The benefits of research that support children and families: A Look at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

I can’t help but share a recent moment I had that I find insightful toward the meaning of this blog…

It wasn’t until this blog that I did not recognize the astounding movement of research that benefits children and families. I became fully aware when I opened my mailbox just yesterday and saw a letter from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital asking for donations and giving celebration to the upcoming holidays. As some might see this as junk mail, I saw this as opportunity to really involve myself, to see what St. Jude works toward, and how they specifically benefit children and families.

This is what I found…

 According to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.) their mission is to work with children who have been diagnosed with cancer, infectious diseases, or other health risks that threaten the will to live. St. Jude states that more than 80% of children who have been diagnosed with cancer have remained in remission due to extensive research and therapies (n.d.). Gathering data, identifying effects and engineering therapies have saved over a hundred thousand children’s lives for over fifty years! It is impressive thinking that research has helped so many children and families battle illnesses such as cancer in what seems like a short amount of time.

Research studies like the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) is dedicated to find existing knowledge and new knowledge exploring the effects of cancer designing tools and therapies to help children fight cancer and illnesses looking over well-being (St. Jude, n.d.). CCSS also educates children, families, and professionals applying treatment and programs to detect late effects and squash cancer altogether (St. Jude, n.d.).

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital focuses on neuromuscular, neurocognitive, psychosocial activities, etc. that can benefit child treatment and recovery in part of evaluation that research offers. With the support and many different realms of research finding cures, advocating treatment and programs, and giving children hope to battle -to live- is worth sharing. 

In this blog, I want to share with my colleagues that we cannot just focus on what is in front of us (e.g. this assignment) but we must acknowledge what is given to us (e.g. mail) so that we can become more aware, give to research, and work harder in the field of Early Childhood Education so that the risk of facing threatening illnesses such as cancer that obstructs a child’s chance to live long-term is decimated. The mail that I received has led me to understanding why research is important because it is what saves lives and for me, it is what helps me endeavor my own research regardless what topic. Ultimately, it is about the benefits of children and their families.
Please check out St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital online for more insight.   www.stjude.org

Work cited
St Jude Children’s Research Hospital (n.d.).Retrieved from http://www.stjude.org