"I want other kids to have the same chance I did!"

Deeply grateful to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for saving her life, Maddie Barber wanted to give back, and thanks to her unique hobby and the generosity of her community, she found a way

- Kellie B. Gormly

Maddie Barber has been showing pigs competitively since she was in 8th grade. But the Boerne, Texas, 17-year-old was especially excited to participate in the January 2022 Kendall County Junior Livestock Show.

"It's like a beauty contest for pigs," Maddie chuckles. Run like an auction, young people show their animals and audience members make "bids" that are actually donations for the kids to put toward future projects. Most use the money for college or a car. But Maddie...

"What if I donate the money I raise to St. Jude?" Maddie asked her father, Travis, who, sharing his daughter's deep gratitude to the hospital, wholeheartedly agreed.

Maddie had been diagnosed with