Miracle Stories
CMN of Greater Kansas City
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Eric Hamilton - Age 2 1/2
by Yvonne Hamilton, Eric's Mom
“I would recommend Children’s Mercy Hospital.”
I remember the first time I heard those words from a neonatal doctor. I was 7 months pregnant and in the hospital due to unknown chest discomfort. An ultrasound had shown my unborn son had something wrong with his kidneys and that he would probably require surgery soon after birth.
Eric was born at 37 weeks and was transported to Children's Mercy Hospital when he was 3 days old, he had a urinary tract blockage/kidney enlargement, ASD in his heart and down syndrome. I remember riding with my new baby in the ambulance and being scared out of my mind, not to mention exhausted and hormonal from just delivering.
The hospital was amazing, I had never been there before so just the added details of kid friendliness was comforting. The staff on the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) quickly got us settled, explained what was going to happen and answered our questions. A social worker met with us almost immediately and since we are from Topeka, KS got us set up with the Ronald McDonald house. I met so many staff members in the first two days I couldn’t even keep them all straight! » Read More
Lexie Diskin - Age 7
Lexie was born in Tulsa Oklahoma in September 2002. She was born with Goldenhar syndrome; which in her case means the left side of her face did not fully develop. Lexie had a cleft lip, cleft palate, missing her lower jaw and cheek bone on the left side, missing her left ear and her left eye was small.
Her parents found out at a routine ultrasound that Lexie had a cleft lip and palate, but as her Mom stated “we were totally surprised by the other exciting things about Lexie”. Mom did lots of research before the baby was born and found Children’s Mercy to be the best place to take Lexie. She spoke to the Craniofacial department several times before her baby was even born.
Lexie spent the first 8 days of her life in PICU at the hospital in Oklahoma. When she was 14 days old, the family made a trip to Kansas City to meet with Dr. Singhal and the Craniofacial Team. Lexie’s mom Wendy explains, “My husband and I had lots of questions, and felt like we must be the only people in the world with a baby like this one. Each member of the Craniofacial team greeted us with a smile and a feeling of “everything is going to be just fine...we see kids like Lexie all the time”, that was so comforting.”
In December of 2003 the family moved to the Kansas City area, and now Children’s Mercy Hospital is only 40 minutes away instead of the 4 hours from Oklahoma. Lexie is now 7 years old and just had her 6th surgery at Children’s Mercy on November 11th. One of Lexie’s most invasive surgeries was in 2008 when Dr. Singhal removed 2 of her ribs and grafted them into her face to create a jaw bone and cheek bone. When we left the hospital, Lexie said “can we come back next week Mom, that place was fun!” The care, attention and love that my entire family received from the staff at the hospital were outstanding.
When anyone asks Lexie what she is going to be when she grows up... she says “a doctor at Children’s Mercy Hospital”. It brings a tear to my eye and warmth to my heart to know the impact that Children’s Mercy has had on the life of our daughter. Lexie is a tough and sweet little girl and I am very thankful for our Children’s Mercy family.
Bill Ullery - Age 15
Bill was born in September 1994, and diagnosed with Biliary Atresia in October 1994. Biliary Atresia is a rare condition in newborn infants in which the common bile duct between the liver and the small intestine is blocked or absent. There is no cure for this condition. We were told that Bill would need a new liver by the time he reached one year of age or he would not survive.
He received a life-saving liver transplant in March 1995, at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Less than twenty four hours later he had his second liver transplant due to portal vein thrombosis. In April 1995, Bill received his third liver transplant due to lymphoma of the second liver transplanted. After being diagnosed with hepatic artery thrombosis, Bill received his fourth liver transplant in January 1996.
Bill is now 15 years old. Even though it has been a sometimes rough and winding road, Bill will tell you that he has a great life. Bill is wise, smart, energetic, comedic, disorganized, happy-go-lucky, loving, stubborn, caring, helpful, a great teenage boy, but to his family, he is our miracle.
Children's Miracle Network raises funds to ensure that children like Bill have the care they need when they need it, so they have the chance for happy lives too. CMN has been wonderful for Bill, as he has been asked to speak on several occasions to share his story. It has been great for Bill to share with others how important CMN is in our community, and it gives him an opportunity to give back when so much has been given to him and our family.
Chloe Robinson
As with all expectant Moms, there is the thrill and excitement of bringing a new life into the world, combined with the anxiousness that everything will be normal and go “according as planned”. The latter was certainly not the case for Vicky Wayman when she found herself in the KU Medical Center high risk clinic near the end of her second trimester. Her baby daughter was at only 26 weeks gestation when the doctors had to do an emergency C-section. Vicky had lost all the amniotic fluid in her body, literally causing her baby to suffocate.
Baby Chloe was born weighing just 1.75lbs. Chloe spent the first few months of life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at KU Medical Center Pediatrics. “The doctors at KU saved my daughter’s life twice” Vicky explained. At only 3 weeks of age Chloe coded twice; she had kidney complications due to the shock of being born so premature and problems with her lungs. Chloe required the help of a breathing machine continuously for the first few weeks of life. “I remember it was the last week of April when they took her off the machine and she breathed on her own for 6 hours!”
By March she weighted 2.8lbs and has continued growing healthier and stronger each day. Vicky recently told us “Chloe has grown into a beautiful little girl. She came home August 14 and is doing so good. She’s only had one hospital stay since then and that was due to a cold she got. We will never forget the care our Chloe received at KU…they saved our baby’s life.”
