Summary
Taking care of children diagnosed with cancer can have far-reaching outcomes for the family. Cancer treatments are often extensive and may consume all the family savings only for the loved one to succumb to the disease. Usually, families remain stranded and hardly have sufficient funds to care for affected loved ones. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a tax-exempt organization located in Memphis in the United States dealing with children’s cancer. This paper provides an overview of St. Jude programs and services offered by the organization.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Overview
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is located in Memphis, Tennessee. The organization’s website displays information on the mission, vision, and overall programs and services that the organization provides. According to the organization’s website, St. Jude is the only cancer center in the United States that is dedicated specifically for children (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, n.d.). The mission of St. Jude is “to advance a cure for pediatric cancer through research and treatment.”
The history of St. Jude dates back to the 1960s when a young entertainer, Danny Thomas, aspired to give back to the community if ever he became famous. He made a prayer, asking God to show him a way and saying that he would give back by building a shrine. The prayer was answered, and he eventually became a famous TV and radio presenter, as well as a film celebrity. Danny kept the vow he had made in the prayer, and in 1962, he founded St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to fulfill his vow. The hospital was opened in front of 9000 patients. In 2008, the organization was named a comprehensive cancer center and remains the only National Cancer Institute in the country dedicated to treating children (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.) a.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is both a research center and a hospital where thousands of children, regardless of their race, color, social status, or ethnicity, are treated. According to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.) b, the National Comprehensive Cancer Center unites physicians and scientists from multidisciplinary groups to research and provide comprehensive inputs into the research and treatment of pediatric cancers. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, the research team and physicians have made significant breakthroughs in the biology of pediatric cancer and how to help children live longer. Today, the Cancer Center has played a direct role in increasing the survival rate for children diagnosed with pediatric cancer to 80% (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.) a. Additionally, the collaborative approach targeting scientists and physicians has seen a significant number of children around the globe benefit from St. Jude’s knowledge.
In addition to studying and providing treatment for countless pediatric cancer cases across the United States, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is also a global leader in the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other childhood diseases in children and infants. The organization champions and advocates for healthcare support and improvement of the quality of life of thousands of children diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Research conducted at St. Jude in Memphis can have ripple positive effects across the globe due to the collaborative approach where the organization partners with different healthcare organizations and institutions to make sure that the benefits reach children who may not be in a position to access the medications.
Recent initiatives at the Pediatric Cancer Center include pioneering pediatric medicines aimed at serving future generations, providing freely available resources on pediatric cancer and other materials targeting health promotion, developing immunotherapy research problems for children, and bringing together strong minds through research to develop initiatives aimed at promoting the welfare of children. All the initiatives target millions of children around the globe, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds or religious affiliations. The organization has also managed to launch and test outreach programs targeting awareness of childhood cancer and improving the overall health and quality of life of children diagnosed with pediatric cancer.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Programs and Services
As a comprehensive cancer research center, the designation plays a leading role in excellent laboratory, clinical, and leadership in education and community outreach. Published material and other documents are shared freely, and empowered individuals are encouraged to share knowledge with the goal of improving the survival rates of children diagnosed with cancer. The institutional initiatives succeed when the organization brings together team players from diverse fields to address the challenge/social problem at hand and develop a multidimensional solution that could last over decades. St. Jude has taken a broader approach to investigating and developing a cure for infectious diseases in children, such as influenza and Covid-19.
Apart from research programs and pioneering medical interventions, St. Jude has also taken an important role in treatment and care programs. According to information from the organization’s website at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.) b, St. Jude treats children with cancer, blood disorders, and complex diseases that do not respond to standard medications. Childhood cancer treatments include leukemia, brain tumor treatments, and solid tumor clinical trials. There are also programs for the treatment of blood disorders and infectious childhood diseases. Through treatments and health promotion programs, about 80% of cancer survivors are now living in the US, as reported in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.) b.
In addition to comprehensive cancer care treatment and research, the organization is also active in training physicians and other stakeholders to speed the cure and trigger global impact. Training programs target physicians and other healthcare professionals for outreach purposes. Research breakthroughs are also shared with international institutions and organizations such as the World Health Organization to benefit children around the globe.
Pediatric Cancer as a Social Problem
An understanding of the meaning, the impact, and the need to combat childhood (pediatric cancer) is necessary for one to understand why St. Jude has taken this noble course. Rees et al. (2021) defined pediatric cancer as a type of cancer prevalent in teenagers and children. This disease can be more than one, making its treatment complex and expensive for an individual or the family. Leukemia is one of the common cancers in children, even though other types such as brain and born and skin tumors are also reported. Recent data indicates that more than 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year worldwide. In the United States, cancer is the leading cause of death for children above the infancy stage.
Cancer treatments are often complex and expensive and may trigger negative consequences on children who are still growing. According to Roser et al. (2019), cancer treatments in children are often in the form of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. These treatments are likely to leave the patient with lasting physical and emotional consequences such as retarded growth, loss of body parts, and in some cases, loss of mental ability Cancer survivors may also find it difficult to socialize with their counterparts for fear of stigmatization. Continuous physical and psychological support is required for children to cope with these challenges.
Common side effects of cancer treatment interventions include infertility, loss of physical parts of the body, damage to vital organs such as the heart, and the inability to socialize freely with other children. In some cases, the treatment of one type of cancer leads to a different kind of cancer, making the treatment complex. The development of a second cancer increases the complexity of the treatment plan and intervention, even when one is prepared for treatment. To overcome such challenges, it is essential that affected children are treated in healthcare centers such as St. Jude by experts who understand the procedure and all the steps required for treatment. They can also link the patient or the family to additional social support until the patient has recovered.
The impact of cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming for parents and the child. The challenge of maintaining a sense of normalcy in the presence of frequent hospitalizations and invasions can cause the family and the child to develop stress and anxiety. Parents have to strike a balance between paying attention to other children and meeting their needs. It is at this point that St. Jude steps in to provide a professional team of experts who understand what the parents are facing and the strength required to deal with the disease. Some of the members of this team include pediatric cancer specialists, pediatric cancer oncologists, primary care doctors, social workers, and the school liaison, depending on the complexity of the condition.
Pediatric cancer, or cancer in children, affects children of all ages across the country. Typical cases of childhood cancer are tumors and leukemia. Patients are at risk of developing a second type of cancer after the treatment of the first one. St. Jude Children’s Hospital performs treatment and care roles, research and development, and training aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness about how children can benefit. The organization collaborates with other teams, such as physicians, researchers, learning institutions, and training teams, to provide consistency in the supply of knowledge. The programs target early detection and early intervention to improve the quality of life.
References
Rees, C. A., Monuteaux, M. C., Herdell, V., Fleegler, E. W., & Bourgeois, F. T. (2021). Correlation between National Institutes of Health funding for pediatric research and pediatric disease burden in the US. JAMA pediatrics, 175(12), 1236-1243.
Roser, K., Erdmann, F., Michel, G., Winther, J. F., & Mader, L. (2019). The impact of childhood cancer on parents’ socio‐economic situation—a systematic review. Psycho‐Oncology, 28(6), 1207-1226. Web.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.) b. Research centers and initiatives. Web.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.) a. Finding cures, saving children. Web.
