Hi, my name is Chester (Chet) V. Brown.  I currently live in Quincy, Illinois.  But in 1993 I lived in Peoria, Illinois with my family.  In late May of 1993, my oldest daughter Amanda complained of a sore spot/lump in her neck.  The result of the doctor’s eventual diagnosis was Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  Luckily we had the Peoria Midwest St. Jude Affiliate there, and the one of the main doctors was a pediatric oncologist who also happened to be one of Amanda’s pediatricians.  Amanda received her chemotherapy in Peoria, but went down to Memphis for her radiation therapy.  She completed her course of therapy in January.  She was deemed clear of the cancer.

            Upon her checkup the following June, it was discovered that she had another small lump in her groin area.  So additional chemotherapy and radiation was scheduled.  They did surgery to move her ovaries so that the radiation wouldn’t affect them.  She again went through the course of chemo in Peoria and trips to Memphis for her radiation treatments.  Again in January of 1995 she was given the ‘bill of good health’.  Since then she has been given great encouragement and all checkups have shown her to be free of any cancer.

            The doctors, nurses and all of the people at all of the St. Jude facilities are so kind and helpful, both to the patients and their families.  I have even seen children from other countries that were patients at St. Jude in Memphis.  We are truly blessed to have such a facility and group of people to look to in a difficult and trying time in our lives.