St. Jude Helping Families Locally

September 2025 Issue

By Mary Hope Roseneau

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is recognized worldwide for providing life-savingtreatment, free of charge, to children diagnosed with cancer and other serious illnesses. Their care goes beyond medical treatment, offering comprehensive support to families during some of the most challenging moments of their lives. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time to shine a light on the experiences of children undergoing treatment and the families who support them.

For one family from Johns Island, SC, everything changed when their 3-year-old daughter, Kinsey, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The initial diagnosis was DIPG, a type of tumor with no known cure. Faced with the devastating news, Kinsey’s parents, James and Janelle Teeple, reached out to St. Jude, and ultimately, the hospital arranged transportation, lodging, and food vouchers for the family to travel to Memphis. After conducting new scans, the family received a glimmer of hope. Pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Klimo reviewed Kinsey’s case and said, “I think we can take the whole thing out.” When asked about scheduling surgery, he simply said, “How’s Tuesday?” The family said yes—and the surgery was a success.

Doctors at St. Jude determined Kinsey’s tumor was actually ETMR, a rare and aggressivebrain tumor with a survival rate of 30%. After surgery, scans revealed additional tumors in Kinsey’s spine. Kinsey went on to receive 30 rounds of radiation, followed by multiple rounds of chemotherapy. Treatment was successful, and today, Kinsey is tumor-free, with no evidence of disease. She is a fun-loving, outgoing 7-year-old who loves gymnastics, animals, music, and art. Kinsey and her parents return to St. Jude for regular checkups, all fully covered by the hospital. Janelle shares that St. Jude even sends a pickup van to meet families at the airport, just one of many ways they continue to care for patients beyond the hospital walls.

To support children like precious Kinsey, St. Jude teams up with locals to hosts fundraising events across the country, including right here in the Lowcountry. The second annual Flex Fore St. Jude kicks off Friday, November 7, with a gala at the Hilton Beachfront Resort in Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island. The evening will feature cocktails, dinner, dancing, a silent and live auction, and entertainment from The Players Trio, featuring two former members of the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame band, Chicago. Kinsey and her parents were the guest speakers at the last Flex Fore St. Jude event here on Hilton Head.

On Saturday, November 8, the celebration continues with an 18-hole Golf Scramble at the Country Club of Hilton Head, complete with golf games, lunch, and a hole-in-one contest—all in support of the lifesaving mission of St. Jude: Finding cures. Saving children.® Every dollar raised helps ensure that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food—so they can focus on helping their child live.

St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Through groundbreaking treatment and research methods, expert staff and a large community of supporters, St. Jude provides customized care for some of the world’s sickest children regardless of their race, ethnicity, beliefs, or ability to pay. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered largely incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent. 

Janelle reflected on their journey: “Kinsey is no longer just surviving, she is thriving. You will find no one more grateful for St. Jude than a patient or caregiver. They literally gave me my daughter’s life back. And for that, my gratitude will never end.”
Purchase Your Tickets or Donate:

Visit  www.StJude.org/FlexFore for tickets, sponsorships, and event information.
Can’t attend? Donations of any amount are always welcome.