About St. Jude/Quick Facts

• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded in 1962 by the late entertainer Danny Thomas. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world.

• The daily operating cost for St. Jude is nearly $1.7 million, which is primarily covered by public contributions.

• 75% of St. Jude's operating costs are covered by public contributions.

• Donors contributed $692 million to St. Jude in fiscal year 2010, yet the average individual donation was only $30.

• On average, 5,400 active patients visit the hospital each year, most of whom are treated on an outpatient basis.

• St. Jude has 78 inpatient beds and treats upwards of 250 patients each day.

• St. Jude is the first institution established for the sole purpose of conducting basic and clinical research and treatment into catastrophic childhood diseases, mainly cancer.

• St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.

• St. Jude researchers and doctors are treating children with genetic immune defects and pediatric AIDS, as well as using new drugs and therapies to fight infections.

• St. Jude was the first institution to develop a cure for sickle cell disease with a bone marrow transplant and has one of the largest pediatric sickle cell programs in the country.

• In 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) , the most common form of childhood cancer, was 4 percent. Today, the survival rate for this once deadly disease is 94 percent, thanks to research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude.”