How the St. Jude Dream Home giveaway helps patients

Hello, everybody. Melissa here again. And in Richmond at the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, look how beautiful this home is coming together. It is looking so good with all the comforts of home. I'm going to bring you in here to the master bedroom just to give you an idea. $100. We are going to have that QR code on your screen all day. Or you can go to dreamhome.org. But just look how incredible. Can you picture yourself here cuddled up after the end of a long day? I think so. $100. I want to make sure you know that every single dime of that goes straight to St. Jude and those families who are being treated there. They're little kids. A lot of them who travel from Houston are being saved there right now as we speak. I caught up with Marley, who is now a college student in Houston. And she was there when she was only 10 years old. And wow, how far she has come. And she is so thankful for all of the Houstonians who are getting their phones right now, clicking that QR code, or buying that $100 ticket because it is truly making a difference. It started like any other night for 10-year-old Marley. She had gone to the movies with her best friend. Everything seemed fine. Then the next morning, her head was hurting so badly. She'll never forget what happened next. Took a nap and woke up in the hospital. I had ependymoma and this was really a shock to me to the point I remember asking, telling my nurse to pinch me because I thought I was dreaming. I was so in shock. But Marley wasn't dreaming. She had cancer. Doctors had discovered the aggressive tumor near her neck and spine. Suddenly she was facing surgery, two rounds of chemotherapy and weeks of radiation. Through it all, there was one person she could always count on. One of my biggest supporters with me going through my battle of cancer was my mother. She was always there by my side, watching over me, caring for me, and helped me build my strength back up. And she was there for me every step of the way. Her mother could concentrate on what mattered most, helping her daughter get well, because St. Jude was taking care of so many of the other worries families face when a child has cancer. St. Jude is such an amazing place. Everything they say in their commercials is true. They helped my family find a home during our time in Memphis. They provided us food, a shelter, transportation. They provided everything for us while we were there. And they even provided more, more than we could ask for. After six long months of treatment, Marley finally got to do something she'd been dreaming about, ring the bell to celebrate the end of her radiation treatments. That was a really happy moment for me. Honestly, I feel like a brand new person, even after my treatment, those side effects. A decade later, that little girl is now a sophomore at Texas Southern University, studying biomedical science with plans to become a pharmacist. pharmacist she wants to spend her career helping patients just as so many people helped her and when she hears about the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway here In Richmond, Marley knows exactly what those $100 tickets can mean to a child and their entire family even though it can be hard right now just sending a little love to St. Jude was bringing so much happiness not just to me but to all the patients and parents at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital How much does St. Jude mean to you? It means the world to me. Anything I can do for St. Jude, I do it in seconds flat. Marley got the chance to grow up, go to college, and dream about her future. Now she's hoping other children will get that same chance. And they will. It touched my heart so very much to get to meet up with Marley and talk to her about how far it's come. And just a reminder for you, she is just one of thousands of patients day in and day out who received life-saving care there. And now you can be part of that. How incredible is it that you can help make sure that these families never receive a payment? I mean, this is the time for you to say, I want to move into this home for only $100. It's incredible. And this is what I want you to know, my friends. Today, if you buy that ticket today, you also get a chance to put your name in the hat, so to speak, for an unbelievable spa. So picture that in this backyard or maybe in yours. We'll be talking about that all morning long. I'm going to send it back to you in the studio. Oh, I love her story so much. Yes, we were so touched by her story and now she's encouraging others to give. Strong girl. Just beautiful. Thank you.