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We’re grateful for: Nikki Morris, a St. Jude survivor giving back in her home state
Some of Nikki Morris’ earliest memories date from when she was a St. Jude patient. Diagnosed with retinoblastoma at 2 years old, she underwent chemotherapy and the removal of her right eye.
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We're grateful for: Sue Kessler, a marathoner with a huge heart for St. Jude
Sue Kessler didn’t start running until she was in her mid-20s. Daily runs soon inspired her to sign up for a half marathon and then a full. She eventually worked up to eight marathons a year.
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We're grateful for: The Solomons, who raise tens of thousands each year for the St. Jude Brain Tumor Program in honor of their son
When they lost their 5-year-old son Joshua to a rare brain cancer, Labrina and Trent Solomon decided information and awareness would lessen the hurdles other families like them faced.
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We're grateful for: Sarah Emerson, who continued to support St. Jude during her own cancer fight
Sarah Emerson of Maine hated running as a child. But after a friend urged her to watch a race, she was inspired and began to run.
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We’re grateful for: 'St. Jude DJ' Van Johnson, who gives fundraisers in Nevada a joyful soundtrack
It was a date night for Van Johnson and Kristal Vega, but she had somewhere to be — a Las Vegas fundraising gala for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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We're grateful for: Zach Meadows, a former patient whose St. Jude experience inspires his students
On his first day as a teacher at Lashmeet Matoaka Elementary School in Princeton, West Virginia, Zach Meadows introduced himself to a bunch of fifth graders.
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We’re grateful for: Tony DeVary, a St. Jude survivor inspired to make a career out of helping others
Tony DeVary was 3, going on 4, when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It was at the most advanced stage and doctors in his hometown said there was little hope. But there was hope — at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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We're grateful for Joe Farris, the St. Jude Santa who brought joy to generations of patients
Joe Farris loved Christmas, and he loved kids. What that love looked like in action was this: for more than half a century, Joe faithfully brought Christmas cheer to St. Jude patients not once but twice a year, in July and December.
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We’re grateful for: Jerry Thompson and his sister Theresa for sharing their mountain with St. Jude
In the middle of the Saddle Up for St. Jude trail ride in Maui, Hawaii, Theresa Thompson will fill with a kind of happiness that’s almost spiritual, “like church.”
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We’re grateful for: Elise, the little girl who inspired a college basketball team
When Iowa State University women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital offered up some advice. It was 5-year-old Elise, who had become an honorary member of the Cyclones — and had faced cancer herself a year earlier.
About this blog
We went looking for acts of kindness in the time of the coronavirus — and found them everywhere. People looking out for a neighbor or stranger. People putting the most vulnerable among us first. People making human connections, even in this time of social distancing. As St. Jude founder Danny Thomas said: “Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others.”
