Radio Stations Across The Country Raise More Than $450,000 To Help Save The Lives Of Kids With Cancer

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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Oct 09, 2012, 07:15 ET

Funds to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, which celebrates 50 years of finding cures, saving lives

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Radio listeners in markets across the country participated in the fifth annual Promesa y Esperanza® (Promise and Hope) radio event on October 4-5, raising over $450,000 to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, one of the world's premier pediatric cancer research centers, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. During the two-day broadcast event, listeners in cities like Philadelphia, Charlotte, Boston, Providence, Minneapolis, and Kansas City, supported the fight against childhood cancer and other deadly diseases by making a donation.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121009/DC89934)

The Davidson Media Group affiliate and participating independent stations transmitted approximately 30 hours of programming to raise funds so that no patient family ever pays St. Jude for anything. The donations will help cover the cost of treatment, travel, lodging, food and services such as schooling and rehabilitation to help improve the quality of life for patients and their families at St. Jude. Donors are still welcome to participate and are encouraged to become Angeles de Esperanza (Partners In Hope) by donating $20 per month until October 16. For more information, call 1-800-998-8432 or visit promesayesperanza.org.

"We are thankful for the efforts of Davidson Media Group and our independent radio partners during Promesa y Esperanza, and we appreciate their support of our lifesaving mission," said Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC/ St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "Thanks to the commitment of their staff and the support from communities nationwide, St. Jude will continue to bring hope to children fighting cancer and other deadly diseases by providing pioneering treatments and exceptional care."

Since its inception in 1997, Promesa y Esperanza has raised more than $80 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"For the past few years, our organization has helped raise funds that bring hope to patients and families, and we are grateful to our listeners for their support of our commitment to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," said Chris McMurray, president of Davidson Media Group. "It's an honor to continue supporting such a noble cause that shares its research freely with the medical community around the world."

During the event, listeners heard from four-year-old patients Gissel and Estevan, who have the most common type of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Thanks to the financial support of Angeles de Esperanza, the hospital will continue providing Gissel and Estevan with the cutting-edge medical care they desperately need, and their families will never have to pay anything.

For 50 years, St. Jude has been finding cures for pediatric cancer and other deadly diseases. In 1962, children diagnosed with cancer faced a virtual death sentence. Now, St. Jude researchers and doctors have helped push overall survival rates of childhood cancer from 20 to 80 percent today. The hospital relies primarily on the public's generosity and events like Promesa y Esperanza to support its lifesaving mission and initiatives, such as the St. Jude International Outreach Program.

For more information about Promesa y Esperanza please visit promesayesperanza.org.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital