All of us at Kicker are passionate about St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and all the great things they do. Many people might not be aware of how the whole concept of the hospital started.

It started with a prayer.

 

Danny Thomas became a huge name in Hollywood back in the 1950s, but it all started long before he became famous.

This story is about Danny's Promise:

More than 70 years ago, Danny Thomas, then a struggling young entertainer with a baby on the way, visited a Detroit church and was so moved during the Mass, he placed his last $7 in the collection box. With only a few coins left in his pocket, Danny prayed for a way to pay the looming hospital bills. The next day, he was offered a small part that would pay 10 times the amount he'd given to the church. Danny had experienced the power of prayer.

 

Two years later, Danny had achieved moderate acting success in Detroit, but he was struggling to take his career to the next level. Once again, he turned to the church. Praying to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, Danny asked the saint to "help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine."

 

His career took a turn for the better, and soon he moved his family to Chicago to pursue career offers. A few years later, at another turning point in his life, Danny visited a church and remembered his pledge to St. Jude. Again he prayed to St. Jude and repeated his pledge to build a shrine to the saint if he would show him the way.

 

In the years that followed, Danny's career flourished through films and television, and he became an internationally known entertainer. He remembered his pledge to build a shrine to St. Jude.

 

In the early 1950s, Danny began discussing with friends what concrete form his vow might take. Gradually, the idea of a children's hospital, possibly in Memphis, Tenn., took shape. In 1955, Danny Thomas and a group of Memphis businessmen, who had agreed to help support his dream, seized on the idea of creating a unique research hospital devoted to curing catastrophic diseases in children. More than just a treatment facility, this would be a research center for the children of the world.

And what a research center it is. Danny Thomas said, "No child should die in the dawn of life."  At St. Jude, they are working hard to make that happen. Childhood cancer cure rates keep going up thanks to their research. Below is a picture of a bust of Danny at the hospital. It's customary to rub his nose for good luck. The bronze coloring is actually wearing off and the texture is all smooth on the nose area from so many people rubbing the nose!

Lisa Lindsey
Lisa Lindsey
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