‘His Fragile Birth Has Led to a Wonderful Life’: The Impact of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

My son was born blue.

There was no cry, no deep breath taken, and no chance for me to hold him before he was whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The delivery room that was once full of NICU nurses, doctors and other medical staff during my emergency labor, now contained only me, my OB-GYN, and my labor and delivery nurse.

“Is he supposed to be that color?” I had asked naively, just before they began manually pumping oxygen into his lungs. Minutes later, he was in a crowded NICU room, with a ventilator and team of nurses keeping him alive until he was able to do the hard work himself. Away from me but surrounded by the experts who saved his life, my son experienced many of his firsts: his first bath, first X-ray, and first time benefiting from the miracle of a well-trained medical staff and well-equipped hospital. It would be three days before my husband and I held him for the first time and 21 days until he finally came home.

Eight years later, that premature baby born five weeks early with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome – a leading cause of death in premature infants, according to the March of Dimes – now downhill skis, reads two grade levels ahead and loves to travel.

His fragile birth has led to a wonderful life, free of long-term complications but full of the everyday experiences all children deserve. It also introduced us to the importance of pediatric healthcare and the magic it can bring.

While I don’t know what it’s like to parent a child with a chronic, complex medical condition, I do know what it’s like to parent a child who needs ear tubes or has asthma or requires a middle-of-the-night emergency room visit for a penicillin allergy. And because of this, I continue to experience first-hand the positive effects of our local Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals affiliate and the services it provides.

Having worked for RE/MAX, LLC prior to having children of my own, I knew the important work of CMN Hospitals and the incredible generosity of the RE/MAX network. But it wasn’t until I entered the hospital for the first time, with my own child being treated, that I truly understood the power of this partnership. I realized it wasn’t only for the most vulnerable among us – who, as it turns out, are actually the strongest among us – it’s for all of us.

It’s for the child from out of state who is flown in for the best care, the neighbor next door who needs to be seen for a broken leg. It’s for the parents, guardians and family members to have the same peace of mind I have, as we drive past the hospital and my children squeal with delight, “That’s my doctor!”

These hospitals and our donations make a big impact on the community, through research, equipment and training. But they also lead to the small things, the things that shape the memories and positive interactions of the children being treated there, with every out-patient doctor visit or in-patient treatment. My children don’t remember entering the building scared or the IV they received, they remember that a blood pressure cuff “hugs their arm” or how fun it was to play breathing games (lung function tests). They remember watching the amazing Rube Goldberg machine in the lobby of the hospital and coloring with a child-life specialist as she explained the procedure in kid language. And they remember that the stuffed animal or toy they love playing with was gifted to them by staff as they concluded their visit.

So, during the RE/MAX Month of Miracles this August, I celebrate the RE/MAX affiliates who make a positive impact on their community, who donate to CMN Hospitals through the RE/MAX Miracle Home and Miracle Property Program or participation in a fundraiser, who show up and give back. To them, I say an unceasing “thank you,” and join them in their ongoing giving.

Together, RE/MAX affiliates are making a difference in the mission of CMN Hospitals: changing kids’ health to change the future.

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