17 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A mother says she cannot fathom what her family would be like without St. Jude Research Hospital.
She credits the medical team and staff for saving her daughter and giving her the opportunity to focus on her child’s care.
“She was our baby. She’s our third,” said Elizabeth, Hannah’s mom.
Hannah is 3 years old now.
“She was 3.5 months old when she was diagnosed and 4 months old when we got to St. Jude,” Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth says she remembers the time her daughter spent at St. Jude like it was yesterday.
“We didn’t know a ton about St. Jude at the time, but we knew they were obviously experts in the cancer field, and we wanted to do everything that we could for our daughter,” said Elizabeth.
The diagnosis was a shock to the mom’s system.
“I felt like I wasn’t even in my body anymore, I felt like I had been punched in the gut, and I couldn’t breathe,” Elizabeth said. “My brain just couldn’t process. I whispered, ‘What does that even mean?’ She had medulloblastoma, which is a brain tumor, and the tumor is in the cerebellum.”
She says walking into the hospital and seeing the other children brought on overwhelming feelings.
“But at the same time, they were just so welcoming, and everything was so organized there. We just couldn’t believe it,” said Elizabeth.
Today, Hannah is doing well.
“She is doing great, she is walking, talking. She graduated from occupational therapy and hasn’t really needed much speech therapy,” Elizabeth said. “We’re just in awe of how normal a life Hannah is able to lead and just everything she is able to do just like other kids who didn’t have cancer.”
Elizabeth has a message.
“Hold onto the hope that in the end, it really can turn out even better than you had imagined,” said Elizabeth.
By reserving a ticket for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, you can help St. Jude’s mission of finding cures and saving children.
For more information on the 2023 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway and to reserve a ticket, click here.