Baby Eli’s St. Jude Story Is Reminder of Work That Still Needs to Be Done

Survival rates for childhood cancers have soared in the 25 years since the Country Cares program began raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, but they're not yet at 100 percent. Meet Eli, an infectiously cute 18-month-old who became a patient at St. Jude after being diagnosed with pineoblastoma, a brain tumor. 

“I walk the halls of St. Jude like I’m walking with someone who is famous," Eli's mother, Emily Obert of Cedar Radis, Iowa says in the video above. She shares how everyone wanted to be near her boy. "He’s just one of those personalities that make you want to feel good."

Sadly, doctors couldn't save Eli. In March 2013, one year after he was admitted to St. Jude, the toddler's cancer returned and spread quickly. Read more about Eli Pie here.

It's children like this one that have inspired Taste of Country to press pause on coverage of all but the most pressing news stories in an effort to raise money for St. Jude. For 25 years, country music has helped raise more $500 million, ensuring that no one ever pays a dime for treatment at St. Jude.

“No child should die in the dawn of life,” founder Danny Thomas once said. Help make that wish a reality by making a donation or becoming a Partner in Hope when you click the button below. Donations can be made by phone at 800-411-9898.