Doctor: St. Jude a ‘place of hope’

Dr. Beth Stewart poses for a photo with Sydney, a St. Jude patient. (Photo courtesy St. Jude.org)

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis is unique in that it offers care at no cost to families.

A doctor and researcher at St. Jude says that’s not the only thing that makes St. Jude a facility like none other.

“It’s nothing like you would expect. You walk in, the kids are playing, everyone’s riding around in their wagons or their tricycles,” Dr. Beth Stewart said. “It truly is a place of hope and everything in this hospital is designed for the kids.”

Stewart is a Peoria native who said she wanted to work at St. Jude ever since she was in junior high and a classmate who had been a St. Jude patient had died.

Stewart says she spends about half of her time at St. Jude treating patients, and the other half conducting research in hopes of finding cures for childhood cancers.

Stewart says St. Jude also produces certain prescription medications that pharmaceutical companies won’t make.

“With pediatric cancer, you may one have a few patients diagnosed every year with a particular disease,” Stewart said. “Maybe this drug would be the best drug for them, but if there’s not going to be money in making that drug, it’s hard to get different drug companies out in the community to make it.”

Stewart is also a regular participant in the annual St. Jude Memphis to Peoria run each summer, which is special for her because it gives her a chance to return home every summer.

The WJBC/St. Jude Radiothon continues Friday. You can help by becoming a Partner in Hope by calling 1-800-374-4995 or donating online at WJBC.com.

Click here to listen to Patti Penn’s interview with Stewart. 

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Eric Stock can be reached at eric@wjbc.com.