About the Course

Treated at CHRISTUS Children’s in San Antonio, TX.

Drew was a happy, healthy two-year-old who had never been ill. He never even had an earache before he was diagnosed with pneumonia and admitted into the H-E-B Emergency Department at CHRISTUS Children’s after a very high fever. When pneumonia didn’t improve, he was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and underwent surgery to clear out his lungs, followed by a blood transfusion the next day. Drew’s vitals dropped extremely low, causing him to go into cardiac arrest. After his second surgery, he was able come off the ventilator, but then his anaphylactic allergic reaction to antibiotics caused another setback. His mother says “the PICU team will always have a special place in our hearts. They gave us the greatest gift: Drew’s life.” Today, Drew has fully recovered. He is a fun-loving, sweet nine-year-old that loves Marvel and LEGOS. He stays busy on the weekends playing football, baseball, and basketball.

Thanks to the support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Drew benefited from a brand new PICU ventilator to support his complex care and Child Life services for his family.

Treated at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, CO.

At age 4, Maelle began to complain that her head hurt and her eyes started crossing. Doctors discovered a three-centimeter mass in her brain and immediately sent the family to Children’s Hospital Colorado where Maelle had a biopsy.

Doctors at Children’s Hospital Colorado diagnosed Maelle with a non-cancerous pilocytic astrocytoma. Due to the tumors’ precarious location, it was deemed inoperable. After careful consideration, Maelle’s family and care team decided to shrink the tumor with chemotherapy. After seven months of chemotherapy, the tumor had shrunk significantly, and they were able to cease treatment and return to normal life.

For two years, Maelle enjoyed life outside of the hospital and became an avid volleyball player. But unfortunately, during a routine check-up, doctors discovered that Maelle’s tumor had started growing again. In January of 2021, Maelle began a new experimental treatment to help reduce the growth of the tumor. Maelle continued to remain in the best of spirits and came off the treatment in February of 2023.

Whilst the treatment saw limited success, she has been off all medication since. Maelle continues to visit Children’s Hospital Colorado to monitor the tumors’ progress and is excited to start high school next year! The family has hope in the groundbreaking research being conducted at Children’s Hospital Colorado to find new treatments and therapies for kids like Maelle.

“Words can’t describe what Children’s Colorado means to us,” says her mom, Kristen. “A hospital isn’t a place where most people would choose to be. And yet, I always feel at ease here, knowing that our daughter is getting the best care available. They are nothing short of amazing.”

Thanks to donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Maelle benefits from groundbreaking research being conducted by her local member hospital.

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.