St. Jude patient Charlie wears Christmas pajamas while spending the holidays in the hospital at St. Jude.. — Patient **Charlie** while he was being treated at St. Jude at Christmastime.

Celebrating Christmas in the hospital

St. Jude patient families share how they spent Christmas at the hospital and ways to brighten the holidays if someone you know is in the hospital too.

Make a Donation

As a first-time mommy, I was so excited about our baby Felicity’s first Christmas. I never imagined we would be in the hospital for it.

- Felicity's mom, Mandy

Felicity's four-month checkup led to the discovery of multiple aggressive tumors in her brain and spine, which led to her family being inpatient at St. Jude Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Read Felicity's story >

It's easy to feel alone during the holidays when everybody's with family, but we didn't feel alone here.

- St. Jude patient Shayla's mom

Shayla was being treated at St. Jude for acute myeloid leukemia when she and her mother spent Christmas at the hospital housing facilites, where they opened gifts with their family over Facetime.

Read Shayla's story >

St. Jude patient Shayla when she was being treated at St. Jude at Christmastime.

We remember her every year on Christmas Day, but actually being in the same place, the same grounds, on that same day. It was eerie. It was strange. But there was a sense of peace, too. An odd sense of peace.

- St. Jude patient Charlie's mom

Decades before Charlie was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma in 2020, his aunt had received cancer treatment at St. Jude. She did not survive, passing away as a child on Christmas Day.

Charlie completed treatment, and his scans have remained clear.

Read Charlie's story >