MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There was a special delivery Thursday at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a patient decided to give back.
Nicholas London, 18, was a rising, young basketball star when he was diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, he’s not only beaten cancer, but become a champion for St. Jude and made it his mission to make a difference.
Delivering a little Christmas cheer to St. Jude patients is exactly what the St. Nick Toy Drive is all about.
“Started this four years ago,” said Nick.
Nick was a patient at the time, going through treatments, after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2014.
“When I was going through treatment, I had a couple rough patches where I would get down a lot and get down on myself.”
Nick says it was actually his dad who first planted the seed and encouraged the young athlete to turn his pain into something positive.
“As I walked through the lobby, I saw kids who were sick, even more sick than I was, in there playing with toys, and I found out some of these kids wouldn`t even be able to go home like me because I live in Memphis, so I got to go home.”
That’s how the the St. Nick Toy Drive was born.
For the fourth year in a row, Nick and his family have collected toys.
After Thursday’s delivery at St. Jude, the toys will be taken to a warehouse, and then distributed to patients.
Nick’s father and his younger brother and sister were on hand to help out too.
“It`s what I was hoping for, me being an athlete, you kind of look at times like that as a challenge and I knew God was putting him in that position for a reason,” said Paris London, Nick’s father.
ALSAC President and CEO Richard Shadyac says he’s proud to have patients like Nick champion for St. Jude and its mission.
“I told you, you bring me tears all the time. Seeing him giving back constantly to kids,” said Shadyac as he spoke to Nick.
In addition to the toy drive, Nick’s even created music and is planning to donate the proceeds from sales to St. Jude.
He enters a team in the walk/run each year, and has raised thousands of dollars.
“He’s an accomplished basketball player, student, rapper, entertainer and now humanitarian,” added Shadyac.
Nick told WREG, “It`s about the kids, you know. Christmas is about a time you know, that we celebrate the birth of Jesus and you know Jesus gave back.”
And now that’s what Nick and his family are doing, at a place, and during a time, when people need it the most.
Nick had his final treatment back in March and is doing extremely well.
He and his family also partner with the Grizzlies and they delivered toys to LeBonheur Tuesday.