Miracle Kid Corner
Children’s Miracle Network helps raise funds for Hendrick Children’s Hospital and other children’s services at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene to help provide quality healthcare for the children of the Texas Midwest. One hundred percent of the money stays right here.
And why this rare opportunity? Because these ranch owners know the proceeds are going to one of their favorite charities, Children’s Miracle Network!
When you think of the word champion, images of victory in a ring or on a field may come to mind, but 12-year-old Keegan Vowell is a champion in the battle for life itself. Keegan was born with a condition called cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease causing declining lung function. The condition makes it hard for Keegan to breathe, and too often, it claims victims in the prime of life. This lifetime condition means Keegan makes regular visits to Hendrick Children’s Hospital several times a year.
For Keegan, the support of Children’s Miracle Network is vital to his continued treatment. The equipment, materials and programs supplied by Children’s Miracle Network mean Keegan can stay right here in Abilene for treatment, allowing him to be just blocks away from his family and friends. Through his treatments, Keegan continues to be a champion in the battle for life, giving him more days of playing sports, more time enjoying just being a kid and more of a chance to live life to the fullest. Click here to find out how Hendrick Children's Hospital and Children's Miracle Network helped Keegan.
A few weeks after little Teagan’s birth, her parents noticed something was wrong. After her family was transferred to Dyess Air Force Base, an Abilene doctor diagnosed Teagan with MPS 1 or Hurlers Syndrome. Hurlers Syndrome is a rare disorder that affects many body systems and leads to organ damage. While there are several treatments for MPS 1, there is no cure.
However, Teagan found a miracle and a hero in her 4-year-old brother, Riley. Riley came back as a perfect match to Teagan, allowing doctors to transplant needed cells into Teagan’s body. Soon her body began producing a much needed enzyme, but developmentally Teagan was still like a new born baby. A team of therapists from Hendrick Center for Rehabilitation began teaching her how to eat, walk and talk. Through therapy sessions and participation in therapy on horseback through the Hendrick Equine Rehabilitation Program, Teagan began gaining strength.
Today, Teagan has gained the coordination and skills she needs to live life as a normal 3-year-old. Thanks to Children’s Miracle Network, there were specialists, equipment and programs that could help little Teagan and her family have hope when they needed it most. Click here to find out how Hendrick Children's Hospital and Children's Miracle Network helped Teagan.
In December 2008, 17-year-old Ryan Courvelle was playing his favorite sport of basketball when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest. His mother rushed him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a pneumonthorax, a weak part in the lung leaking air and making it difficult for Ryan to breathe. Due to the condition, Ryan was told he would never be able to play basketball again.
After a severe lung collapse, Ryan was admitted into Hendrick Children’s Hospital. There staff worked to make Ryan’s stay as comfortable as possible, even arranging a special visit from members of the ACU basketball team to cheer him up. Thanks to the staff at Hendrick, Ryan was able to get the surgery he needed and get back to life as a normal teenager. Today, Ryan says he is grateful to the staff at Hendrick Children’s Hospital for treating him like more than just another patient and is glad to know there is a Children’s Miracle Network hospital right here in Abilene taking care of patients like him.Click here to find out how Hendrick Children's Hospital and Children's Miracle Network helped Ryan.
