33^rd Annual Miracle Tournament and Celebration Dinner

Treated at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL.

You would never know by looking at Gavin that he spent the first five years of his life battling debilitating ailments and undergoing countless treatments for an undiagnosed disease. Gavin was just three months old when he started experiencing persistent high fevers, rashes, vomiting, and blood in his intestinal tract. Early tests confirmed elevated liver enzymes and inflammatory markers in his blood. Gavin received treatment for his symptoms, but nothing seemed to cure the cause. When he was just two years old, Gavin had surgery for his kidneys at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. The surgery was successful, but Gavin continued to suffer from his ailments. For the next three years, Gavin endured several colonoscopies, biopsies, and MRIs without a definite diagnosis. At five years old, after discovering ulcers throughout Gavin’s intestinal tract, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease- an inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic inflammation in the intestinal tract. Crohn’s disease is rare in young children and often undetectable. Today, he receives IV infusion treatments every four weeks and is living a much healthier life. Gavin is an 12-year-old who loves all things golf-related, riding roller coasters, swimming, reading, and has a zest for life.

Thanks to the support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Gavin received a diagnosis and receives ongoing infusion treatment help improve his quality of life.

Treated at Seattle Children's Hospital in Seattle, WA.

Aisley’s parents took their 3-year-old daughter to her pediatrician when she began experiencing frequent headaches and vomiting, was especially tired and was eating less than usual. Aisley’s pediatrician referred her to Seattle Children’s, where an MRI revealed a life-threatening tumor that was pushing her brain to one side. She needed to go to the intensive care unit immediately, and then undergo emergency brain surgery. Aisley’s parents were stunned. Three days later, Aisley had a six-hour surgery to remove and biopsy her tumor. To pinpoint her exact diagnosis, pathologists used molecular testing - a type of precision medicine testing that was launched just a few years prior. The results showed Aisley had a rare and aggressive brain cancer. Her treatment included six months of chemotherapy, then six weeks of radiation to remove any remaining cancer cells. Her radiation oncology team significantly reduced the risk of damage to Aisley’s brain by using proton therapy to protect areas critical for language, memory and learning. Aisley completed her treatment one year later and continues to have MRI scans every six months – she remains cancer-free today. Thanks to generous donors to the Uncompensated Care Fund, the ongoing costs of the hearing aids Aisley needs are covered. Today, Aisley is an active 7-year-old on a competitive dance team. She loves doing cartwheels, swimming and playing with her sister, Elin.

Thanks to donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Aisley had access to innovative cancer care at Seattle Children’s on her way to remission.

Treated at Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, New Jersey.

Thirteen-year-old Gabriella (Gabby) was running at track practice when suddenly she felt her left arm drop on her last lap. After she lost feeling in her arm, she quickly lost sensation in her left leg and fell to the ground. Gabby was rushed to the pediatric unit of a local trauma center. The hospital immediately took her for a CAT scan, which revealed a brain bleed. After several tests, the doctors diagnosed Gabby with a rare brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) rupture in her right frontal lobe.

She had to wait 10 days for a craniotomy to remove the AVM because they needed the blood to settle in her brain. A few days after surgery, Gabby was transferred to Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH) for inpatient therapy. AVMs cause stroke-like symptoms, in Gabby’s case, paralysis of the left side of her body and facial weakness. For 19 days in a pediatric intensive care unit, Gabby couldn’t move or sit up. During the five weeks she spent at CSH, Gabby received physical, occupational, speech, and recreational therapies, including aquatic therapy and targeted ways to help her walk again and smile symmetrically. Gabby arrived wheelchair-bound and successfully walked out of CSH on her own. Since then, started practicing soccer and lacrosse again.

Donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals helped Gabby benefit from various forms of therapies that supported her road to recovery.