Around this time each year, a gracious group of supporters gather at the Castle Restaurant and Pub for one wonderful evening. The event is 10 years strong and supports St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. And, each year, our family is once reminded just how generous the Natchez community is when it comes to supporting great causes.

For many years, our family has shared pieces of our story and how St. Jude has touched our life. On September 1 our family will celebrate the 11th anniversary of how St. Jude came to be a part of the Eidt family. Celebrate may seem like a strong word, but for us and St. Jude, Julia is a victory. She is well, cured, in remission and living a normal teenage life. Our visits to the hospital are quite clinical now — there are still hugs from old friends and many familiar faces, but Julia is now part of a life saving program called St. Jude LIFE. This program follows patients after the 5 year remission mark and continues with the patient throughout life. The appointments are filled with many questions about mental, emotional and physical development, many more questions about academic performance, social adjustments, dietary and physical activity. I think what impressed me most when we first entered this program was that it was all directed to Julia. And each year, she sits across the desk from the doctor and nurse practitioner and has discussions about all of the above. I’m there, but merely as a note taker. St. Jude LIFE wants the patient to take ownership in the knowledge of their past health issues and be aware of side effects and issues that may present as she matures. When I think about St. Jude LIFE, I can’t help but once again be amazed at how St. Jude thinks of everything. Continuation of care is not a new concept. These children come from all races, and from all over the world. They range in age from birth to 18 with every type of cancer diagnosis and blood disorder.

As of last month, there were almost 5,000 participants in St. Jude LIFE. The hospital expects another 3,500 since they have opened it up to younger children. There are doctors (both M.D. and PhD.) nurses, research assistants and lab technicians whose job is to compile data and watch from year to year the challenges these survivors face.

St. Jude helped heal Julia and part of that process was administering extremely dangerous chemicals that have long term side effects. The issue we watch with Julia yearly is with her heart. On this last visit she asked her doctor and nurse practitioner to discuss with her more extensively what their concern was as she got older about her heart. The doctor replied that one day, when she wants to be a mom, she will need to let her doctor know that she received certain medications that could have weakened her heart muscle. She will need to have her heart monitored through out pregnancy. Not only are there researchers working 24 hours a day seeking cures for children impatient at the hospital in Memphis or the thousands of children’s hospitals who St. Jude shares their research. Now there are researchers watching these survivors live and making sure that nothing stops them from having LIFE.

The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Benefit and Dinner, which starts this year with a reception at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Castle Restaurant and Pub, proves every year to be so much fun with delicious food and drink, much entertainment, and one of the largest private fundraisers for St. Jude in the state. The money raised will continue to provide LIFE to those fighting and those who have won. For information on tickets/reservations, please call the restaurant at 601-446-8500.

 

Jennifer and Wray Eidt are the parents of cancer survivor Julia Eidt.