Inclusivity, alongside treatment, a goal for St. Jude staff

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway is off to a stellar start and new prize potential comes with every ticket reserved.

This campaign supports the multi-cultural life-saving mission at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

We all know superheroes don’t wear capes—at St. Jude, most of them wear white coats.

“I think that’s the really unique thing about St. Jude,” Dr. Jennifer Ocasio Adorno said. “You come in and you feel that sense of, ‘I’m doing something important.’”

Dr. Ocasio Adorno’s main research is focused on creating new therapies to treat childhood brain tumors called diffuse midline gliomas—also known as DMGs.

“It’s really devastating because these children have a survival rate of less than 5% over two years, so unfortunately most of these kids are unfortunately going to die of the disease, so we’re really trying to make better treatment for them,” Dr. Ocasio Adorno said.

The Puerto Rico native is also on the front line for making sure St. Jude families who speak her language feel welcome, because cancer doesn’t discriminate.

“What I want Hispanic and Latino children and families to know is that there is a community here for them, there are researchers here, clinicians that are Hispanic and Latino and there is a community that is there to support them to help with Spanish everything you will need while you’re here at St. Jude,” she said.

Normally, you’ll find Dr. Ocasio Adorno tucked away inside the research lab, but she does get the chance to interact with the kids she’s working to help heal, like when she volunteers at the St. Jude School.

“It’s so cool because we’re all these researchers,” she said. “We’ve got all this science here so it’s a really great experience for the kids to learn about science and to see that it’s fun.”

The post-doctoral fellow’s passion, coupled with the wide reach of a world-class facility renowned for pediatric brain cancer research, is a winning combination.

“You know, we’re working for years and years and years on these diseases that are really devastating, and it’s really exciting to see a therapy go to clinic and to see patients actually get help.”

You can help the mission too. Every ticket reserved in the Dream Home Giveaway campaign supports life-saving treatments at St. Jude.

Our next prize deadline is April 19. Reserve your ticket by that date and you could win your choice of a brand-new Honda Civic Sport Sedan or Nissan Kicks Crossover, in addition to potentially winning a $650,000 dream home.

Call 1-800-224-6681 or click here to make a difference.

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