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.

On the days leading up to our Children’s Miracle Network Telethon, we are introducing you to patients who have been treated at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital in Greenville. It’s because of their thoughtful care and attention that these children are so successful.

Tonight, we’re meeting Leonardo Velasquez-Bartolon – or Leo – whose struggle with a rare kidney condition left his parents thinking he might not be able to walk.

“The word that would best describe him is brave,” said Leo’s mother Vilmy Velasquez-Bartolon.

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Though bravery isn’t something a child should have to show, 3-year-old Leonardo Velasquez-Bartolon has harnessed it to overcome unimaginable health challenges.

“He was born prematurely in Goldsboro,” Vilmy said. “But that same day he had to be transferred over to Greenville. He was in the NICU for 20 days,”

At that point, Vilmy says they were able to take Leo home. But two months later–“I noticed that he wasn’t like a normal kid,” Vilmy explained.

They took him to a pediatrician who told them to bring Leo to the emergency department at ECU Health. He was later transferred to James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital in Greenville.

Leo was diagnosed with congenital nephrotic syndrome, a rare condition that can lead to kidney failure.

Shortly after Leo turned one, he had a stroke on the right side of his brain that affected the left side of his body.

“He couldn’t move his leg, his arm, and we thought that that would be very complicated, maybe he wouldn’t be able to walk,” Vilmy said. “But Leonardo is his miracle because he’s walking and he’s receiving some therapy because he’s lifting his arm more.”

Through his health challenges, Vilmy says the hospital staff always made them feel welcome and cared for.

“Everything that Leonardo has needed, the nurses have always been very, very attentive and very caring,” Vilmy said. “Every time Leo wanted toys, they would take him some toys. When he wanted cards they would take him some cards.”

Though Vilmy and her husband Pablo Morales mainly speak Spanish, Vilmy says they always felt comfortable.

“To the interpreters at the hospital, because it’s been difficult for us at the hospital because we don’t speak English,” Vilmy said. “But we’ve always had their assistance, from the interpreters.”

Leo reached a major milestone last April, he received a kidney transplant.

“It’s gone very well,” Vilmy said. “He’s been responding very well.”

At a young age, he’s survived a lot, but thanks to the care he received at the Maynard Children’s Hospital – and his own strength – he made it through.

“Right now, more than anything, I just feel proud,” said Leo’s father Pablo Morales. “I see him running, we see him smiling and laughing.”

“We doubted that he’d be able to run and do the things that he’s doing now,” Vilmy said. “But miracles can happen, and we have him.”

Pablo, Leo’s father, says Leo is mainly working on mobility on his left foot and his left arm. He is going through physical therapy to help with that process.

You can help continue to make miracles like Leo’s possible when you watch and call in a pledge during the CMN telethon this weekend on WITN.

Jadon is the newest addition to the Green family. His parents feared the worst at his birth after losing two children to premature birth complications. Jadon was born in December 2022 at Maynards Children’s Hospital more than two months early. He spent over four months there with his brother, mother, and father supporting his challenging first weeks of life.

Calm, Cool, and collected is how 1 1/2 Jadon sits in the living room watching his older brother Jacob playing with toys, but that’s not how he came into the world. Weighing just two pounds, Jadon arrived around 13 weeks early. His parents Richard and Crystal Green were flooded with confusion and fear.

“We thought we had all the things in place to prevent it from happening and it was a feeling of not again,” says Crystal.

Nine months earlier, they welcomed happy and healthy Jacob to the world. His welcome arrival came after the devastating loss of a son and daughter to premature birth complications. They worried that Jadon’s premature arrival could end in tragedy yet again. It did not, as they turned to the battle in front of them.

“I’ve got a son. He’s here. He’s in NICU…. Fight… Prayer… Family… Friends,” says Richard Green.

His birth wasn’t without challenges. Jadon was jaundiced, he needed a ventilator to breathe, he was experiencing liver issues, required taking specialized formula, and needed to drink donor breast milk because of his early arrival.

On Christmas Eve, Richard and Crystal were told Jadon reacted to the donor breast milk which made him sick. Then in mid-January 2023, doctors performed exploratory surgery and diagnosed Jadon with necrotizing enterocolitis – a disease that can inflame, kill, and infect the intestinal lining.

“The way god designs the body is crazy because his body literally walled up the perforation area so that he couldn’t get sepsis and die. It stopped it, walled it up,” says Crystal Green.

Jadon’s fight to live marched on, but so did the obstacles. Jadon had a colostomy bag and central line port that became infected from the surgery, a breaking point for his mother.

“When I came back, not even 12 hours later, he looked like the Michelin Man, a totally different child,” says Crystal Green. “And I was like, why did I do this to my baby?”

But the storm clouds that had been part of Jadon’s first several months of life would finally part thanks to the steadfast care of his doctors and nurses, and the beads around mom’s neck document just how far they’d traveled on this journey.

“We actually have one of the first complete sets,” says Crystal.

The Maynards Children’s Hospital Hand to Hold Milestone Bead Program, specifically for parents in the NICU, documents every week, step forward, and landmark moment of their baby’s journey in the hospital.

And a hand Jadon had to hold himself. His older brother, Jacob, was there every step of the way, too.

“Jacob was there and the isolette was open,” says Jadon’s Father Richard Green. “It was the first time Jacob was able to interact with him, and the first thing he did was grab his hand”

The nurses and doctors at Maynards Children’s Hospital were all there with them until the final moment of their 119th day.

“They surprised us,” says Richard. “When we went in, they made stay in there and when we come out… every nurse and doctor were holding banners and saying graduation home. Not just for Jadon, but Jacob as well. When we walk all the way out… when we finally walked outside and watched him take his first breath of air outside… there was no better feeling in the world.”

Now he watches and learns from his older brother, catching up to him one step at a time. The next step for Jadon is learning how to walk. He’s starting physical therapy soon and attending Mayndards Children’s Hospital for regular check-ups.