NATCHEZ — Sunday’s 12th annual live auction held in The Castle at Dunleith means everything to Sissy Eidt.

Eidt, a Natchez resident, is the grandmother of Julia Eidt, the now 14-year-old cancer survivor for whom the auction honors. Sissy Eidt said her granddaughter is now a freshman at her Nashville high school, where she participates in multiple sports.

“This means everything in the world to me,” Sissy Eidt said. “It means my granddaughter has gotten the treatment she needed to remain cancer free.”

All proceeds of the event go directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help people such as Julia, who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just 2 years old. In 2010 she got the great news that she was in full remission of the disease.

Sunday, The Castle continued the tradition that helped Julia beat cancer.

“It’s a 100-percent donation of the staff’s time, food, beer and wine,” Dunleith Assistant General Manager Lyn Fortenbery said.

About 80 people attended the sold out event, which raises thousands of dollars each year for St. Jude.

Before tonight, Fortenbery said the event had raised nearly $300,000 in its history.

Sunday, the fundraiser earned more than $50,000 for St. Jude.

Some of the 20 items auctioned off include paintings, a puppy, tickets to the LSU Tigers’ first home football game this season and a seven-night stay at Silver Shells Resort in Destin, Fla.

But the main item this year — as it has been for the last 12 years — is a silver platter, engraved with Julia’s name on the front. The back of the platter contains more names; these are the people that won the platter at each year’s auction.

Winners traditionally “buy” the platter but donate it back for the next year’s auction after their name is added to the back.

Sunday, the platter alone went for $10,000.

In four years, the platter will finally find a permanent home and be gifted to Julia as an 18th birthday present.