Memphis Hero: Danny Thomas
Where Miracles Are On Tap
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is possibly the most special place in our city.
St. Jude is one of the world’s leading pediatric cancer research centers. It exists to find cures for children with cancer through advanced research and treatment. Over 7,000 children (from all over the globe) are seen there annually, and none of their families ever receive a bill. It is “a place”, said singer-songwriter Abner Ramirez, “where miracles are on tap.”
St. Jude was founded by the late comedian and television star Danny Thomas (1912-1991). Thomas was born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz to Lebanese immigrants. He started his career in comedy, and eventually became a television and movie star and producer. He had a rocky start and struggled financially for many years. During that time he prayed and experienced God’s provision over and over. He made a vow that if he ever did become successful he would build a shrine to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes.
Dignity and Treatment for All
St. Jude founder Danny Thomas leveraged his Hollywood influence to get fundraising help from other celebrities so that no patient at St. Jude would ever see a bill from the hospital.
Thomas and his wife, with the help of several supporters and Memphis business owners, decided this “shrine” would be a hospital for children. They chose Memphis strategically because Thomas had a passion that it should become the first fully-integrated hospital in the segregated South.
Once St. Jude was built and established, Thomas and his associates had the overwhelming task of ongoing operations. He turned to his fellow Arabic-speaking descendants of immigrants. He motivated them to give back to a cause that would embody the spirit of American freedom– a place where sick children could receive treatment regardless of financial status, religion, or race. This prompted the founding of ALSAC, which fundraises for 75% of hospital operations to this day.
The Dream Continues in Memphis Heroes Today
When St. Jude was established in 1962, the child cancer survival rate was 20 percent. Today that number is 80 percent, largely because of the pioneering of advanced treatments done by St. Jude physicians and researchers. Danny Thomas said he founded St. Jude because “no child should die in the dawn of life.” Today his dream still lives on through the many heroes creating and receiving treatments at St. Jude.