Anna Jones has her life back after a rare brain tumor thanks to St Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The Remsen teen was diagnosed when she was just 12 years old after a fall. "We actually found it on accident," says Anna's mother Christine. "She ran down the stairs and slipped. The next morning she was still dizzy so we took her to the hospital."

After getting the devastating news Christine says she was in disbelief. "It's crippling. You don't know what the future holds. You look at every day as it could be the last."

So Christine went home and did some research on craniopharyngioma. What she found was a support group of parents with children who had cancer. "I asked the best place to get my daughter treated. 90% of the parents said St Jude. So I emailed radiation oncologist on a Friday and he called me on a Sunday morning from his personal cell phone from home."

"They just want you to focus on your child when they are going through the hardest time in their life. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced."

Less than 24 hours later Christine and Anna were walking through the doors of St Jude, a place Anna says was unlike any place she'd been before. "I hate the smell of hospitals. It's not really a hospital. It's just a fun place to go. As soon as I got there everyone was smiling. I knew that was going to be the best place."

St Jude is so much more than a place kids with cancer go to get treated.  Christine says it's the closest place to home you can get in the worst time of your life. "They make you feel like you're at home. They make you feel special. They treated Anna like a celebrity because she was from New York."

If saving a child isn't already enough, saving families from never ending medical bills is the way of life at St Jude Children's Research Hospital. "We have never seen one bill," says Christine. "They have never asked for anything. Not one penny. They just want you to focus on your child when they are going through the hardest time in their life. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced."

How is Anna two years later? "She really had the best possible outcome that there could have been," beams Christine. "Not only do they help save your child but they make sure they are living the best life after."

You can help kids like Anna by becoming a Partner in Hope. Just call 800-995-5257 or donate online at St Jude.

 

 

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