Carley Cole

Mrs. Corbett

AP Lit

7 November 2011

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

How many children are constantly suffering from the terrors of cancer today? Cancer will

always be a problem in society no matter how much research is funded. Danny Thomas

recognized this problem and elected to take action against the disease. Today, Thomas is

famously known as the founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis,

Tennessee, and has helped countless cancer patients since the 1960s.

Danny Thomas was born on January 6, 1914 retaining the birth name of Muzyad

Yakhoob. Catholic immigrants from Lebanon, his parents Americanized his name from Yakhoob

to Jacobs and Muzyad to Amos. After entering show business, he then changed his name once

again to Danny Thomas. His hometown is located in Deerfield, Michigan; however, as a child

the family relocated everywhere from southeastern Michigan to northern Ohio. “The first

generation son of Lebanese immigrants, he absorbed much of his family's culture through his

close-knit family, and would later use them as the back story for his famed TV sitcom”

("Thomas, Danny"). Thomas’ father was a natural story teller and would fascinate the nine

children with multiple stories and life lessons about his life as a peddler. Thomas brought these

story telling characteristics with him as he began his promising career in show business.  “He

quit school at age sixteen to become a professional entertainer, but his first professional

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experience was selling candy at a burlesque, or comedy, theater in Toledo, Ohio” (Matuz).

Thomas began performing with one of his brothers in an act named “Songs, Dances, and Happy

Patter”; however, his career started off bleak when he failed at becoming a professional

entertainer at such a young age. Nevertheless, at the age of twenty he was singing on the radio in

Detroit, Michigan. At the early age of twenty two, Thomas married Rose Marie Cassaniti who

produced three children. All three children, Marlo, Terre, and Tony, became successful in the

television industry. Beginning in the 1950s, Thomas gained accreditation in the world of

television. “He became one of the most successful television producers of the 1950s and 1960s”

(Griffith). Along with his acting career, Danny Thomas was also a famous producer of shows

such as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle, and The Mod Squad.

Before his big break in television; however, Thomas was struggling to support his

family. "Learning that St. Jude was the patron saint of hopeless causes, Thomas prayed to the

saint, asking for direction. In return for the saint's help, Thomas vowed to build a shrine for St.

Jude” (Matuz).  After his big break, Thomas soon funded the building of St. Jude's Children's

Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Memphis is a active location for cancer treatment and cancer research, and “Memphians

point with pride to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, a premier research/treatment facility

for children with catastrophic diseases, particularly pediatric cancers” ("Memphis: Health Care").

The building officially opened its’ doors to patients on February 4, 1962 and has treated children

from all fifty states since then. It is also the only pediatric cancer center to be selected as a

Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. “On average, 5,900 active

patients visit the hospital each year” (St. Jude Children's). On an average day, the hospital will

treat 260. All research and discoveries made are liberally shared with cancer researchers and

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scientists worldwide. “The medical and scientific staff published more than 680 articles in

academic journals in 2010, more than any other pediatric cancer research center in the United

States” (St. Jude Children's). This institution is the first hospital designed specifically for clinical

research and treatment of childhood cancer. Families will never be denied treatment because of

costs or insurance, and patients will never pay for a procedure not covered by their insurance.

Since its’ opening in 1962, St. Jude has tripled the survival rate of children with certain cancers.

Previously, a diagnosis of a cancer like Hodgkin lymphoma would have been a death

sentence. Even though cancer is still shocking and emotionally difficult to comprehend, the hope

of survival and successful treatment is significantly higher today because of St Jude. “In 1962,

the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood

cancer, was 4 percent. Today, the survival rate for this once deadly disease is 94 percent” (St.

Jude Children's). Both Hodgkin lymphoma and Wilms tumor now have survival rates at 90%,

and Medulloblastoma is at 85%. They have used a combination of radiation, chemotherapy, and

surgery to successfully treat cancer. Patients are usually referred by their doctor, or they must

have a disease that is currently under clinical research at St. Jude. "Because of remarkable

progress in therapy, long-term survival is expected for 80% of children and adolescents

diagnosed with cancer. Infertility remains one of the most common and life-altering

complications experienced by adults treated for cancer during childhood” ("Study Data from").

Despite its’ popularity gained from successful cancer treatments, St. Jude was the first to develop

a cure for sickle cell disease and is a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for studies

concerning influenza viruses in different species.

Since its’ establishment, St. Jude has gained immense prestige and has expanded

momentously.  “Today it employs a staff of more than 3,300 and has a daily operation budget of

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$1.4 million” ("St. Jude Children's"). The building was recently doubled in size when the Chili’s

Care center was added to the campus, and now there is 2.5 million square feet of administrative,

clinical, and research space. Over the years, the hospital has also gained respected staff members

and scientists including five members of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of

Sciences. “Peter C. Doherty, PhD, of the St. Jude Immunology department, won the Nobel Prize

for Physiology or Medicine in 1996” (St. Jude Children's). Doherty’s discoveries led to

innovations in the treatment or viral infections, cancers, organ transplant procedures, and

vaccines. St. Jude was also granted its first NCI Cancer Center Support grant in 1977 and has

been funded by NCI ever since. Cancer studies, including the Pediatric Preclinical Testing

Program, the Childhood Cancer Survivors Study, and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, are

all funded by the NCI. This is significantly different than most clinical trials at hospitals that rely

on donations or outside funds to maintain the programs.

A key element in developing a successful cancer institution involves comprehending

childhood cancer itself. “The ancient Greeks and Romans understood cancer and other diseases

in terms of the bodily humors of phlegm, blood, black bile, and yellow bile” (Hess). When one

of the bodily humors became out of balance, they believed this was the main cause of cancer.

However, in the bacteriological revolution, people believed that cancer was infectious and

approached treatment through dietary and healthy living methods. In present day medicine, there

are many types of cancer treatment apart from the traditional radiation and chemotherapy. First,

biological cancer treatments detoxify and strengthen the body so it may defend against the cancer

cells and metabolize them. This may be accomplished nutritionally using nutritional

supplements, herbs, or detoxification procedures. This is sometimes seen as a more natural and

organic way of fighting cancer. It is believed that Hippocrates and Paracelsus cured cancer using

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nutrition; however, it is hard to validate this knowledge considering cancer is commonly

speculated as a disease of modern man, therefore “modern biological cancer therapies began to

appear at the beginning of the twentieth century” (Skinner). Biological treatments seem

appealing because they are non-invasive and are not as harsh as chemotherapy or radiation

therapy. Patients are not left in a depleted state of poor health after these treatments. “About

8,700 cases of cancer are diagnosed in children under the age of 15 years in the United States

each year” (Vahey). The cause of cancer in children is widely unknown; however, the threat of

developing cancer is high in patients with Down Syndrome or babies that are exposed to

radiation while still in the womb. The amount of childhood cancer cases has remained stable

throughout the years. The average age of diagnosis of pediatric cancer is six years old; however,

it is recognized that children have a fairly better prognosis than adults do. The treatment of adults

may be more difficult because of other underlying health issues. Cancer in adults usually begins

developing in specific organs while pediatric cancer usually develops in connective tissues.

However, cancer is still the second most common cause of children older than one. In children,

Leukemia accounts for 31% of all cancer cases. The most important concept that St. Jude

maintains well is the need for a strong doctor to patient relationship. A staff member has the

unfortunate task of making a child understand that he has a virtually incurable disease. These

emotional situations not only affect the child, but it also examines the strength and durability of

the family and marriage of the parents. Because pediatric oncology centers are not located

everywhere, families can be uprooted from their homes and lifestyles. Cancer is truly a disease

that tests every aspect of a child’s life.

Over the years St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has been a well-known idol in the

world of medicine and cancer studies. The hospital is most famously known for being operated

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mainly on donations and outside funds, yet allows any patient to receive treatment. Danny

Thomas created an everlasting sanctuary for the disease stricken children today. He

wholeheartedly created a place full of cutting edge technology, hope, and safety using his own

fame and fortune.