric crutches*
Crutches sized especially for children help them maneuver during treatment.
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... could help cover about two-thirds of the cost of one day of chemotherapy*
Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancers from 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to more than 80 percent today.
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... could help cover the cost of the daily room rate of the ICU*
The Intensive Care Unit at St. Jude has twice been recognized with the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence given by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. In 2009, the St. Jude ICU became Tennessee’s first ICU to win the honor.
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... could help provide one CT scan for a St. Jude patient*
St. Jude doctors use CT scans to provide much-needed answers about a child’s health. The CT scan combines computer and X-ray technology to take detailed pictures of areas inside the child’s body and is used throughout the treatment protocol to provide updates on progress.
Invest in the future of St. Jude through a variety of giving options
Increase your impact by combining donations with family and friends
Join a virtual or in-person St. Jude Walk/Run in your area
Thanks to generous supporters like you, St. Jude:
- Is leading a global initiative to end childhood cancer, establishing regional programs and partnerships in more than 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines, Myanmar, China, Mongolia and Russia
- Is leading research to improve chemotherapy safety and effectiveness for pediatric patients of East Asian descent affected by ALL
- Is continuing its nearly 30-year quest to raise the survival rate of childhood cancer for kids in China (over 40,000 children diagnosed each year), helping to develop a clinical trial that resulted in 86% of ALL patients remaining in remission
- Can continue raising funds through regional offices in U.S. cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Seattle
- Launched an historic six-year, $12.9 billion strategic plan – in the midst of a global pandemic – that will expand patient care and accelerate research in the U.S. and globally for children with catastrophic diseases
Thank you to Gold House for their support of our lifesaving mission
*Items listed here are representative of services and supplies that are part of the treatment and care of children at St. Jude. The cost of each item or service is an approximation and will vary based on actual costs incurred and individual patient needs. Your donation will be used for the general operating needs of St. Jude, where no family ever receives a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food.
