St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway will help families dealing with childhood cancer

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - History is being made today in Atlanta! St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is breaking ground on the first-ever Dream Home in our community. Atlanta News First is thrilled to partner with St. Jude to try and raise over $1 million for the hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

“I knew what it was like to hear, ‘You have cancer,’ I wasn’t prepared to hear, ‘We found a tumor in your daughter’s brain and it is inoperable,” said Emily Fletcher, Allison Fletcher’s mother.

Emily Fletcher can remember the moment her daughter’s world shifted.

“She was 14, a freshman in high school,” said Emily.

And the moment her family stepped into St. Jude.

”We arrived at 11 o’clock at night. There weren’t many people there and even then you could feel the hope, that we were going to be okay,” said Emily.

And they have been okay. Allison’s tumor is still getting monitored but she’s feeling well, she is living her life for the most part, outside of a hospital.

“I am thrilled to have a living example of St. Jude in this community,” said Emily.

St. Judes Dream Home Giveaway will be happening for the first time in Atlanta next year. The hope is that the home will be built with donations by the summer of 2023. The Providence Group is the builder of the home. Raffle tickets will be sold for $100 and will go on sale in May. If St. Jude reaches their goal and sells out of tickets, it will raise more than $1 million.

Atlanta News First is partnering with St. Jude, helping the hospital hit its goal.

The money that is raised will go toward supporting families like Emily’s, helping to ease the burden of medical expenses and provide hope at a time when the world feels heavy.

”There are not many adults that could walk the path she has with the grace and strength and courage that I have seen her walk,” said Emily, “I feel it is almost my responsibility to just share the hope.”

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