St. Jude patient Mimi and her mother have found comfort and community at St. Jude. The beaches in the Cayman Islands are something out of a dream. The sand is white and smooth. The water stretches out as far as the eye can see and changes from turquoise close to the shore to a brilliant sky blue further out. Although Mimi was born in the Cayman Islands, she’s yet to see the beaches. She hasn’t curled her toes in the sand or splashed in the warm Caribbean waters. When Mimi was just 2 months old, she was found to suffer from a rare brain tumor called anaplastic ependymoma. Mimi’s parents, Mechon and Tommy, turned to a hospital in the United States for Mimi’s initial treatment, which included surgery to remove the tumor. Since Mimi was so young, the doctors held off on beginning treatment. But when the tumor started to grow again three months later, Mechon and Tommy turned to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, for Mimi’s treatment. “We knew about St. Jude through commercials on TV,” said Mechon. “We decided we wanted to be at St. Jude for Mimi’s chemotherapy. We wanted to be where the results are better.” Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since it opened 52 years ago. At St. Jude, Mimi’s treatment has included a second surgery to remove tumor growth and chemotherapy. Because of the location of the tumor, Mimi has experienced weakness on her left side, so she also receives physical and occupational therapies. Mimi’s 2-year-old brother, Caleb, and Tommy are home in the Cayman Islands, and Tommy travels to St. Jude when he is able. Though Mimi and Mechon are alone in Memphis, Mechon has never felt lonely. “There is such a great support system here,” said Mechon. “We’re thankful to be at St. Jude and to have this facility. The nurses and the doctors are wonderful, and I’ve met families who are going through the same things. We rejoice for each other’s successes. It’s a genuine feeling of family here.” Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Back in the Cayman Islands, friends and family have become avid supporters of St. Jude. Through Mechon’s stories of the hospital and the people, they’ve come to know the place. “St. Jude takes care of not just the patient, but the families, too,” Mechon said. “Coming here was the right decision.” Mechon looks forward to the time when her family can be reunited again, when she and Tommy can take Mimi and Caleb to the Cayman Islands beautiful beaches and they can frolic in the water together. “Mimi is a charming little baby, very sweet natured,” Mechon said. “She’s always smiling, always happy.” Mimi has three more rounds of chemotherapy to complete before she and Mechon can return home. Mimi, now 10 months old, who has been sleeping in Mechon’s arms, opens her brown eyes. She reaches up toward her mom, a smile spreading across her face. “When people give to St. Jude,” Mechon said, “they’re giving life to a child.”
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 17:04:51 +0000
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