Only the - Cook Children's

Partner
connections
There are many well-known, national companies that partner
with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to raise funds benefiting
local hospitals like Cook Children’s. Participating in fundraising
efforts gives the employees of these companies a chance to make
a difference in their community.
One such local partnership is with RE/MAX and Cook Children’s.
All 47 of the local RE/MAX offices participate in fundraising through
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and all of the proceeds go to
Cook Children’s. Since 2009, these local RE/MAX locations have
raised $95,129.
Often, there is a personal connection that motivates people within
these businesses to give back. This is the case with Tracey Amaya,
whose first grandson, Ryan, is a Cook Children’s patient.
Nine years ago, Tracey’s daughter was going through her first
pregnancy. The pregnancy was proceeding as planned until her
doctor detected something strange on the sonogram. Unable
to make a diagnosis until birth, they learned Ryan had tuberous
sclerosis, a rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes nonmalignant
tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs.
Ryan was born with tumors in his brain, heart, kidneys and with
marks on his skin.
Immediately, doctors determined the tumors in his heart needed to
be addressed. Cook Children’s cardiothoracic surgeon Vincent Tam,
M.D., performed open heart surgery to remove four of the five tumors
on Ryan’s heart when he was just 2 days old. The tumor in his heart
valve was the largest anyone had ever seen in that location. After a
successful surgery, the attention turned to Ryan’s brain.
The tumors in Ryan’s brain were numerous and inoperable. Every
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) doctor and specialist available
was involved with Ryan’s care. His care team looked at the tumors
in his kidneys and his skin marks and decided to watch and wait.
Ryan spent three weeks in the NICU. “We had a big family and a
lot of support,” recalled Tracey. “We vowed that Ryan would never be
alone so we took shifts and stayed with him. The nurses and doctors
were great. They never told us we could not be there and in fact, they
would look for open areas where we could sit together.” Once home,
Ryan continued to have regular visits with his Cook Children’s doctors.
Today, at 9 years old, Ryan has no developmental delays and is
thriving. And he now has three younger siblings to play with every day.
“Cook Children’s is such an asset to the community,” said Tracey.
“Ryan received the best care and is with us today because of the
wonderful people at Cook Children’s who took care of him.”
Ryan calls Cook Children’s his “palace,” and because of this
extremely powerful experience, his family holds a benefit to support
Cook Children’s NICU. The family felt blessed to have such a large
network of family support. They wanted to help other NICU families
who don’t have family close, have come from long distances or who
don’t have the financial means to stay with their child in the medical
center. Tracey, a RE/MAX agent, has additionally started supporting
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through the
RE/MAX partnership.
Cook Children’s is grateful for all of the corporations and
foundations who partner with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
This support helps Cook Children’s to fulfill our promise to improve
the health of every child in our region through the prevention and
treatment of illness, disease and injury.
Bring on the denim
By supporting Miracle Jeans Day on Wed., Sept. 14, with a minimum donation of
$5, employees at your company can wear denim to work for a day. For an additional
donation, employees can also receive a Miracle Jeans Day T-shirt. Electronic,
personalized certificates are also available to recognize employee donations. The best
part of all…the funds raised benefit Cook Children’s Medical Center, a proud member of
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Sign up today at www.MiracleJeansDay.com.
18 Children’s Promise | The magazine of Cook Children’s
For more information, please visit www.cookchildrens.org/giving or www.cmnhospitals.org.