When Jack Hanna talks to parents whose children have been diagnosed with leukemia, he can say with honesty that he knows how they feel.
The director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium can still remember his own reaction when he learned his daughter Julie had the illness.
“It just hits you in the face like a rocket,” he says.
When Jungle Jack and his family attend the St. Jude Discover the Dream fundraiser on May 12 – this year’s is the 11th annual event – they will continue a tradition of fostering hope and empathy with other families who have faced similar challenges.
Though Julie herself has spoken at previous events, the Hanna family has listened with other attendees as many other survivors share their stories. Learning about what St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – a Memphis-based institution that accepts all children with life-threatening diseases, regardless of ability to pay – has been able to accomplish is truly heartwarming, says Jack’s wife, Suzi.
“At the end of the day, it’s hope that gets you through,” Suzi says.
Photos courtesy of Rick Prebeg
Jack has hosted Discover the Dream since the event’s second year, but has been a local supporter of St. Jude since he took the job as zoo director in 1978. At that time, Julie was stable, but still battling leukemia. The family wouldn’t have made the move to Columbus had it not been for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which worked together with St. Jude to continue Julie’s care.
Julie was diagnosed in 1977, when she was just 2 years old. At the time, the family had just moved from Florida back to Jack’s home state of Tennessee.
Julie’s chances for survival were low. At St. Jude, she received an experimental treatment that included radiation. Out of 12 patients on the floor, Julie was one of two who survived.
“Without St. Jude, she would have passed on,” Jack says.
The intense protocol brought repercussions for Julie later in life. She was a senior at Denison University in 1995 when she started feeling sick to her stomach. She went to her doctor, but her tests came back normal.
After she went to Nationwide Children’s, though, it became clear that Julie had a large tumor in her brain, most likely caused from the radiation she received as a child. After a nine-hour surgery, the tumor was removed.
“If it hadn’t been for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Julie would not be here,” Jack says.
In 2012, Julie underwent another operation for a second tumor. Despite the complications her leukemia treatment caused, she’s thankful for a second chance at life.
“At least I’m here,” she says.
Julie’s part in leukemia research didn’t end when she left St. Jude. She still does follow-up appointments each year through St. Jude and Nationwide Children’s. The information helps researchers learn how to improve patient care.
Now, Jack says, the research means more St. Jude patients will have a chance at life. He believes 10 out of 12 of those patients on Julie’s floor would have survived had they been there today. He’s confident that, someday, a cure for leukemia will be found.
And until that day comes, Jack will continue to attend Discover the Dream every year.
“It’s not a sad evening by any means,” he says. “It’s a celebration evening.”
Sarah Sole is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Discover the Dream
Benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- 6 p.m. May 12
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- Tickets: $175 individual, $1,750 table of 10
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