You might remember her as the little girl with no hair — but with a huge smile — who asked the Washington Redskins’ Jason Taylor to dance during one of St. Jude’s “Thanks and Giving” commercials last fall.

That was Catie O’Brien, 7, then a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., where she was undergoing treatment for a rare type of pediatric cancer called Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor. After her diagnosis last June, Catie spent most of the latter half of 2008 in the hospital’s care. She returned home to Mechanicsburg, Pa., in December after doctors discovered her tumor was back, despite aggressive radiation, chemotherapy and stem-cell recovery treatments.

Catie died Jan. 25, surrounded by family, including parents Kevin and Christine and five siblings, all members of St. Joseph Parish in Mechanicsburg. The last two months of her life were jam-packed with holiday celebrations and a family trip to the waters in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, made possible by the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The little girl’s dying wish, according to Kevin, was for her friends and family to raise enough money to cover all of the operating costs for St. Jude Hospital for one day a year in her name, preferably her April 23 birthday.

“That was her wish,” Kevin said. “After she had found out that her tumor had come back, she wanted to leave a legacy.”

As of last week, Kevin reported that donors had already contributed $930,000 toward her first $1.4 million birthday present.

“The first year was the one we thought would be daunting because we didn’t have a lot of time,” Kevin said. “The fact that we’re within shouting distance of it now is frankly really exciting. For future years we have some time to do some planning.”

According to St. Jude Hospital, the nearly $1.4 million daily operating cost covers expenses related to patient care, research, education and supporting services.

“Never before has a child asked to be remembered this way at St. Jude,” said Lori O’Brien, a spokeswoman for ALSAC, the fund-raising arm of St. Jude’s.

“We are very grateful that Catie’s family has chosen to honor her generous spirit by helping us work miracles for many other children whose families are praying for one right now. Catie’s final wish … is unique, and we appreciate her family’s support.”

Money gleaned from donors and fund-raising events, such as a recent golf outing, go directly into the “Catie Fund.” Donations can be contributed directly to the cause via Catie’s personal Web site: catiesstory.com.

Approximately $30,000 of the money raised to-date came from Pennsylvania Catholic schools participating in dress-down days, and Kevin said the family hopes to target Catholic schools nationwide and worldwide to contribute to Catie’s legacy in coming years.

“The St. Jude story is a very compelling Catholic story itself,” Kevin said, referring to how the hospital’s founder, Danny Thomas, made a desperate plea to its namesake that if St. Jude showed Thomas his path in life that he would “do something big” in Jude’s name. Twenty years later, he opened St. Jude Hospital.

“The number of children that it’s actually helped is countless,” Kevin added.

O’Brien said that St. Jude relies on the support of patients, families, volunteers and donors to keep the hospital up and running as it continues to find cures and save children with cancer and other diseases.

“Their support enables St. Jude to ensure that no child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.”

Beyond day-to-day hospital expenses, Catie’s story of faith has touched countless other lives. The family already knows of 23 people who have baptized their children or themselves as a result of the 7-year-old’s unwavering faith in God.

Countless people who were never affiliated with Catie have been affected by her example, said Father Keith Laskowski, parochial vicar of St. Jane de Chantal Parish in Easton, Pa., and a family friend who accompanied the O’Briens to Lourdes.

“People have really been struck by this story,” he said. “She’s had an impact on people who didn’t even know her.

“The whole story is beautiful, the whole story is heart wrenching, the whole story is sad, the whole story is amazing,” Father Laskowski added. “The whole thing is a paradox.”

Kevin believes it was his daughter’s profound and complete acceptance of God’s will that affected so many.

With the exception of “two to three minutes of the last eight months of her life where she would feel badly for herself, she accepted God’s will and tried to make a difference in somebody else’s life,” Kevin said.

Upon finding no patron saint of pediatric illness during her final months of life, Catie told her parents she hoped one day she could fill that role.

It was that type of “unbelievable” and steady faith in God that ushered Catie through her seven-month illness, Kevin said, and, the family firmly believes, into eternal life.

Gretchen R. Crowe can be reached at gcrowe@catholicherald.com.

To donate:

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

In Memory of Catie O'Brien, Code #21824409

501 St. Jude Place

Memphis, TN 38105