Kindness brings light to St. Jude patient Griffin’s Hanukkah family tradition

As Hanukkah approached, 2-year-old Griffin was in and out of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, slow to respond to chemotherapy and fighting an infection. 

His mom, Jen, ordered a menorah and candles for delivery to Ronald McDonald House, where Griffin, Jen, husband Ron and their older children, Benjamin and Vivien, were staying. 

Each night of Hanukkah, one more candle is lit on the menorah until all eight glow, with the ninth candle — the “shamash” — used to light the others. Ron and Jen tell their children about the Maccabees, Jewish fighters who long ago defeated a larger army to reclaim Jerusalem. In the rubble of the Second Temple, they relit the menorah with a small amount of oil that miraculously lasted eight days.

“We may not have latkes, dreidels or gelt, and cancer may have left our lives in rubble, but we would light the menorah and continue on,” Jen said. 

An Air Force family, they were living in Germany in November 2019 when Griffin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Twelve hours later, Jen and Griffin were on a plane to St. Jude. Jen was terrified. Not only did Griffin have cancer, but she also was leaving behind her military support system. 

At St. Jude, Jen found a new community. “All our fears and worries just became hope,” she said. 

Jen hadn’t ordered a lighter, and when the family returned late from St. Jude on the first day of Hanukkah, no one else had a lighter or matches. Jen was disheartened. No matter where they lived, even when Ron was deployed, she had kept this family tradition.

“I just wanted a moment of normalcy in the craziness of our life,” Jen said. She posted about it on Facebook, determined to regroup. But the next day, the family again returned late with no way to light the menorah.  

Then Jen received a call about a delivery. Downstairs, she found a bag overflowing with latkes, applesauce, sour cream, blintzes, chocolate gelt — and a lighter. A friend on Facebook had found the items at a nearby grocery store that doesn’t typically deliver. The store manager volunteered to drive to St. Jude.

“It was that community reaching out,” Jen said. She cooked, delighting as her kids dug into their holiday favorites. They shared their gelt and played dreidel with other patients. 

Hanukkah is a celebration of resilience and faith. It’s true for Griffin’s family, too. After three years of treatment, Griffin, now 7, returns to St. Jude for annual checkups.

For Jen, that Hanukkah reinforced that no matter what happens or where they are, they could hold tight to their family traditions. No matter what, they have that — and each other.