Virginia Beach, Va. - For the past 15 years at NewsChannel 3, volunteers take action and man the phones to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Chasity Watson is one of those people. She's a parent on the other end of the line making a difference with donations to St. Jude.
“I've donated for the last ten years, since he was a baby in hopes I would never have to experience or use them until he got sick,” says Watson.
Her son Kyle was a happy, healthy 7-year-old with what he thought was a headache. Within weeks he would have brain surgery and a cancer diagnosis.
“It was overwhelming. No parent ever wants to hear their child has cancer, but once we got to St. Jude, we were in the best hands possible,” says Watson.
The team of doctors, nurses and researchers formulated an aggressive treatment plan. Four months of chemo, followed by 30 treatments of radiation.
This is all the while Kyle is surrounded by his mom and his sister.
“It feels like home. When I’m feeling real bad, it feels exactly like home," says Kyle.
Kyle's mom and sister moved to the campus of St. Jude where Kyle not only received his treatments, but continued school and those all-important piano lessons.
Even though the treatment is difficult and exhausting, Kyle decided St. Jude needed his help.
The children go through a lot of materials for their art projects. So Kyle set out to launch a coloring book challenge-- his goal -- get 100 coloring books.
“I just wanted them to feel good while I felt bad. I didn't want them to feel the same way, so I was trying to keep their spirits up,” says Kyle.
Kyle is a modest little guy. His goal was 100 but he raised more than 1,000.
The entire family says they feel the embrace of St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital in ways they've never dreamed of before.
“Everyone here has become family. Not only are they going through the things that you are going through, you have a support system to lean on because they know what you are going through,” says Watson.
“We're claiming and believing he's going to be cancer free,” says Watson. “We're thinking if it wasn't for St. Jude, we wouldn't still have him. They saved his life.”
