33^rd Annual Miracle Tournament and Celebration Dinner

Treated at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, MN.

Twelve-year-old ZaLayaa has experienced a variety of sensory and complex medical conditions since she was an infant. Her symptoms have impacted her daily life, and to this day, their underlying cause remains a mystery. Over the years, her family has actively sought answers from doctors, heard different theories, and tried numerous treatments. Once they made it to Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, her mom says “that made a world of difference.” Gillette’s medical team brought a new approach to ZaLayaa’s care. Rather than focusing on solving the puzzle of her diagnosis, her care team addresses the real-life issues ZaLayaa was facing every day. Now, she sees more than 25 different providers at Gillette, receiving comprehensive evaluations with pediatric medicine and rehabilitation specialists, along with numerous physical and occupational therapy appointments. Gillette’s therapeutic recreation specialists have allowed her to enjoy an accessible playground and an adaptive bicycle. She has been waterskiing, run from third base to home plate at a Minnesota Twins game, and impressed fellow golfers with her swing on the course.

The support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has allowed ZaLayaa to reach new milestones on her health journey with innovative complex care teams and Therapeutic Recreation.

Treated at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York.

At the age of three, Mason started having prolonged fevers. During these extended periods, he would be lethargic, irritable, and barely able to eat. Even with the bruises on his skin, Mason’s primary physician told his parents that it was just a virus. A month later, his mom knew something wasn’t right so she took Mason to the emergency department of Cohen Children’s Medical Center. Shortly after he was admitted, Mason was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. For three years, he underwent chemotherapy treatments and has also had long hospital stays due to infections or low white blood cell count. Today, Mason is in remission and celebrated it by ringing the bell. Mason loves life, baseball, and ice hockey.

Donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fund life-saving treatments that help kids like Mason and their families cope during hospital stays.

Treated at Dayton Children’s Hospital in Dayton, OH.

At the age of three, Carah was diagnosed with childhood-onset fluency disorder (also known as stuttering). While most children outgrow a stutter by the age of 5, Carah did not. In 6th grade, a substitute teacher mocked her in class, leaving Carah spiraling with her self-esteem and confidence plummeting. She mentally and emotionally struggled and didn’t want to go to school. Carah saw countless speech therapists over the years but never felt there was a right fit as the focus was placed on her speech fluency and less on the deep, lingering emotional trauma she was experiencing. That changed when Carah turned to Dayton Children’s Speech Therapy Program. “...from the time we walked through those speech therapy doors, they took the time to actually talk with Carah and dug deeper to the parts that people can’t see. And helped Carah in learning tools and techniques to navigate those feelings and mental roadblocks,” her mom said. Carah will always have a stutter; however, she’s learned that her condition does not steal the power of her own voice. One way she’s doing that is by educating her former middle school by giving a keynote speech every year, now part of her school’s curriculum, about stuttering, understanding yourself and your feelings, and bullying. “Stuttering is a part of me, but it doesn’t define me. I have a lot of goals set for the future and I’m just getting started,” Carah said.

Thanks to donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Carah received life-changing support from Dayton Children’s Speech Therapy Program, helping her self-esteem grow as she navigates Child Onset Fluency Disorder.