Pepper's Fighters

My Personal Connection 

My name is Sebastian Suescun and when I was 6, I was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor that was located near the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. When I was first diagnosed, I was at my local hospital and had to have a surgery on my head to remove this tumor. The surgery was successful however, due to the nature of the disease, they had warned me that there could be a chance of it growing back. Luckily, this is where they recommended that I go to St. Jude children research hospital to undergo treatment. This is where I had firsthand experience of the amazing work that St. Jude has done for children like me. From the moment you arrive, you can just tell it isn’t just some regular hospital. You walk in and see the vibrant colors, beautiful paintings, that just set the mood that says “this is home.” I also saw something that was strange to me as a 6 year old. I looked around and saw children with cancer, who were smiling and laughing and looked like they were having fun while staying at a hospital. Putting aside the millions of lives that St. Jude has saved throughout the year, making children happy to be at a hospital has to be their best quality. This was partially due to the amazing volunteers and donors that allowed for daily events. From big events like a target sponsored dog show, to small and simple bingo nights with prizes for the kids. Going on I didn’t know much about money or how expensive treatment was. Now that I’m older, I realize that Chemotherapy can cost up to $12,000 per session. Paying for a daily session for 7 months straight would be impossible for my parents to pay. Thankfully St. jude covered all my medical expenses and paid for my food and living necessities. I could continue to write for hours about everything that St. Jude’s children research hospital has done for me and my family but I will end it off by saying how thankful I am that they saved my life.

Student volunteer hours

We understand that many students want to help but don’t have the money to donate themselves. In that case there are ways you can help through volunteer hours. Under this will be a list of available tasks that can be completed for volunteer hours. They will be posted soon so remember to stay updated.

Spread the love!

Tell everyone; Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, Uncle, Aunt and anyone else you might know! There are many people who want to donate to a good cause, but can never find the right way. Spreading the knowledge will inform these type of people about the amazing work that St. Jude does and how they can support. The more people that we can bring to our team will not only help us reach our goal, but help bring awareness to Childhood cancer everywhere!

Important

Please note that if you do sign up for the team it means you will have to participate in the event taking place on Saturday,September 21. You may join the event in person in miramar regional park or join the event virtually through the St. Jude Walk/Run app on your phone. I Highly Recommend that each participant download the app as it will be where I will be making live updates on any information that pertains to the event. If you decide to go in person it will also record your steps which will be important if you are seeking volunteer hours.