Be Inspired by CMN Hospitals Champions
Each year, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals recognizes a group of national “Champions” to serve as ambassadors, helping to raise awareness that children’s hospitals need donations to provide the best possible care for the more than 10 million kids treated each year at 170 local CMN Hospitals throughout North America.
Meet CMN Hospitals’ 2019 Champions below:
Allison
Polycystic Kidney Disease – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Allison’s condition, which can regularly cause headaches, high blood pressure and abdominal pain, will require the care of nephrologists for the rest of her life. It is highly likely that Allison will need a kidney transplant as an adult, because there is no cure for the disorder.
But Allison’s world includes so much beyond her disease. This polite, well-spoken teenager is well-versed on issues involving equality; Allison is transgender and she and her family proudly marched with the Cincinnati Children’s Transgender Clinic and clinic families in the Cincinnati Pride Parade this past June, a memorable celebration.
Audrey
Neuroblastoma & Scoliosis – East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
The diagnosis shook Audrey’s family to the core. Their 11-month-old infant had Neuroblastoma. Chemotherapy and blood and platelet transfusions followed. Despite the diagnosis and treatment, there was no slowing this little fighter down. Two months after her diagnosis this energetic young girl was not only crawling, but walking, too.
Audrey has been in remission for 10 years and isn’t afraid to face new challenges. She was recently diagnosed with an advanced form of scoliosis, a genetic condition where Audrey’s spine to grow in a curve. Her surgery to correct it and recovery will take place at her local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.
Audrey has a passionate spirit and participates in her hometown improv group, sharing her humor with everyone she meets. Her story means a lot to families going through the same thing. “I want to help children and find a cure,” she says.
Funds from Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals have helped equip life-saving oncology services and a new state-of-the-art surgery center, which allow kids like Audrey to heal and thrive close to home.
Benjamin
T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia – Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Days after his seventh birthday, Benjamin was diagnosed with T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and started 3½ years of treatment. His therapy began with nine months of intense intravenous chemotherapy and weekly clinic visits to monitor his cell counts. In September 2016, he moved to the “maintenance” phase of his treatment, which includes daily chemotherapy pills, weekly antibiotics and monthly clinic visits for intravenous chemotherapy.
At his children’s hospital, Benjamin received support from child life specialists to help him cope emotionally and manage his pain. He also participated in school services programs to continue his education while he was hospitalized. Support for both of these is made possible by funds raised through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Benjamin loves all things sports-related. When one of his sports heroes—Chicago Cubs first baseman and cancer survivor Anthony Rizzo—visited the hospital, they formed an immediate bond. The Rizzo family’s support for Benjamin and his family inspired the Burke family’s annual lemonade stand, which raises money for the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation and supports work done at the Lurie Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. After his stressful days in the hospital, Benjamin has happily rejoined his classmates at school and his teammates on the baseball field.
Ciarlo
Spina Bifida – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Despite being born with a severe form of Spina Bifida, having surgery at just 21 hours and a shunt placed in his brain at two weeks, Ciarlo – who is paralyzed from the waist down – has a personality that brightens every room. In fact, he’s been nicknamed “The Mayor” because of his outgoing, cheerful demeanor.
It’s an outlook that means everything for a family that’s dealt with so much. In 2016, Ciarlo’s older brother, Dominic, lost his battle to brain cancer. Since Dominic’s death, the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) has provided emotional, social and spiritual support to help the family work through their grief. Ciarlo meets with a PACT child life therapist, and his parents see a PACT bereavement social worker. Funds raised through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals support PACT and other programs that help children and families cope with the hospital experience.
Ciarlo continues to bring his unique brand of joy to everyone he meets. He’s proud of his accomplishments, and loves telling people that his first word was “stethoscope.”
Eli & Shane
Burn and Trauma Survivors – Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital (Valhalla, N.Y.)
When brothers Eli and Shane were ejected from the off-road vehicle they were riding in, after it hit a neighbor’s mailbox, they flew nearly 35 feet. Both brothers suffered third-degree burns, and Shane had a broken nose and orbital fractures, as well.
At Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, 100 percent of donations through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals support services including the care of children undergoing open-heart surgery, brain surgery and the trauma and burn care that Eli and Shane received while they were in the hospital.
Surgeries, skin grafts and stitches helped the boys heal physically, and their strong attachment to one another helped them, too. Shane says he’d always wanted a baby sister but is now eternally grateful for the love and companionship he shares with Eli.
Both boys have challenges to overcome, but they’re making strides every single day.
Izabella
Heart & Lung Transplant – UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital (Gainesville, Fla.)
As a premature baby in the neonatal intensive care unit, along with her twin sister Jesubelle, Izabella wasn’t showing signs of progress. She eventually became one of the youngest patients ever to receive a heart-lung transplant. Her family slept by her side for days after her surgery, on one of the many pullout couches, funded by donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Funds from CMN Hospitals also provide the most advanced medical technology and treatment available, ensuring that Izabella receives the best care possible from 11 specialists at the hospital. Recently, the pediatric department also received new tools to visualize airways in kids like Izabella because of funds from CMN Hospitals.
Izabella will need continued monitoring, but she’s full of spunk and vigor and continues to defy the odds. She calls her transplant doctor “my hero.”
Kaylee
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia – Rady Children’s Hospital (San Diego, Calif.)
It was a big diagnosis for such a little person. Kaylee was just three when her family found out she had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, which can progress incredibly quickly if not treated right away.
Thankfully Kaylee received excellent medical care and completed her chemotherapy in March 2018. She now visits her children’s hospital for monthly checkups. Thanks to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals funds, which support life-saving technology and research, Kaylee’s long-term prognosis is excellent.
This lively 5-year-old, who is now in kindergarten, loves gymnastics and school.
Logan
Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Merosin-deficient – Gunderson Health System (La Crosse, Wisc.)
With Logan’s condition, symptoms can vary depending on the individual. That makes him truly one-of-a-kind, but also means his journey will be tough to navigate. The future is unknown and there is currently no cure for his disease.
Logan continually faces numerous risks associated with his condition including respiratory illnesses, scoliosis, seizures and contractures of the joints. He visits specialists at multiple Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to ensure he receives the best care. Donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals programs have helped Logan and his family with transportation costs to travel to and from the hospital.
This determined and focused 9-year-old, loves Star Wars, the Avengers, Pokemon and making people laugh. When he talks about the future, he explains that someday he’d like to be an inventor. Regarding his condition, he says, “I just roll with it.”
Makenna
Larson Syndrome – Seattle Children’s Hospital
Makenna’s Larsen Syndrome causes bone dislocations and affects her airway, spine and joints. She’s had a remarkable 15 surgeries in her 15 years of life.
But the most remarkable thing about this teenager is her huge generosity of spirit. Wanting to help children with illnesses like hers, she started fundraising on a yearly basis, eventually forming her own non-profit called the Makspire Foundation. To date, she’s helped raise more than $1 million for Seattle Children’s Hospital.
She finds joy in her diagnosis, saying that without it she wouldn’t be the person she is. “That’s why I devote my spare time to raising funds for the hospital and encouraging other kids to bring about the positive changes they want to see in the world,” she says.
Samerya
Nephrotic Syndrome – Children’s National Health System (Washington, D.C.)
After a long journey trying to find a diagnosis for Samerya’s illness, Children’s National discovered that Samerya had a disease of the kidneys that prevented her body from breaking down proteins and caused scarring on her kidneys and her body to swell.
At 4 years old, Samerya had her kidneys removed through her belly button. After 11 months on dialysis, Samerya received a kidney transplant. The transplant itself was a success. Unfortunately, her syndrome returned and is affecting her new kidney.
Samerya will remain on anti-rejection medicine as her talented caregivers figure out the next steps. For now, her disease is in remission, and Samerya maintains a positive outlook on life. She loves the Food Network and anything to do with princesses. When she grows up, she wants to be a nurse and help kids in the hospital like her.
Miracle Network Dance Marathon is an international movement, involving over 400 colleges, universities and K-12 schools across North America that fundraise for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Since its inception in 1991, Miracle Network Dance Marathon has raised more than $250 million–ensuring that no child or family fights pediatric illness or injury alone.
Learn more about Miracle Network Dance Marathon: