They Say St. Jude Is a Happy Place, But See for Yourself
Distance and a pandemic may be keeping you from walking the halls of St. Jude, but a new virtual tour brings the experience to you. Explore the clinics, medicine rooms and social areas while you hear from former patients who are still spreading the We Won t Stop message.
The new, 360-degree St. Jude Virtual Tour allows you to discover everything that makes St. Jude Children s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., remarkable. During a normal year, the ALSAC team (the St. Jude fundraising arm) leads more than 800 tours, offering some background about why an actor chose to make building the hospital his life s mission while exploring areas like Kay Cafe, founder Danny Thomas lucky nose and the ABCs of Cancer wall.
Almost every single person has been affected by cancer in one way or another, and country singers are no different. When you hear the word cancer, the first thing that comes to mind is a battle with a disease that has changed millions of people s lives.
Many country stars have fought various forms and stages of cancer. Some of their journeys have even inspired great country songs.
While some people advocate for the disease and work with charities, others prefer their privacy while fighting for their lives and keep their journey to themselves. We ve lost many great country singers and players to various forms of cancer over the decades, but there are also a number of survivors and thrivers among the country stars who have bravely fought cancer.
Brantley Gilbert Experiences St. Jude Differently as a Father
The first time Brantley Gilbert visited St. Jude Children s Research Hospital, he was a new artist and a little rough around the edges. Now, he s a father, and it s a little terrifying. It s almost like I m scared of that thought, the singer told Taste of Country at the 2019 Country Cares conference. Definitely, it s a different feeling.
Gilbert and his wife Amber welcomed Barrett in November 2017. A daughter named Braylen was born in Sept. 2019. For the most part he s blocked out thoughts of them ever needing to stay at a place like this, but he s happy to have a world-renowned childhood cancer and life threatening disease hospital so close should he need it. It goes well beyond the medicine it s the culture.
For Gabby Barrett, Supporting St. Jude Is a Family Tradition
Pennsylvania native Gabby Barrett grew up hundreds of miles away from St. Jude Children s Research Hospital, but supporting its mission is something of a family tradition for the I Hope singer. My parents always donated to St. Jude every month when I was growing up,” Barrett recalls. “I remember the envelopes and the stamps and stuff.
Years later after finishing third during
American Idol s 16th season and, more recently, scoring a major hit with her debut single Barrett made her first visit to St. Jude s Memphis, Tenn., campus in 2020. She knew the stories about how special of a place it is, but to see it for herself was different.