Y102 has set a new record by raising $362,121 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, (NRG Media)
KEARNEY — Y102 has set a new record by raising $362,121 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital over their two-day telethon event over March 27-28.
Last year, the event raised a then record breaking $326,423. Over the past 23 years, $4,102,810 has been raised by the telethon for St. Jude.
For two full days, NRG Media Central Nebraska staff, headed by Y102 hosts “Scotty O” and Lisa Williams, assisted by volunteers, hosted a telethon from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to help raise funds for children in need.
“When central Nebraska comes together, they make a huge difference,” Williams said.
“The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay,” per the St. Jude website.
“Unlike other hospitals, the majority of our funding comes from individual contributions. And thanks to generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food,” per the website.
St. Jude’s research over the years has proven pivotal in the treatment of disease.
In 1966, a group of St. Jude patients were the first acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to ever be successfully taken off therapy. In 2006, St. Jude reported a 94 percent survival rate for patients with ALL using therapy that does not include radiation.
By 2019, St. Jude announces a cure for SCID-X1, commonly known as bubble boy disease. By combining gene therapy and low-dose chemotherapy with busulfan, immune function is restored in infants with the disorder.
