Remsen Teen with Rare Brain Tumor Now Cancer Free Thanks to St Jude

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 that Anna had cancer in her brain, 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."

Christine went home, did some research on craniopharyngioma and emailed a radiation oncologist at St Jude Children's Research Hospital. "He called me on a Sunday morning from his personal cell phone from home."

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."

Four years later Anna remains cancer free. She's a high school senior and plans to continue her education at MVCC for business management. Anna is a high honor student and would like to have her own dog grooming business one day. "She really had the best possible outcome there could have been. She returns to St. Jude every year and she has another checkup in early March .We know in our hearts that scans will stick to that stable trend."

If saving children isn't already enough, saving families from never ending medical bills is the way of life at St Jude Children's Research Hospital. "They have never asked for anything," says Christine. "Not one penny. Almost five years out from the beginning of Anna’s treatment, we still have not received one bill."

Christine says she doesn't know what would have happened if she hadn't reached out to St Jude Children's Research Hopspital. "St. Jude is still our saving grace and a donation to St. Jude is a life saved, whether it’s with treatment or the research they share with the world."

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