Trinity suffered abdominal injuries after being in a car accident with her mom. But Trinity had many people — and a dog — help her recover.
Thursday you can cool down, and give back to ECU Health’s Maynard Children’s Hospital, all while getting a sweet treat. It’s all a part of Dairy Queen’s annual Miracle Treat Day.
Every one dollar off a blizzard sold, will go back to help Maynard Children’s Hospital. Officials from ECU Health say in the past 20 years, Dairy Queen has raised nearly $200,000 for Maynard Children’s Hospital.
“We fund things from different types of equipment. So big transport trucks, down to little tiny vein finders for NICU babies, to supporting different programs at our children’s hospital like our child life program,” says Elise Ironmonger, Director of Programs for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at ECU Health Foundation.
Locations that are taking part include, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Greenville, Havelock, both Jacksonville locations, Morehead City, New Bern, Pine Knoll Shores, Roanoke Rapids, Sneads Ferry, Williamston and Winterville.
Just being a kid – that’s the goal Camp Hope and Camp Rainbow staff hope to accomplish every summer. Each year ECU Health and the Department of Pediatrics Hematology/Oncology at the Brody School of Medicine make it possible for children with cancer, hemophilia and sickle cell disease to take part in summer camp.
Camp Rainbow is for children with cancer, hemophilia and children who have lost a sibling to one of these diseases, and Camp Hope is for children with sickle cell disease.
“Once the kids get to camp, start participating activities and get to know each other, they leave everything behind and just get to be kids,” said Jacque Sauls, child life specialist at the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and director of Camp Hope and Camp Rainbow. “That is a blissful moment for all of the health care staff to be able to watch a child we see in the hospital all the time being a kid and having a great time.”
ECU Health and Brody team members develop camping programs to provide pediatric patients an opportunity to learn more about themselves and their illness, participate in fun activities like swimming, canoeing, archery, crafts, music and drama, all while making life-long friendships with other children with similar conditions and experiences. Over 60 campers from 25 counties in eastern North Carolina came this year.
“These kids are often protected and sheltered a little bit because they can’t do all the things other kids can do because of their illnesses, or they’re afraid of infections or normal camps don’t have the health care they need,” said Sauls. “Here, they can do every camp activity. There are no limits.”
While at camp, children receive 24-hour medical care and close medical monitoring by their ECU Health care teams including physicians, nurses, child life and social workers.
“All of the children take medicine because of their conditions, so when they take it together, they realize, ‘You have to do this just like I do,’ and know they’re not alone,” said Sauls.
The vast majority of camp volunteers and counselors are former campers themselves, having experienced sickle cell, bleeding disorders or cancer. This shared background allows them to form a special connection with the campers, having faced similar challenges, treatments and experiences. These volunteers return to camp to ensure that today’s kids receive the same transformative experience they once did.
“It’s one of the most important things we do at camp because they get to meet children going through the same thing they’re going through or have gone through,” said Sauls. “The kids get to have mentors that have gone what they’ve gone through and are now in college. They get to see that just because you have a chronic illness or have had cancer you can’t do all the things you want to accomplish in life.”
This is true for camp volunteer Daniel Everett, who attended Camp Hope starting in 2017. When he graduated high school in 2021, he decided to volunteer at the camp.
“I have sickle cell myself, and for me as a kid to come to camp was a dream,” Everett said. “It was magical. It was a place I could go that I knew I was going to have fun, and it was a place I felt right at home.”
Now as a counselor, Everett makes the same impact on the new campers.
“It’s really awesome seeing the kids enjoy themselves, especially when they come from a background of pain, they may be going through treatment,” Everett said. “It’s just nice to see them come here to take a breather like, ‘I can be myself,’ because they’re accepted here.”
Everett is beginning college in the fall, and Sauls noted how important it is for the campers to see someone with the same disease as them accomplishing their goals.
One volunteer, however, is not a former patient. Dr. Ashish Khanchandani recently graduated from the Brody School of Medicine at ECU and is beginning his residency in Pediatrics at ECU Health Medical Center. Dr. Khanchandani volunteered during his gap between medical school graduation and residency to make sure the campers have fun and to assist in any medical needs the campers may have.
“The goal of us as volunteers is to make sure the kids can go about their day without any major medical issues,” Dr. Khanchandani said. “It has been fun being like a camp counselor. I’ve done all the activities with my kids like paddle boarding, all while making sure they’re doing it safely.”
Sauls said she was especially grateful for Dr. Khanchandani’s expertise when it comes to his group of campers. His group has Daniel Perez, a camper who survived brain cancer at two years old, losing his vision. Perez was diagnosed with bone cancer in his leg at age nine and underwent chemotherapy. Thanks to the help from Dr. Khanchandani and another camper named Esra Lupton, Perez has been able to participate in every single activity.
“Daniel and Esra met at this camp for the first time, and they go everywhere together,” said Sauls. “Esra takes him from place to place. It’s a friendship you would never be able to make somewhere else.”
Perez, like the other campers, has loved his time at Camp Rainbow. He said coming to camp helps him de-stress and forget about the medical stress going on his day-to-day life.
Camp Rainbow and Camp Hope are offered free of charge to children with chronic illnesses and were made possible this year by generous support and donations from the ECU Health Medical & Health Sciences Foundation, Inc., Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals/ECU Health Foundation, the Pamlico Neuse Women’s Coalition, the James and Mamie Richardson Perkins Trust, the Mildred Sheffield Wells Charitable Trust, Riley’s Army, Jaylen’s Nation, Ms. Tammy Thompson, Beau’s Buddies, China Kitchen of Robersonville and other individuals and civic organizations. To learn more, please visit: https://pediatrics.ecu.edu/camp-rainbow/
While most kids are enjoying camp this Summer, there are those that cannot due to cancer, hemophilia and sickle cell disease. However, ECU Health and the Department of Pediatrics Hematology/Oncology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is changing that.
ECU Health has issued a press release that they willmake it possible for children with cancer, hemophilia and sickle cell disease to take part in summer camp. Camp Rainbow is for children with cancer, hemophilia and children who have lost a sibling to one of these diseases, and Camp Hope, for children with sickle cell disease.
The camp will be hosted June 16-22 at The Refuge, 1380 Lower Field Road, Ayden, N.C. 28513.ECU Health and Brody team members have developed camping programs to provide pediatric patients an opportunity to learn more about themselves and their illness, participate in fun activities. Activities will include swimming, canoeing, archery, crafts, music, and drama.
During the camp, children will receive 24-hour medical care and close medical monitoring by their ECU Health care teams including physicians, nurses, child life, and social workers.
Both camps are offered at no cost to kids with chronic illnesses by donations and support due to generous donations and support by many people and organizations.
For 39 years now, Eastern Carolina and beyond have shown up to help sick and injured children.
WITN teamed up for another year of fun and inspiration for two days for the 39th Annual Children’s Miracle Network Telethon.
With your donations, we were able to raise $1,258,511 for the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville.
Those dollars help fund cutting-edge technology as well as quality-of-life items for the families and patients being cared for at the hospital.
If you missed our broadcast, no worries! You can still donate by heading here.
You can watch our Miracle Child stories here.
A fun day out on the water surfing behind a boat at Pine Knoll Shores last August quickly turned tragic for 13-year-old Wiley Sloan.
Wiley says, “I could just hear the propeller spinning and getting closer and closer.”
As the boat circled around to pick him up, he was struck by the propeller. “I knew I got hit but I didn’t know it was going to be this bad, said Wiley.
Wiley’s dad Hamilton was about to head to the coast from their Raleigh home when his wife Hannah called. “She just said there’s been a boating accident. I don’t know what’s going on. Just go to Greenville. I’ll meet you in Greenville.”
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As Hamilton frantically rushed to Maynard Children’s Hospital, his wife called back with more details, “And said Wiley’s lost an arm, um, and he’s in a helicopter on his way to Greenville right now.”
Wiley remembers, “You don’t want to look cause It kinda makes the pain worse but it’s pretty hard not to look.”
Now, this young man, who loves the water and competing in every sport you can imagine, was in his toughest battle yet. For his life.
Hamilton says, “The doctors, as they should be, were very straightforward about the fact that he was a very sick young man and had significant traumatic injuries.”
Not only did Wiley lose his left arm, he had severe injuries to his abdomen and leg, and would have to endure 10 surgeries.
Back home, his classmates lifted him in prayer, while at the hospital, ECU baseball player Parker Byrd, who lost a leg in a boating accident a year earlier, lifted his spirits, all helping Wiley stay brave and calm through it all.
“Maybe just motivation to get better and better and I just kept my mind off of what happened,” said Wiley.
After 33 days in the hospital, he was well enough to go home.
Hamilton says, “And that’s a testament to Wiley’s toughness and healing and a testament to the staff at the hospital.”
Today, not even a year since the accident, he’s back doing some of what he loves as he continues to heal in the pool and on the basketball court.
Being from Raleigh, Hamilton says he wasn’t familiar with Maynard Children’s Hospital and initially wasn’t sure what to think when Wiley was flown there, but says as time moved on and they learned more about the hospital, the doctors, and the level of care they were receiving, he says it became very obvious they were in the right place.
Hamilton says, “Eastern North Carolina is very fortunate to have the Maynard Children’s Hospital. It is a first-class facility.”
One that he says deserves your support and one that he thanks for saving his son’s life. “I’m a witness to a miracle at ECU Health and Wiley is absolutely fortunate to be a miracle child,” said Hamilton.
Wiley couldn’t be more grateful. “I see myself as a miracle cause everything was so perfect and good.”
Be sure to tune in this weekend for the CMN Telethon and make a pledge to help ensure kids like Wiley are able to get the critical treatment they need right here in Eastern Carolina.
Layah Collins is like any other kindergartner, bubbly and full of life. But in 2019 and over the next five years, she would endure unimaginable pain and suffering from Neuroblastoma. But her mother says with help of the doctors and nurses at the Maynard Children’s Hospital, it’s a battle Layah would fight and win.
“Girl on fire.” 6-year-old Layah Collins says that’s her favorite song. Ironically, it also describes her incredible journey in her fight against cancer.
In 2019, 1-year-old Layah was diagnosed with stage four Neuroblastoma. Her mother, Alysha Collins, says she found out after a scan at the Maynard Children’s Hospital revealed a bump on her head was actually a tumor.
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“I was shocked not what I was expecting. It’s one of those you see the commercials on TV but you never think it’s going to be your child,” says Collins.
Enter Dr. Cathleen Cook, a woman who Alysha says not only became their physician, but an honorary member of the family and would stand by her and Layah’s side from that moment on.
“On my fridge, on the top part, I have when she was diagnosed and all the pictures that she has shared and given to me. So, my son even knows who Layah is, so we do get very close to our patients,” says Cook.
By 2020, 2-year-old Layah had seven surgeries, five bone marrow biopsies, one specialized radiation session, one stem cell infusion and thirteen cycles of Chemotherapy. It was then that Alysha says it became apparent the disease was winning and she was forced to make the hardest decision she’s ever had to make and stop treatment.
“Nothing was working and the treatments made her sick, she was nauseous, she threw up, she had lost all of her hair, her beautiful curls had all fallen out and I just wanted her home because if it wasn’t working I didn’t want to keep putting her through that. She was only 2 and her little body had already been through so much,” says Collins.
Alysha says, however – her daughter did live and thrive – and over the next three years frequent scans showed the cancer was not growing or spreading.
The relief was short-lived — in 2023, tests showed new sites of the disease not previously seen. That’s when 5-year-old Layah would undergo yet another brain surgery and be given a different Chemotherapy agent, referred to as compassionate use medication.
The new treatment worked — and in January 2024 6-year-old Layah’s scan was negative. Alysha says it is nothing short of a miracle for her daughter to be in remission for the first time in five years.
“I was like what does this mean and she said that she would be considered in remission, and I just cried, because those were words that I never thought I was going to hear,” says Collins.
Alysha says although it’s been a rough road, she’s grateful for the support from all the doctors and nurses at the Maynard Children’s Hospital.
“The care here was amazing, everybody made us feel like family, still when she walks through the front door everybody knows who Layah is, everybody knows,” says Collins.
She says Layah is stronger than ever and living the life that she deserves.
“This girl is on fire. She’s walking on fire. This girl is on fire,” says Collins.
Dr. Cook says Layah is in remission and there are no new signs of the disease. She says Layah will receive scans every three months for the next couple of years and continue to be monitored through age 25.
You can continue to make miracles like Layah’s happen when you tune in and make a pledge this weekend during the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon.
The neonatal intensive care unit at Maynard Children’s Hospital, also known as the NICU, is where the most delicate babies who need the highest level of care and attention come.
Most of them are premature babies who are born locally in Greenville or from 28 other counties in the east.
Premature babies born under 30 weeks or that weigh less than 1,500 grams come into this world with many risks, including retinopathy of prematurity.
“Where the blood vessels of the retina do not form normally,” Dr. Ostrovsky, the Chief of Ophthalmology Services at ECU Health System explained.
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The retina contains the photoreceptors in the eye, making it crucial to see normally.
So, every day and every hour matters to babies born with this condition.
“Sometimes untreated, it can cause retinal detachment and blindness,” Dr. Ostrovsky said.
Now, imagine if doctors can detect conditions like this beforehand and ensure a life of healthy vision that is made possible with the retina cam.
Once the doctor instills numbing drops, dilating drops, and stabilizes the baby’s eyelid with a metal speculum, the retina cam can take high-resolution, 130-degree pictures in a matter of seconds.
“Create better images of the baby’s retina, allow us to follow the more reliably, also to create a more reliable follow-up for the babies as they continue their treatment,” Dr. Ostrovsky shared.
Those images then allow doctors to monitor and evaluate a baby’s eye health.
The retina cam can also be used on normal, full-term babies, who have gone through non-accidental trauma, or abuse.
“These images are not only important clinically, again, for monitoring the progression of how these kids feel after the trauma they sustained, but also medical-legally when these images are shown in front of a judge and jury,” Dr. Ostrovsky said.
As a pioneer in this revolutionary technology, the Maynard Children Hospital’s retina cam will not only change many life trajectories but also serve as a role model for many doctors and hospitals across the country.
You can ensure equipment like that is available for kids in the east when you make a donation to the Children’s Miracle Telethon this weekend on WITN.
All week long on WITN, we’ll continue to share the inspiring stories of many resilient children in the east but as the 39th annual Children’s Miracle Network Telethon approaches, we wanted to show you how the recent addition of man’s best friend at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital has lifted the spirits of patients.
When you visit the Jamie and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital, you probably expect to see patients roaming the halls but not a furry four-legged friend.
“We have patients tell us all the time, she’s the best investment this hospital’s ever made,” said ECU Health Child Life Specialist and Dog Handler, Ashton Ayers.
Meet Sam, a golden retriever, labrador, and doodle mix who’s known around the hospital for brightening children’s day.
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“She was going to be the best part of my day today no matter what happened,” said Maynard Children’s Hospital patient, Winter Burke.
2-year-old Sam joined the Maynard Canine Crew back in November 2023, but she’s quickly stolen the hearts of many patients.
Ayers says the love and comfort Sam provides is truly special for the children.
“As child life we’re the fun guys typically so they know us but after they’ve had 40 people in the room all day, seeing Sam is an instant smile and change in their attitude,” Ayers said.
Like many of us humans, Sam works Monday-Friday clocking 40 hours a week but for Sam putting smiles on the faces of kids like Burke makes it all worth it.
Burke says she’d been spending most her time at the hospital in bed, but seeing Sam changed that.
“I was very happy,” Burke said. “I wanted to cry because I felt like since I couldn’t see my own dog, she was like my own dog for day.”
Being in the hospital for long periods of time can be hard for any child, but with Sam there are no bad days even for Ayers.
“I say all the time since I’ve had Sam, I haven’t had a bad day at work,” Ayers said. “There’s been hard things we’ve had to deal with together, but just seeing her impact is truly amazing to see. She’s just such a cool co-worker, no one else gets to work with a dog everyday.”
Sam is so much more than just an ordinary four-legged friend to the patients at Maynard Children’s Hospital.
Some say they’re glad to have her as a safe haven because they don’t know if they’d be able to get through their individual health battles without her.
“I think it means a lot that they can make us happy,” Burke said.
Ayers says they’re now on the waiting list for another dog to add their team alongside Sam and hope your donations during this weekend’s Children’s Miracle Network telethon will help the Maynard Canine Crew continue to grow.
The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Celebration Broadcast honors past telethon traditions by celebrating selected miracle stories of children who represent the thousands of children in eastern North Carolina who have received treatment at James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center this past year. This year, the CMN Celebration Broadcast will be held on Saturday, June 1, from 7-8 p.m. and Sunday, June 2, from 6-9 a.m. and 7-11 p.m. airing on longtime partner, WITN. Examples of how CMN donations are used will be featured throughout the event as well to show the impact philanthropic gifts truly make.
“We are so grateful to all those who support our Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals program all throughout the year,” said Elise Ironmonger, director of programs, ECU Health Foundation. “The generosity of our donors enables Maynard Children’s Hospital, located in Greenville and serving 29 counties, to provide life-saving care to the thousands of children who are treated each year. We look forward to being able to showcase the amazing care provided every day at Maynard Children’s Hospital during this weekend’s telethon and to have an opportunity to thank our amazing donors.”
This year’s Miracle Children and Teen include:
- Jadon Green, 1 year old, Greene County
- Leonardo Velasquez-Bartolon, 2 years old, Wayne County
- Layah Collins, 6 years old, Jones County
- Wiley Sloan, 14 years old, Wake County
The 2024 broadcast will highlight examples of the amazing care offered every day at Maynard Children’s Hospital while celebrating the miracles made possible by the life-saving care generous donations help provide. Thanks to the generosity of eastern North Carolina, thousands of children receive the specialized medical care they need, bringing them and their families the gift of hope and healing. Because of this support, the team at Maynard Children’s Hospital can ensure patients receive the best care possible.
The local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fundraising program is staffed and supported by the ECU Health Foundation, the non-profit charitable corporation that serves as the custodian for all financial gifts and bequests to ECU Health. The ECU Health Foundation oversees allocation of all donated funds. To donate, please call 1-800-673-5437 or visit givetocmn.com.