As many of you already know for the last seven months I've been walking across the United States to raise money for
St.Jude Children's Research Hospital. This holiday I had the opportunity to take a tour of St.Jude and it was a truly amazing experience. What do they goes beyond treating catastrophic pediatric illnesses. A great of effort has gone into making sure that the children receiving medical care at St.Jude don't feel like they're in a typical hospital environment, which even as adults we know can be a little scary. Everything from the floors to the ceilings is designed to create a pleasant atmosphere for the children. The halls throughout have different themes. Just like my walk, I passed through spring, summer, fall, and winter. The floors were tiled to look like various things like parks or winter wonderlands, and in some places the ceilings had clouds. I felt like a big kid while I was on the tour. Our tour-guide Eva was very knowledgable and I learned a lot.
I discovered that the hospital has school so children can continue getting their education while undergoing treatment. It's not part of the regular tour, however the tour guide offered to show it to me so naturally I said yes. I got meet the principal and she explained to me how the school at St.Jude works. They really have thought of everything there. In fact they even have prom.
Visiting St.Jude, talking with staff, and seeing some of the children undergoing treatment moved me in such a way that I can't even begin to describe.
