First lady Jill Biden visits St. Jude, meets Ukrainian kids
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — First lady Jill Biden traveled to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee on Friday to meet with Ukrainian children with cancer and their families fleeing the war and seeking treatment in the U.S.
Biden was greeted when she arrived at the Memphis hospital by president and CEO James Downing; Rick Shadyac, CEO of ALSAC, which raises funds for St. Jude; and actress Marlo Thomas, the daughter of hospital founder and late actor Danny Thomas.
Biden's stop in Memphis was the first leg of a trip Friday that also includes travel to Colorado for a Democratic National Committee finance event in Denver, the White House said.
Her visit to St. Jude, considered a leading researcher of cancer and other life-threatening diseases that affect children, is part of her and President Joe Biden's so-called Cancer Moonshot effort, which aims to reduce the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years.
Improving the lives of children with cancer is a main goal of St. Jude, founded in 1962. Using mostly private donations, families with children who are patients at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing and food. Marlo Thomas is St. Jude's national outreach director.
Jill Biden met with a cancer survivor and toured a laboratory where doctors research how T-cells can fight pediatric brain tumors. She also visited privately with Ukrainian pediatric cancer patients and their relatives.
On Monday, St. Jude received four Ukrainian children, ages 9 months to 9 years old. In addition to receiving cancer treatment, the children also will get therapy to address their psychological, emotional and cultural needs, the hospital said.
Biden said she heard about their journey to the U.S. and watched the children play with Play-Doh.
“They...