It took a comedian to start one of the most successful children's hospitals in the country.
But even Danny Thomas probably never dreamed St. Jude Children's Research Hospital would grow to what it is today. So how did a Lebanese immigrant build America’s second largest healthcare charity?

"I never thought I’d live to see St. Jude built"

Danny Thomas rose to fame with his popular 50's family comedy "Make Room for Daddy". But Thomas will live in infamy because of this building.


When he was a struggling comedian, Thomas asked St. Jude to show him his way in life and he promised to build a shrine to the saint. With a team of businessmen in Memphis, Tennessee Thomas raised the money to open St. Jude children's research hospital in 1962.

Now it is the premier research center devoted to curing catastrophic diseases in children.

"We’re not separated from the children, Danny Thomas was genius, we walk the halls and see the children who are suffering from the diseases we're researching...keeps your eye on the prize? Exactly"

Researcher Richard Smeyne has been at St. Jude 12 years. He does what's known as basic research. That means he could be looking at anything medical. Right now he's studying the effects of bird flu on the brains of survivors.

"In basic research they say everything is tied together when we learn things about what is bird flu doing in the brain we learn basic things about how the brain works"

And those learnings can be applied to children suffering from brain cancer or other brain maladies.


Danny Thomas' dream was to build a hospital where no child, regardless of race, religion or ability to pay would be turned away.

Today St. Jude has a daily operating cost of over $1.2 million dollars. That funds everything from the researchers, to the doctors to the equipment, to the lodging to the patient and family care.

There are people at this hospital doing jobs you probably never thought of. Like Amy Kennedy who is a child life specialist.

"To help the patients and families understand in a developmentally appropriate way what's going on."

Amy has to be able to talk to and relate to teenagers, as well as toddlers.

"A lot of our work is thru play"

The work these people are doing has helped Danny Thomas' dream live on in the faces of thousands of children who have battled diseases at st Jude and won.

"It took a comedian to make this hospital happen"

Now it's your turn to make sure the children keep laughing.

Danny Thomas died in 1991 and he's buried on the property at St. Jude

Here’s how you can help. KSPR is sponsoring the dream home giveaway. Buy your ticket and help St. Jude

The home is located in the Vintage Hills subdivision on the west side of Springfield at the corner of Eastland and farm road 146.
The home will be open this weekend for you to view. You can win the home for just a $100 raffle ticket.
Buy tickets at any Coldwell-Bank Vanguard realtor, San Francisco oven or Hancock Fabrics.