Motherhood changes St. Jude patient’s outlook

The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital opened in Memphis in 1962. (Photo used under Creative Commons from Flickr user ginnerobot)

MORTON – A Morton woman says becoming a wife and mother has changed her perspective on the treatment she received from St. Jude as a girl.

Amy Jones was diagnosed in 1988 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, the most common form of childhood cancer. Jones went through treatment at St. Jude and was doing great for a year, but then relapsed in 1992 while a sophomore in high school. Luckily, she went into remission quickly, in just weeks.

She was able to finish up therapy after high school. Now that she’s a wife and mother, Jones said it’s given her new perspective on St. Jude’s mission.

“It really showed me what a special place St. Jude was, not just for treating the disease, but for treating the patient and the whole family, and knowing that it was something we were all going through at the same time,” Jones told WJBC’s Beth Whisman during Friday’s Day 2 of the WJBC St. Jude Radiothon.

Jones urged people to donate to the Radiothon.

“I have a family of my own and a future of my own because people said, ‘You know what, I’m gonna make this investment,’” Jones said Friday.

The WJBC/St. Jude Radiothon continues through 6 p.m. Friday. You can help by becoming a Partner in Hope by calling 1-800-374-4995 or donating online at WJBC.com.

Listen to Beth’s interview with Jones below:

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Ryan Denham can be reached at ryan@wjbc.com.