WDEZ Annual Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon fundraiser. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – I’ve talked about the St. Jude Radiothon before. It’s the signature event for our sister-station WDEZ. We are one of the many country radio stations that raises money for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis. It’s the premiere research facility for kids with cancer.
I’ve shared before that I find the radiothon very difficult to listen to. Over two days the parents of kids with cancer tell their stories. “My son or daughter was a normal kid, until one day they became sick and started vomiting. We took them to the doctor. They ran dozens of tests, and then we were told that our child has cancer.”
Many famous country singers have re-written their most popular songs to help raise money for St. Jude. And inbetween the songs the parents talk about their St. Jude adventure. Your donations cover the families’ travel expenses to and from Memphis, and their housing while they’re there. And all medial treatment at St. Jude is free – thanks to the money that others, people like you, give.
And at the end of each kid’s story, you find out if they survived their cancer or if they didn’t. And I find those moments when you hear that cancer claimed the life of a young boy or girl overwhelmingly sad. I have no explanation to why we live in a world where kids die of cancer.
Wausau’s Claire Hornby died of a cancerous brain tumor five years ago. She was only 10 years old. Her family shares the story of the care young Claire received at St. Jude during the radiothon. What St. Jude asks if that you become a partner in hope – donating $19 a month – in her memory.
Last year the WDEZ radiothon raised $204,000 – that’s a fabulous amount of money for a small city like Wausau at a time when inflation continues to be relentless. I’m proud to share that this year we raised an additional $15,000 for a total of $219,000.
If you donated, thank you.
Chris Conley
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