For three-time cancer survivor Hillary Husband, of Ruston, Feb. 13 has been special since 2021, and this year it will be even more meaningful.
Part of what makes Feb. 13 so distinctive is that it’s her wedding anniversary. In 2021 she married high school friend John Pickering on that date. This year it’s also when the local Z107.5 St. Jude Radiothon begins, and Hillary is a champion of such causes for the Memphis hospital since treatments there saved her life not only once, but three times.
Add to that, Feb. 13 is the wedding anniversary of her bone marrow donor, which she was not aware of when she chose the date for her own wedding.
Now 32 and in good health, Hillary emerged from these experiences as someone passionate about speaking out on behalf of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A web search of her name alongside “St. Jude” brings up multiple pages of stories concerning both her journey and her explanations of what the hospital means in the grand scheme of things, including events like the local radiothon.
“Every dollar raised for St. Jude goes to make sure every kid that walks through those doors gets the best possible care,” she said. “I owe my life to that, and I hope every child that comes through the doors has that opportunity, too.” Because of this, Hillary urged people to consider donating to the radiothon.
“It circles back to the Danny Thomas quote,” she said. Thomas, who founded St. Jude in 1962, said, “I’d rather have a million people give me a dollar than one give me a million. That way you’ve got a million people involved.”
Hillary firmly believes that if it were not for 1 million people giving, “I would not be here with the life I now have.”
Hillary suffered her first bout with leukemia in early high school. St. Jude’s attention to patients’ educations allowed the DeRidder native to continue her studies – and she ended up being valedictorian of her class. She was even able to help her clogging team win a national championship.
Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Louisiana Christian University in Pineville followed – but so did two relapses, while both a freshman and junior. In total, she was sick from 2008-2013.
Regarding related hospital costs and related expenses for such extended periods, “that’s just not doable for most families,” Hillary said. Her bone marrow transplant cost approximately half a million dollars.
Hence the need for monetary help for such patients. No family is ever billed for treatment, travel, meals or lodging. An estimated 89% of funds required to maintain and grow St. Jude must be raised by donors’ public contributions, hospital officials say.
Actually, Hillary is somewhat of a St. Jude legend. In 2013 during her treatment, she undertook a series of one-mile walks on the hospital’s transplant floor that resulted in completing her own unique marathon – 26.2 miles in her house slippers. As one story on the St. Jude website described it, she “showed other patients, and the world, how determination and a competitive spirit can lift a person, even in the most challenging of times.”
Afterward, she did receive her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Christian and went on to complete a master’s in mathematics and a doctorate in molecular science and nanotechnology at Louisiana Tech.
Today, she continues to live in Ruston and works remotely as a research scientist for Metrum Research Group, a consulting firm that helps pharmaceutical companies take clinical trial data to the Federal Drug Administration for approval. In doing this, she said, “In a small way I can give back. I was in (some of) those clinical trials. Now, it’s nice to be on the other side of it.”
Another way she’s giving back is serving as chapter adviser to Tech’s Tri Delta sorority, which has been involved nationally with St. Jude fundraising in a huge way for 25 years.
Concerning her treatment at St. Jude, a high point was going back for her five-year checkup after her transplant – and receiving a good report. That’s the time when the first big drop in the odds of relapsing occurs, she explained, adding, “I took a morning jog.”
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The Z107.5 Radiothon will be broadcast Thursday and Friday from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. During the event, donations can be made by calling 1-800-787-5288 or by contributing via the station’s website (Z1075fm.com), Facebook (Z107.5) or Instagram (Z1075fm) pages. In-person donations will be collected in side events at the Ruston Walmart Supercenter and Super 1 Foods.
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