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FREE CHAPTER, CONT.
Stay Positive, Stay Focused
When Frankie was first diagnosed, I thought it was an immediate
death sentence. He was initially diagnosed by Dr. McAllister, from
the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate office in Peoria, Illinois. After the
initial shock, I tearfully asked him, “How much time do I have with
my son?” He looked me right in the eye and said something I will
never forget. He said to me, “You cannot think that way. You have to
think 100 percent that your son is going to live!” Those confident
words started our journey on the right path and kept our mindset
where it needed to be.
Studies upon studies have proven a direct correlation between a
patient’s mental attitude and their progress in healing. With
children the patient, the parent’s attitudes and beliefs about their
children are crucial as the children look to the parents for
understanding. The response of the children mirrors the attitude of
the adults. With this knowledge, St. Jude provided care far beyond
the scope of treating the disease. With a dedicated child life team
of employees and volunteers working with the doctors and nurses, St.
Jude assisted parents and families to remain positive and focused on
the desired outcome. It is difficult to measure how this affected
patients and their recovery, but it was easy to observe. St. Jude is
a hospital full of life and full of hope with practical optimism in
practice daily.
Maintain Your Moral Character
St. Jude is a research hospital. What this means is that as a
patient family, you are completely informed at the outset that with
your consent, your child will be part of a treatment protocol or
study plan. Some parts of the treatment are done differently with
one group than with others to study the long term effects. There
were some parts of Frankie’s treatment where a certain medicine’s
dosage was unknown to the doctors and to us. There were instances
that another patient with the same diagnosis might have a slightly
different treatment path to study different effects. Before Frankie
started his treatment, we were given a complete briefing by his team
of doctors and nurses. We were told the truth as we were given the
good, bad and ugly with regard to his prognosis and his treatment
plan. We were told what the negative outcomes could be for
everything from different medicines to the possibility that he might
not survive. All of this was presented to us in candor and with
great humanity and sensitivity to our needs.
I am convinced that since St. Jude was founded, each patient has
received the absolute best care and the best medical treatment and
the best technology available at the time. The best decisions were
made and the best course of treatment was put into place. All
grouped together, this is called a protocol. Each disease has their
individual protocol created by the best minds with the best
information available. The treatment plan is carried out and a
result for each patient and group of similar patients is studied
over time. The results as feedback allow the scientists and doctors
to make changes, modifications and course corrections in the
treatment plan and a new protocol is established.
The treatment my son underwent without a shadow of a doubt saved his
life. What is so very sad is the understanding that many lives were
lost prior to Frankie’s treatment in order to build the knowledge
base of the disease and the treatment. There is no other way to
describe the process of treating cancer than trial and error. I am
certain the process I witnessed by the team at St. Jude is similar
to other hospitals and for other treatments of catastrophic
diseases.
As a research hospital, there are clearly opportunities for
competing interests taking precedent over patient care. There is
clinical research, drug testing, patents, grants, legislation,
regulation and funding issues all at stake. In a research hospital,
ethics are paramount! There is a grey area in need of constant
balance to maintain service to present needs with integrity as well
as pursuing the desired outcomes for future generations. I feel 100%
confident and can say with total certainty that I witnessed an
institution possessing the moral character living integrity
throughout the entire process and organization. We never felt for a
second anything but confidence in the process or the motives during
any facet of Frankie’s treatment.
In addition to the ethical side of the equation, St. Jude
demonstrated a humanitarian side of the organizational character in
how they dealt with the financial aspect of an exorbitant process.
With treatment costs of healthcare nationwide skyrocketing and the
daily operating cost of St. Jude edging up close to a million
dollars per day, all St. Jude patients are treated regardless of
their ability to pay. ALSAC covers all costs above what is
reimbursed by third party insurers. When there is no insurance,
ALSAC generously covers all of the costs. As of this writing, St.
Jude has treated nearly 20,000 children from not only the United
States, but also from more than 60 foreign countries. Research
discoveries and patient care victories are freely shared with other
institutions to add leverage and increase the collective medical
community’s advantage to the common goal. Unfortunately, every
patient experience is filled with ups and downs and in some cases
the patients do not survive. Even though there are still gut
wrenching heartbreaks, every patient is cared for as part of the St.
Jude family with love and respect. Each patient and their family
understand that every patient experience provides increased
knowledge and insight toward finding the cause and the cure for
these terrible diseases as a benefit for future patients. The
progress continues!
Applied STACK Strategy of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
The basis of this book is creating success through applied
incremental advantage and utilizing the STACKtm Strategy as a
framework or blue print tool to assist in guiding and determining
your outcome. As you look at the components below, it is clear that
Danny Thomas and all of the dedicated team who created and funded
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital used the major principles in
their creation.
S > Set Destination and Course
T > Take Immediate Action
A > Accept Results Simply As Feedback
C > Correct Course Based On Feedback
K > Keep on Stacking the Logs!!
Although he did not know the STACK Strategy as a formal course of
action, Danny Thomas certainly applied the principles. He used them
effectively to create not only his entertainment success, but also
success far beyond the scope any man could see in his founding of
St. Jude and ALSAC. He knew his desired outcome and took action. He
accepted his results as feedback and retooled his approach until he
achieved the result he sought. He continued to “Stack The Logs!”
providing ongoing benefits for children and families today.
Achieving Incremental Advantage through Persistence
Starting with Danny Thomas and carried through the doctors, nurses,
scientists, fundraisers, volunteers, and everyone else associated
with the hospital, St. Jude put into practice every important
principle and natural law contained within this book. The practical
application of applied Incremental Advantage for the St. Jude team
created a results graph starting at the 4% in 1962 growing to over
80% survivability in 2002 and improving. The results graph of St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the personification of the
J-Shaped Curve and I can think of no better illustration to
demonstrate the effectiveness of the STACK Strategy. Creating
leverage through information sharing and researching genetic root
causes as well as searching for cures, St. Jude has ultimately
helped save the lives of innumerable children everywhere in the
world… including my son.
Danny Thomas began St. Jude as a commitment repaid to his prayer
request. His initial pledge of, “Show me my way in life and I will
build you a shrine” began a creation and a dream fulfillment that
would outlive the creator. Sadly, but with no regrets, Danny Thomas
passed away on February 6, 1991 only two days after celebrating the
hospital’s 29th anniversary. Laid to rest in a family crypt at the
Danny Thomas/ALSAC Pavilion on the grounds of the hospital with his
beloved wife, Rose Marie, his dream and his legacy will forever live
on. Danny and Rose Marie’s three children, Marlo, Terre and Tony
carry on the passion and important work of their parents. Together,
along with an army of dedicated friends and supporters, they
continue to be a driving force in fulfilling their father’s mission.
“Never give in! Never give in! Never. Never. Never. Never...”
-Sir Winston Churchill
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