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St. Jude Around the World

St. Jude Around the World

By: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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About this listen

 The St. Jude Global Alliance includes more than 200 member institutions around the world. They’re dedicated to raising the survival rates of pediatric cancer in their home countries and supporting each other with resources and training. The people who dedicate their lives to those institutions have stories to tell, and this podcast brings them to you. Learn more at stjude.org/worldALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Episodes
  • E5 | Treating cancer in a conflict zone

    E5 | Treating cancer in a conflict zone
    May 28 2025
    When Mayya Assaad met a girl with cancer, the encounter changed her life — and the lives of other children with cancer in Syria. Mayya was motivated to find a way to offer more compassionate care. She learned about the work of St. Jude and visited hospitals in other countries near Syria. Mayya eventually co-founded the first nonprofit organization dedicated to pediatric cancer in Syria. It’s called BASMA, which means “smile” in Arabic.

    BASMA began by supporting families in treatment and raising awareness about pediatric cancer in Syria. The foundation had plans to open a specialized care center for cancer treatment. Then, the Syrian civil war began.

    Through years of armed conflict, BASMA staff members kept helping their patients, even as fundraising became more difficult. Rima Salem, the executive manager of BASMA, says they have an obligation to their patients. “We have to continue because we cannot stop treatment. I’m sure that we are making a difference. We are raising the survival rate,” she says.

    This podcast was recorded before Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime fell on December 8, 2024, following 14 years of civil war and conflict.

    Credits
    Host: Suheir Rasul
    Recorded by: Jason Latshaw
    Producer: Geoffrey Redick
    Editors: Grace Korzekwa Evans and Evelyn Skoda

    This podcast is a production of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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    12 mins
  • E4 | Offering free care to all

    E4 | Offering free care to all
    May 28 2025
    When a child gets cancer in Pakistan, their treatment options are sometimes determined by their family’s income level. But families of all income groups can find treatment at Indus Hospital and Health Network, which operates the largest pediatric oncology services unit in Pakistan.

    Afifa Batool is the head of marketing and communications at Indus. She says there are certain cultural challenges that cut across income levels. People may make judgments about patients that last long after treatment concludes. Indus works to address these cultural challenges in addition to treating patients medically.

    Afifa says the work of Indus is made easier by collaborating with other hospitals and foundations outside of Pakistan through the St. Jude Global Alliance.

    Credits
    Host: Suheir Rasul
    Recorded by: Jason Latshaw
    Producer: Geoffrey Redick
    Editors: Grace Korzekwa Evans and Evelyn Skoda

    This podcast is a production of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
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