Darryl Jones II, managing director of American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, is proud to be a native St. Louisan who works with the fundraising arm St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
“Being born and raised here, I always tip my cap to the great medical facilities we have in St. Louis, said Jones.
“We are the medical hub of the Midwest.”
St. Jude’s was founded by the late entertainer and philanthropist Danny Thomas in 1962 in Memphis. While a struggling actor, Thomas prayed to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes. He vowed “Show me my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.”
Thomas would later say, “A dream is one thing. A realization is something entirely separate.”
Today, St. Jude’s research and treatments in helping children with cancer and other medical issues are available throughout the nation and world.
According to St. Jude’s website, the research hospital has helped push the overall survival rate for childhood cancer from 20% to 80%.
Not all children are required to travel to Memphis; some can be helped in their hometowns through St. Jude protocols.
However, the cost for care can be expensive, sometimes reaching over $1 million for a child.
This is where Jones and the work of ALSAC step up.
“It’s great to have support from St. Jude for those that don’t have the resources. We can provide that extra assistance,” Jones said.
Residents of the St. Louis area have their annual chance to support the work of St. Jude beginning on June 5, 2025, with tickets going on sale for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway.
The home giveaway is one of the largest single-event fundraisers for St. Jude nationwide. Each ticket reserved helps ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
This year’s home, which was constructed by Fischer Homes, is located at 325 Kingsbarns Court in Dardenne Prairie, Mo.
Tickets are available for $100 each and can be reserved by visiting dreamhome.org or calling (800) 667-3394.
“This is a chance to win a beautiful new home and make a difference in the lives of children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases,” according to Jones.
Sickle Cell treatment
St. Jude, which was the first integrated children’s hospital in the South, is a leader in the treatment of sickle cell disease, which strikes African Americans at a higher rate than other nationalities.
The first research grant received by the hospital was for the study of sickle cell disease. Since that time, St. Jude has been involved in many research studies that have had a major impact on the treatment of the disease.
In 1983, a St. Jude patient was the first person in the world to be cured of sickle cell disease through a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant.
Since then, people throughout the world have gone through this therapy and no longer suffer with sickle cell disease. A transplant is a potential cure, but patients can experience many complications after a transplant, and St. Jude continues to research cures for sickle cell disease.
St. Jude has also led several clinical trials studying the use of hydroxyurea in children with sickle cell disease.
Hydroxyurea boosts the level of fetal hemoglobin in the body. It helps red blood cells stay round and flexible, so they can travel more easily through the tiny blood vessels.
It may also prevent or slow down damage to the spleen, kidneys, lungs, and brain. Studies have shown that patients with higher levels of fetal hemoglobin tend to have fewer symptoms of sickle cell disease.
St. Jude sickle cell patients ages 12 to 18 take part in an education program that helps them move to adult care when they turn 18. The hospital has also collaborated with the Center for Sickle Cell Disease at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), the Diggs-Kraus Sickle Cell Center at Regional One Health, and the Methodist Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center to create the St. Jude-Methodist-Regional One Sickle Cell Disease Transition Clinic.
The clinic helps patients make the leap from childhood care to adult care. The clinic is aimed at improving the poor transition rates among teens and young adults, as well as reducing long-term disease complications and deaths.
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