Love’s Travel Stops is helping CHRISTUS Children’s transform lives for kids and their families through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals)! Not only does Love’s Travel Stops provide fuel to customers, but they also change kids’ health to change the future. When you visit your local Love’s anytime between June 1-30, you can donate a… Continue Reading →
On Saturday, April 23, students from across Trinity University’s campus came together to show off their dance moves, play games, and hang out with our patient ambassadors, all while raising funds for CHRISUS Children’s! The Trinity University Dance Marathon, known as TigerThon, raised an incredible $11,008! Patient Ambassadors, Camilla, Emmalee, Maritza, Holly, Heather, Lindsey, and… Continue Reading →
Local children’s hospitals are on the frontlines when protecting the health of future generations. But they can’t do it alone. Each dollar that Costco and its members raise through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) improves the health of kids allowing them the opportunity to grow to their full potential. During the month of May,… Continue Reading →
Marceline and Phoebe were born at 23-weeks-gestation at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital – New Braunfels. The twins both weighed just a little over one pound each and were extremely frail. Marceline and Phoebe were immediately airlifted to CHRISTUS Children’s for further treatment and were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Upon arrival, doctors quickly got to work to care for these tiny girls. Phoebe underwent surgery right away to repair a small bowel perforation and continued to have surgeries on her GI tract. Marceline had extra blood flowing to her lungs and received surgery to close the artery as well as surgeries to correct cranial abnormalities. Today, Marceline and Phoebe are two fiery five-year-olds.
Destany, a varisty cheerleader at 16 years old, was at the top of a pyramid when it unexpectedly collapsed. She endured a severe concussion, spinal shock, and was unable to walk on her own. She had major loss of motor strength on the right side of her body. She could not walk, write, or feel with her right hand. She had trouble reading and suffered from severe headaches. Destany underwent six months of extensive occupational and physical therapy and made a dramatic recovery.
Zoe and her younger sister, Jada, were born eight years apart, both perfectly healthy and happy baby girls. Over time, both girls suffered hearing loss before reaching their second birthdays. Zoe’s mother, Lisa, first noticed a change in Zoe’s behavior after her 18-month check-up.
In November 2016, Drew was a happy, healthy two-year-old who had never been ill. “He had never even had an earache,” said Marissa, Drew’s mother. “Then one day, he had a very high fever. We took him to his pediatrician, who diagnosed him with allergies.” Marissa and her husband, Ricky, returned home with Drew, but soon noticed his breathing had changed.
Over the years, Destany participated on various competitive cheer teams. While she has been successful throughout her 11-year cheerleading career, her hard work has not come without a few set-backs.
Destany endured a stress fracture in her back at age 12…
When doctors discovered a tumor growing from Zack’s right kidney up through his heart, they knew he faced the fight of his young life . . .
When Allison had her second child, she was expecting a normal, healthy baby. What she got was a miracle. The big day had come and Allison and her husband, Matt, traveled to a local hospital for her planned C-Section, eager to meet their new child. “We were so excited because we had planned everything ahead of time, and the only surprise we were expecting was the gender,” Allison says. “That’s when God stepped in and said, “You can’t plan everything.” “I Knew Something Was Really Wrong” Evan arrived a seemingly healthy baby boy — but within a few hours, Allison and Matt realized something wasn’t right. “Matt went to watch the nurses give Evan a bath, and he came back and said, “I don’t want to worry you, but his oxygen levels aren’t great,” Allison recalls. “He came back a second time and said a cardiologist was looking at Evan. The third time he came back, two doctors were with him. That’s when I knew something was really wrong.” Evan was diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect known as transposition of the great arteries. The hospital they had chosen for his birth wasn’t equipped to treat the defect, so Evan was transferred to CHRISTUS Children’s. “They actually came and transported Evan themselves, which I thought was incredible,” Allison says. “The transporters came into the room, and I immediately felt a sense of safety. They knew what they were doing and that everything was under control.” Coming to CHRISTUS Children’s When Allison and Matt arrived at CHRISTUS Children’s, they immediately noticed a difference. “I walked in the door, and they said, “You must be Evan’s mom. Let’s get you a wheelchair,” Allison says. They anticipated our every need. They even let us sleep in the intensive care unit where Evan was. They got us shampoo, towels, pillows, and blankets. The entire staff treated us like we were family.” Two days after Evan was born, Allison and Matt met with the surgeons who would be operating on Evan the following morning. They explained everything and answered all the questions. Allison and Matt also met with child life specialists at the Hospital, who shared information about developmental expectations and what life after surgery would be like. The next day, Allison watched in tears as her three-day-old boy entered the operating room. Then she waited. “I felt confident because I had seen specifically what would happen during the surgery,” Allison says. As a mother, that makes you feel good knowing – if your child is going to have surgery – you are getting the best doctors and the best care possible.” Four hours later, Evan’s heart was fixed. Today, Evan is a healthy, happy four-year-old. He has nothing to show for his dramatic first week of life, except a “cool” scar on his chest. Last spring, Evan’s cardiologist cleared him for all activities, and by the fall, Evan was running in San Antonio’s annual ING Kids Rock one-mile marathon.
