What Exactly Is A “St. Jude Moment”

A St. Jude moment is when a testimony or an occurrence involved St. Jude Children's Research Hospital touches your life in a way that makes your heart scream of HOPE.

The key word with St. Jude is: HOPE--Becoming a "Partner In Hope" is all more than a donation. It's delivering the hope to a family who needs the reassurance to know that they aren't in this battle alone to save their child's life; That there is someone like YOU out there who cares about the advancement in Cancer Research that could potential save their child.

Rachel's St. Jude Moment:

My moment came to me inside of the hospital, unexpectedly. Now, I'm not a fan of hospitals in the slightest. I personally hate them; I hate knowing that there's someone in there who is dying, sick, hurting...and I'm walking around in there with no way to help.  That is all how I felt about hospitals, before having my St. Jude moment.

As I was taking my first steps into the hospital, I asked our Cat Country St. Jude representative: "How do these parents feel about us walking in here and TOURING, this place that they now are forced to call home? Don't they get annoyed that we're walking around looking at their kids like they're a part of a museum?"

Her answer shocked me and really put things into perspective. She said,

"The parents of St. Jude never pay a bill for their child's care, they know that without people like you are the reasons why. Which is why they open up their home to YOU, because you give them hope."

That set me back just a few steps as I walked into St. Jude-- But it gave me a bit of peace. As I walked around the hospital I found myself looking down or away as a child with patches of hair, or a limp, walked by me. I didn't want them to think I was staring at them or that I was judging them when in reality all I wanted to do was go up to them and squeeze them so hard until we both cried together.

But then, I walked past a parent, who was pulling his sick daughter in a little red wagon.

She was sleeping calmly as he took her on the stroll throughout the St. Jude halls, and I couldn't help but smile at how peaceful she looked. And that's when my attention was drawn towards that girls father, pulling the wagon. I looked up at him and our eyes met, and I felt that initial sinking feeling in my stomach...until I realized that I was STILL smiling.

With that smile, no words left my mouth. But I wanted it to convey that I was here, I was willing, and I was able to help fight for his daughters life. Through the power of message, donation, and love; I wanted to be a part of something much bigger that my self that could help save her.

Before I realized what I was doing, I was about to turn away when that patient's dad looked at me, and smiled right back with the largest grin I've ever seen.

Without any words, the message had been conveyed; We were going to fight TOGETHER.

And that's what a St. Jude moment is--The power of HOPE.

If you feel prompted to make a difference TODAY, call 1-800-372-49-99 to become a Partner In Hope, or text "CAT" to 785-833