December 2022 Children's Medical Center Foundation Newsletter

TOGETHER, WE CAN BRING THE MAGIC TO KIDS.

At Children’s Health℠ magic is the hope and joy we spread to children and families. This season, let’s continue bringing these magical moments to kids like Axel.

BRING THE MAGIC!

They come while patients are tucked in bed, shouldering bags of presents for families to open the next morning.

They decorate hospital hallways with festive wreaths — decked with ornaments and tied with curly ribbon.

They drop off a truckload of toys and anonymously adopt hundreds of patient families — including moms, dads, brothers and sisters — who otherwise wouldn’t have any gifts to open this holiday season.

And on New Year’s Eve, they celebrate Children’s Health team members and patients with a fireworks celebration, as we ring in a new year.

From care teams and support services to volunteers and donors, our team members and generous supporters rally each winter season to bring hope for families in the hospital. Because together, we can bring the magic to kids.

AXEL, 4 Solid Organ Transplant

J

essica and Sergio waited 10 days in the hospital to take their newborn son home.

Born in December 2017, Axel was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at a local hospital. His bilirubin levels were too high, which meant doctors had to figure out whether his liver was producing too much bile or if it was unable to process it.

Either way, the situation put Axel’s health at severe risk.

“When we were discharged, it was a huge relief, but we also knew that Axel’s liver issues weren’t over,” Sergio said. “And we had a direct referral to Children’s Health so he could get specialized care.”

After a series of tests, scans and a liver biopsy, Axel was diagnosed with Alagille syndrome — a rare, lifethreatening disease that meant his liver didn’t develop enough ducts to properly drain bile. And when that bile built up, it was toxic.

At home, Axel’s health was managed by medications to increase

The magic of the season is found in the patients we care for, the team members who inspire us, and — of course — the donors who support us.

AXEL AND ANDREA (ABOVE, TOP) WERE PHOTOGRAPHED INDIVIDUALLY AND PLACED TOGETHER.

MEET OUR PATIENTS INSPIRING THE MAGIC

bile flow, a specialized diet and vitamin supplements. But Axel’s liver continued to fail. In the summer of 2020, he was placed on the transplant list.

For the next 11 months, Axel’s parents waited for a donor liver as they watched their son’s health decline.

“The waiting game is frightening. Our biggest question was, ‘Would we get one in time?’ It was so unbearable that I started the process of becoming a living donor,” Jessica said. “I’m his mom, of course, I would have given him anything to live.”

Then — unexpectedly — the call came.

Jessica still has the 19-second message on her phone from a transplant coordinator, telling her that Children’s Health had a liver for Axel.

The couple spent seven hours waiting while one of the country’s top pediatric transplant surgeons removed their son’s liver and placed a new one in his body.

Within a few days, Axel’s energy, his color and his personality came to life.

“It was like meeting our child for the first time,” Sergio said. “Even after this huge surgery, the tiredness he carried with him everywhere was gone.”

Now, Jessica and Sergio find gratitude in every milestone and give back to Children’s Health through work fundraising campaigns and holiday toy drives. They want to help other kids like their son.

“We had some scary conversations and too many unknowns. But Axel had some of the best pediatric doctors in the world caring for him right here in Dallas,” Jessica said. “Knowing that people give money to make sure that this care is available is heartwarming, because it means more kids like Axel will get the care they need.”

KASEN, 11

T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Melissa will never forget the moment a doctor asked her to step out of her son Kasen’s room in the Emergency Department at Children’s Health and told her that her then-7year-old son had leukemia.

“I was holding my youngest child, who was six months old at the time. Otherwise, my mind went blank,” Melissa said.

Months before, Kasen came down with a bad fever. Then he had another one. Those were followed by a couple of hard battles with strep throat. And finally, pneumonia.

One night, Kasen’s fever spiked to 106 degrees. He couldn’t stop throwing up, and he was so weak that Melissa rushed him back to the doctor. This time, she mentioned some of Kasen’s lymph nodes seemed swollen.

“The pediatrician turned and rushed out of the room, and when she came back, she said that she was calling an ambulance to take Kasen to Children’s Medical Center Plano,” Melissa said. “She told me, ‘I think it might be cancer.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

Within three days, Kasen had started chemotherapy, and he wouldn’t leave the hospital for another four weeks. The leukemia was in more than half of Kasen’s blood, including his spinal fluid. That meant that Kasen would have to undergo three years of chemotherapy treatment and quarterly spinal taps.

But with each update and every new reality, the Plano oncology team was a support system for Kasen and his family. They saw the same nurses and support staff during each visit.

And the team cared for more than Kasen’s physical symptoms. Child

Life specialists came with games and activities for Kasen and his siblings, and a music therapist introduced Kasen to playing the piano.

“The nurses and doctors — they held us up while we watched Kasen lose his hair and his ability to walk,” Melissa said. “And when Kasen couldn’t run and throw a ball, the piano gave him that same challenge he loved about sports: The more he played, the better he got.”

And soon, team members at the Plano campus will be able to care for more children like Kasen who live north of Dallas. Last year, the hospital broke ground on an expansion to provide more specialized and world-class care to the rapidly growing North Texas pediatric population.

In May, Kasen finished his last round of chemotherapy, and a month later, he rang the bell signaling the end of his years-long cancer treatment. And for the first time in years, Melissa let out a sigh of relief. “We felt so fortunate to have one of the best pediatric cancer centers in the country in our backyard,” Melissa said.

KADENCE, 6 Neurology

Kadence was 6 months old when she went to live with her grandmother, Deondriea. The tiny baby’s brain hadn’t developed as it

was supposed to in utero, and right away, Deondriea noticed that Kadence hadn’t reached many of the milestones a baby her age should meet.

The first thing Deondriea did was make an appointment with Children’s Health.

“My granddaughter is everything to me. I wanted the best for her, and I knew Children’s Health had the expertise to give us answers and get Kadence on a healthier path,” she said.

After an MRI, Deondriea was told that the piece of Kadence’s brain that was supposed to connect the two hemispheres was missing.

“It was just the start, but we were on our way to understanding her medical needs and restoring her health as much as possible,” Deondriea said.

By the time Kadence was 3 years old, she had more than 200 visits to Children’s Health to see experts in ENT, ophthalmology, neurology, pulmonology, endocrinology and physical therapy. Much of Kadence’s care was focused on restoring her lung health, correcting her vision and ensuring that her growth was on the right track.

One monumental moment came when Kadence was 2 years old. Kadence was born with uneven eyes and had to tilt her head in order to see straight. Additionally, her brain birth defect impacted the development of the optic nerve in her right eye, causing some blindness. The ophthalmology team performed surgery to tighten and align her eye

muscles. Almost immediately, Kadence began to sit and stand straighter.

“There have been countless times where extra steps have been made to find an answer or take a precaution. To me, that speaks volumes to who these doctors are and what they believe in,” Deondriea said.

ZOEY, 13 Rehabilitation

Zoey was 18 months old when she was rushed to Children’s Health after a near-drowning accident.

On a feeding tube and barely moving, doctors told her mother, Rebekah, that she wouldn’t survive the next 72 hours, and if she did, that she’d likely be in a semi-vegetative state for the rest of her life.

But as Rebekah leaned over the crib to tell her baby that she loved her, Zoey smiled.

And that smile filled Rebekah with hope.

“From then on, I knew she was going to be OK,” Rebekah said. “And since then, everything they said she wouldn’t do, she did.”

Now 13 years old, Zoey loves to talk about the novel she is writing and illustrating. She laughs as she spins donuts in her wheelchair. And she’s proud of how far she’s come since her accident, including eating on her own and bearing about half of her body weight when she stands.

She and her mother credit much of her success to the nurses and rehabilitation therapists at Children’s Health.

Through several intensive, weekslong therapy sessions, Zoey’s clinical team coached Rebekah on how to care for Zoey.

Therapists worked with Zoey to strengthen her leg muscles so she could bear some of her body weight, after surgery to correct her inwardturning legs and knees left the muscles weakened.

Her care team decorated her hospital room to make it feel more like home. And sometimes a curly-haired therapy dog visited Zoey for cuddles.

More importantly, the team gave Zoey and Rebekah hope for a future.

“I don’t know of another hospital that does intensive therapy like they do. We wouldn’t be as far as we are now without them,” Rebekah said.

PRESTON, 17

Testicular Cancer

Preston was only a freshman in high school when a surgeon in the Emergency Department at Children’s Health told him he’d have to remove one of his testicles and a tumor that had caused it to swell to three times its normal size.

But the surgeon also suspected that the tumor was cancerous, which was later confirmed with imaging by a

pediatric oncologist at the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Already at stage three, the cancer had spread to lymph nodes in Preston’s abdomen and one lung.

The next thing the pediatric oncologist told Preston was, “You’re going to live a normal life.”

“When your child is diagnosed with cancer, you’re terrified and helpless. But everyone at Children’s Health — surgeons, nurses, oncologists and family navigators — quickly showed me that we weren’t alone,” Preston’s mom, Marie, said. “Because of their compassion and expertise, Preston is alive.”

Preston and his family entrusted his care close to home at Children’s Medical Center Plano.

After almost three dozen rounds of chemotherapy treatments were completed, Preston had surgeries to remove the cancerous lymph nodes in his abdomen and tumor in his lung.

“When you get cancer, you realize how lucky you are that people dedicate themselves to saving your life,” Preston said. “I tell all my friends not to be afraid to talk about their health.”

Now in his senior year of high school, Preston said he’s thinking about a career in medicine.

“I have this unique experience and understand what kids are going through when they get sick,” he said. “It takes a lot of people working together to help kids like me be healthy again. I want to be part of that team.”

MEET OUR MAGIC MAKERS

MARTHA BARTON & DIANE MCGINNIS

Social Work and Adopt-A-Family Program Coordinators, Children’s Medical Center Dallas

Martha: For us, it’s not the holidays without Adopt-a-Family. It’s magical that people will work together to provide this for someone else. Diane: It shows families that our hospital cares for them beyond their medical needs — they care about them as humans. This is about making sure families have magic during the holidays, and our hospital works hard to make that happen.

This community, whether they are part of the hospital or separate, made the holidays happen for 300 families last year, and that’s pretty incredible.

ADOPT-A-FAMILY

For the last four decades, the Social Work team at Children’s Health has assisted some of our patients and families during the holiday season through our Adopt-a-Family program. These families have experienced financial and emotional hardships associated with their child’s illness and need help from the community to bring some magic to their holiday season.

In 40 years, the program has grown from helping a couple families to about 300 families last year, thanks to generous supporters. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all you do to bring magic to our patient families during the holiday season.

For more ways to get involved, visit bringmagictochildrens.com

Martha: It’s important to remember that we adopt the whole family, not just the patient. That includes siblings and parents or guardians.

One year, a family’s car barely made it here to pick up the presents. The family drove all the way from Waco. We packed everything in that little car. The mom could barely fit inside for the drive home. I still remember how she looked out at us from the window with her head in her hands, weeping because she was so overwhelmed.

You don’t forget those kinds of things.

DUAGLEER CHINCILLA

During the holiday season, I don’t “bring the magic” — I make a bridge for the magic to go over it.

As interpreters, we are bridges not just for the language between families and providers but for the emotion and spirit of everything that our team members are trying to accomplish for patient families.

I don’t just translate the words. I interpret the emotion. I interpret the inflection. I interpret everything you are trying to tell the person. You can say, “We really care for you, and we did this for you.” But it doesn’t mean as much if you don’t have the emotion behind the words.

There was a mom during the holidays last year. Her child was sick and Child Life specialists came in with gifts for the family. One of the team members said to the mom, “I wish we had as many gifts for the adults as we do the children.”

But the mom said, “You brought my gift,” and pointed at me. She explained that this was her first time in the U.S., and coming to the hospital, she was terrified she wouldn’t be able to understand. But she said having an inperson interpreter in the room with her was her gift.

That felt amazing. It made me tear up to know that my presence could have that kind of impact.

Learn more about how our language access interpreters are a bridge to bring the magic to patients at bringmagictochildrens.com.

KEELEY MACHEN

Child Life Specialist and handler for Coca-Cola, Children’s Medical Center Plano

During the holidays, a lot of families miss the traditions they might normally participate in during this season. Even while they’re having some of their most challenging times, we’re able to give some of that joy back to families.

That could include having Zoom time with their families during dinners, providing gifts for them and celebrating whatever holidays they observe in the playroom.

There’s magic everywhere in the hospital during this time of year. I heard a quote once that said, “I wish I could bottle up all the magic that is present throughout the holiday season and let a little bit of that magic out throughout the year.” I think we can all use some of that happiness and joy.

The whole point of the holiday season is to bring that joy to other people, and by providing these experiences, we fill families with a little bit of hope. It’s those moments when you watch a child get to see Santa in their hospital room or open a gift and exclaim, “How did you know everything I wanted?” That’s why we do what we do, and these are experiences our patients wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the Children’s Health community.

Earlier this year, I became one of the handlers for one of our newest pet therapy dogs, Coca-Cola. It’s amazing what children will tell me — any fears or misconceptions they’re having

about the hospital — because CocaCola is there with them.

This will be his first holiday season at Children’s Health, and I can’t wait for the two of us to work together to help our families celebrate.

The holidays are a busy time for Child Life because we must prioritize our clinical work, as well as normalize the hospital for the patients we care for. We are also on the frontlines of accepting holiday gifts and donations from the community.

Last year, the Dallas Child Life department decided to celebrate Christmas differently by opening a Holiday Store. As our department accepts donations, we organize and prepare the store to allow families and caregivers the opportunity to come shop for their child for free. There is also a wrapping station to give caregivers the opportunity to personally wrap their child’s gifts. The whole point of the store is to give control and power back to families and to participate in something they might do if they weren’t in the hospital. We see the impact this has on families, and for a moment, it takes their minds off why they’re in the hospital.

It takes a great deal of teamwork and generosity from the community to make the store possible. Every donation is special. We would not be able to do what we do every day without the kindness and support of our donors.

ANDREA O’NEILL

Child Life Specialist, Children’s Medical Center Dallas

Language Access Interpreter, Children’s Medical Center Plano

GROSKREUTZ

President, Women’s Auxiliary to Children’s Medical Center Dallas

KARA CONNOR Experiential Marketing Manager, Park Place Dealerships

DONNA IVY

Scan the code to read more about how team members, volunteers and donors are bringing the magic to patients and families this season.

he magic of the holidays is all around us. A smile spreading across a child’s face. The joy families share. The friendship we see across our community. A hot meal shared among loved ones. Reassurance for people facing adversity.

At Children’s Health, magic is the hope and inspiration we

spread to children and families. This holiday season, let’s continue bringing these magical moments to kids.

o learn more about how you can bring the magic to our patients and team members this holiday season, visit bringmagictochildrens.com.

President, Women’s Auxiliary to Children’s Medical Center Plano

DUSTI

President of Reunion Tower

COURTNEY GILBERT

CATHERINE CASO Volunteer Coordinator, Children’s Medical Center Plano

BEN RETTA Senior Director of Social Work, Children’s Medical Center Dallas

CARING FOR KIDS: MIND & BODY

Why embedding pediatric psychologists in clinical practices is the path forward to better health and how Children’s Health is leading the way

Children receiving medical care for illness and injuries may face a range of stressors and obstacles that are above and beyond what a typical child endures. To help account for psychological concerns that may result from or be exacerbated by medical conditions, Children’s Health has experts on hand to help children and their families throughout their healthcare journeys.

Pediatric health psychologists and therapists use evidence-based assessments and interventions for challenges specifically related to medical diagnoses in clinical areas throughout Children’s Health and over the course of a child’s healthcare experience.

These Pediatric Health Psychology specialists are embedded in clinical practices and provide patient-specific care and support for families to meet the unique challenges of particular medical conditions. They help children adjust to new diagnoses, cope with health concerns, prepare for medical interventions, manage pain and provide overall social and emotional support to children to help them in

their daily lives. Not only do these services improve the mental health and well-being of our patients but such support lends to greater treatment adherence, more successful care management and improved associated clinical outcomes.

Patients and families across Children’s Health benefit from a significant presence of embedded Pediatric Health Psychology services within medical subspecialities. The value placed on these offerings by both mental health experts and medical staff, as well as by generous philanthropic partners, position our institution as a leader in such comprehensive care.

This further enables us to train, recruit and hire therapists and psychologists with expertise in specific patient populations, enhancing the support that children receive and the outcomes they experience. Several departments and programs of Children’s Health have dedicated Pediatric Health Psychology specialists with more experts continuing to join the institution to serve unique segments of our patient population.

HOW PEDIATRIC HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY PROVIDERS SUPPORT OUR PATIENTS

Reduce anxiety and mood problems

Decrease stress related to chronic illness or new diagnosis

Encourage adherence to medication, diet and treatment plans

Therapies for pain, physical symptoms and long-term hospitalization

Improve identity and peer relationships

Advance communication skills

Support for family and lifestyle adjustments

Process grief and impact of medical trauma

CLINICAL AREAS WITH PEDIATRIC HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY INCLUDE

Pain Management

THE REES-JONES CENTER FOR FOSTER CARE EXCELLENCE

Children in foster care face a range of medical, situational, psychological and emotional obstacles and require tailored and sensitive support. The Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence is a national leader in the comprehensive care of and advocacy for children who are in the custody of Child Protective Services. Central to this care is the integration of mental and behavioral health in clinical practice. Our dedicated psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, early childhood specialists and a mental health nurse coordinator are intertwined in the healthcare journeys of children in foster care and are uniquely trained to work with the complex needs they may face. More than 3,000 such encounters are provided over the course of a year with patients in the Rees-Jones Center, providing crucial support for their health, well-being and long-term development.

Claude Prestidge Cystic Fibrosis Center Endocrinology

Epilepsy Fogelson Plastic Surgery and Craniofacial Center Gastroenterology

Integrated Therapy Unit Nephrology

Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence Referral and Evaluation of At-Risk Children (REACH) Clinic Sleep Medicine Solid Organ Transplant Thrive Clinic

THE FOGELSON PLASTIC SURGERY & CRANIOFACIAL CENTER

The Fogelson Plastic Surgery & Craniofacial Center at Children’s Health diagnoses and treats children with congenital, acquired or accidental deformities and injuries of the face and lower extremities.

Serving more than 4,000 children each year, the multidisciplinary approach to care and particularly for cleft and craniofacial conditions is unmatched in the region. Complementing medical assessment and interventions are social, emotional and logistical support for children and their families, including psychological consultation and support to help navigate challenges associated with craniofacial conditions, including appearance and speech difference.

The dedicated pediatric health psychologist for the Fogelson Center sees every patient followed by the multidisciplinary craniofacial team at each annual visit to ensure optimal outlook and outcomes for the children we serve.

CELIA HEPPNER, PSY.D.

Associate Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s Health

“It is an absolute honor to have worked for 11 years with children and families who are managing craniofacial and physical conditions and the many understandable emotions and questions that accompany them,” said Celia Heppner, Psy.D., Associate Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s Health. “To be able to provide the tools and support they need to navigate ongoing medical treatment and procedures through childhood adolescence, and to optimize social, school and emotional functioning, is incredibly rewarding.”

CENTER FOR PEDIATRIC EATING DISORDERS

Even areas dedicated to mental health conditions at Children’s Health offer specialized, tailored therapy to address the unique needs of patients with certain diagnoses.

Our Center for Pediatric Eating Disorders based at Children’s Medical Center Plano is a highly regarded, innovative and comprehensive program with a multidisciplinary team who cares for a range of eating disorders in children and adolescents from across North Texas and beyond.

As a nationally recognized program and the largest in the state, its team of experts works with each child and

family to develop specialized and individualized treatment plans, build skills and implement strategies for living healthy lives.

Among the special offerings that benefit this patient population is art therapy. Conducted by trained clinicians, art therapy promotes self-understanding, expression of feelings that are otherwise difficult to communicate and provides a safe and soothing approach to navigating internal conflicts — all of which significantly benefit children struggling with eating disorders.

I’m a trauma therapist with a focus in art and play therapies. Expressive therapies are ways for children and teens to explore or express emotions when it is difficult to label them with words or in conversations.

Sometimes kids get depressed, anxious, frozen or overwhelmed, so we work with creativity, curiosity and play to open the brain and help kids begin to talk and engage.

All the arts are important — not just visual arts but music, film, dance, movement, poetry and pet-assisted therapy. These all fit together nicely in a therapeutic setting to help patients heal physically and emotionally in ways that the true self can bear and flourish.

We could not function without the donations that we get for art supplies, musical instruments and extra support we receive during the

holidays. Donations have sustained our expressive therapy programs, and I’m deeply grateful for that support. The kids and families benefit directly from this generosity.

These days, I primarily work with our eating disorder patients at Children’s Medical Center Plano. Over 60 percent of children and teens in our program report some form of trauma during their intake. The arts are a good way to help them express their experiences and feelings without it being too intense.

When you’re working with kids with trauma, often the talking part of the brain shuts down. Expressive therapies can move into that space in ways that can be safe and non-threatening.

The holidays can be difficult, even under normal circumstances and stressful for kids and families. Having a child that’s hospitalized can intensify that. We really try to help the kids and families navigate these times. When I work holidays, I sense that it helps kids emotionally and gives them a chance to do something that’s creative and meaningful that day.

In the last couple years, we have seen waiting lists for mental health therapies grow. Children are sponges to adult emotions, and they pick up on what is going on in the world and their immediate environments. Sometimes they are overwhelmed by their feelings and don’t know what to do with them. They can resort to unhealthy coping skills like eating disorders, self-harm or addictions. The arts help them express their emotional worlds in safe ways.

Children are always magical, no matter what situation they come to us in. The magic of children during the holiday season is beyond words. This is what art therapy does — It goes beyond words.

KIM CAOLO Art Therapist, Children’s Medical Center Plano

DR. HISASHI NIKAIDOH

An

Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh could write many books about how he improved existing surgical techniques and designed a new procedure that became a preferred method of care in pediatric heart surgery across the world.

But instead, the retired Children’s Health physician wrote a book about loss — and what mothers who had lost a child taught him about compassion and community.

“We practice medicine to restore people’s health when they are sick. Medicine should never be self-serving,” Dr. Nikaidoh said. “Grieving mothers have incredible resilience and many show deep gratitude for doctors and hospitals, even though their child did not make it. I look to them for wisdom to be a better doctor.”

Furthering his commitment to providing care with compassion, Dr. Nikaidoh and his wife, Lynn, established

the Dr. and Mrs. Hisashi Nikaidoh Endowment Fund, supporting the hospital’s Spiritual Care and Education program. He’s also included Children’s Health in his estate plans.

“Working in a children’s hospital is emotionally fulfilling. It can also be filled with sorrow. Spiritual care is about supporting everyone in their time of need,” he said.

PIONEERING NEW PROCEDURES AT CHILDREN’S HEALTH

Dr. Nikaidoh became Children’s Health’s first fulltime pediatric heart surgeon in 1978 when the field was still relatively new. He and other heart surgeons took on the task of developing procedures to repair congenital heart defects, which are structural heart problems that happen when the heart doesn’t form properly in the womb. This is extremely complicated because a baby’s heart is only about the size of a walnut.

“It was wonderful to see our surgeries begin to save lives that just a few years before wouldn’t have had a chance,” he said. “But we were still losing too many kids. The only word to describe the loss of a child is devastating.”

One week, when two patients died, the loss became too much. Dr. Nikaidoh needed time to heal. He credits a pastor from his church, a nurse and a hospital chaplain

with giving him the strength to not give up.

“During that time, I felt the closeness of the Children’s Health community. The care we provide, we do together, and that includes the families,” he said.

MISSION-DRIVEN — A BALANCE OF HOPE AND EXCELLENCE

The support of the Children’s community renewed Dr. Nikaidoh’s commitment to perfection.

innovator in pediatric cardiac surgery focuses his legacy gift on Spiritual Care and Education

Mrs. Lynn and Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh

He spent the next two decades innovating and collaborating with his Children’s Health colleagues on finding ways to improve outcomes for patients.

He introduced surgical procedures using donor arteries to fix those that were too small for blood to pass through or closed altogether. He introduced his colleagues to the Fontan operation, which repairs many types of single ventricle heart defects. And he dedicated time to being with his patients, laughing with them and listening to their fears.

One of his most significant contributions to pediatric surgery is a procedure that now holds his name — the Nikaidoh procedure. In 1984,

Dr. Nikaidoh reported the surgery to correct a complex congenital heart defect where the heart’s two main arteries — the aorta and the pulmonary artery — were coming from the wrong pumping chambers. Many of these babies also had a hole in their heart and a narrow pulmonary valve. Today, many hospitals use the Nikaidoh procedure as the preferred surgery for babies who are born with this complex transposition.

“Medicine is a doctor’s gift — give it generously,” he said. “It’s an honor to give back to Children’s Health in ways that provide spiritual care and education. My hope is that Children’s Health will fulfill people the way it has done for me.”

“STOCK”ING STUFFERS

Though the market has had some ups and downs, many of us still have longterm appreciated stock. When you use these rather than cash to make a gift this season, you will help change a child’s life, and it will cost you less than cash to do so. Learn more about stocks or gifts of cryptocurrency.

2. BUNDLE UP

In recent years, it has become more difficult to take a tax deduction for charitable gifts. Instead, time your giving by bundling two years of donations into a single year, bringing you over the itemization threshold for deductions in one year.

Bring the magic to children during this special time of year and give a gift that will have value long after the holiday season is over.

3. MAGIC IN YOUR GOLDEN YEARS

4. ADVISE A GIFT

If

have previously given

to your donor advised fund, consider using that fund to be a magic maker at Children’s Health this holiday season. It is a great time to advise a gift to change a child’s life without it impacting your pocketbook.

5. TIME YOUR GIFT

Start the process early to qualify for a 2022 tax deduction. Mailed gifts must be postmarked by Dec. 31 and credit card gifts must appear on your statement on or prior to Dec. 31.

For more information about planning a gift that will bring the magic to children this holiday season, visit bringmagictochildrens.com or call our Gift Planning team at 214-456-8360.

IN THE GAME TOGETHER

Less than 280 characters launched the fundraising campaign.

“Let the stream-a-thon commence! We’re live all day with @Athena, @hitchariide, @Shotzzy, and other familiar faces, raising money to make gaming more accessible for patients at @Childrens Health,” the tweet posted December 2021 read.

The 12-hour event last year raised thousands of dollars to support gaming and technology in the Child Life department at Children’s Health. Since then, professional e-sports team OpTic Gaming, formerly known as Envy Gaming, has hosted a second stream-a-thon and has plans for a third in December to continue raising funds for Children’s Health.

The rise of video game streaming has ushered in a new avenue for philanthropy through these stream-athons — a modern-day, digital version of the telethons that took off decades ago.

Participants tune in to watch their favorite professional gamers play, and there are incentives to donate, such as a pie in the face or eating a hot pepper, if a dollar goal is reached. And instead

of calling in donations, participants make their donation through digital platforms such as Tiltify and Extra Life, allowing for instant fundraising.

A program of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Extra Life unites

gamers around the world to fundraise for 170 hospitals, including Children’s Health. Since 2008, gamers have raised over $100 million through Extra Life for these pediatric hospitals.

“These online events are about having a fun experience with your favorite gamers, and throughout, we sprinkle in messaging from Children’s Health so the audience is aware that we’re raising funds to make life better for children,” said Shay Butler, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for OpTic Gaming.

Donations from these stream-athons hosted by OpTic Gaming have funded the purchase of gaming equipment — everything from virtual reality systems to games — in the Child Life department for patients to distract themselves while in their hospital rooms.

“One of the pillars of our foundation is to deliver joy to children receiving medical care,” Shay said. “Gaming is something you can do to take your mind off things. We want to improve the lives of kids that are gamers and dealing with illnesses and injuries.”

How e-sports teams are using video game stream-a-thons to raise funds for patients at Children’s Health like Tanner and Caleb

HERNANDEZ Child Life Technology Assistant

Alot of patients play video games at home in their downtime for fun, so we offer them here to help normalize the hospital environment and to help them feel better.

We want to be able to increase how many game systems we have. We purchased some of the equipment, but it’s very expensive. Most of what we utilize comes from donors. And the more game systems we have, the more patients we’re able to reach. Fundraising helps our department purchase the latest and greatest equipment for our patients.

When we play games with patients, it allows us to build a rapport with them, and they realize that we’re here to offer them something fun and therapeutic.

Kids will banter, and then I’ll banter back with them. It’s like a patient is hanging out with a friend, instead of being in the hospital. It helps them escape for just a little bit, and it’s nice to be able to do that. You’re making a kid’s day.

I’ve been gaming since I was 10 years old, but I didn’t get serious about it until I was in high school. My neighbors introduced me to it when I was a kid. They were brothers and babysat me. And during that time, we spent a lot of hours gaming.

I liked the lore behind the game and the magic you could create in these different worlds. When I was 17, I started thinking, “Hey, I might actually be good enough to do this professionally.”

As a partner with Children’s Health, OpTic Gaming will host a streaming event this holiday season to benefit the kids in the hospital. We do this because a lot of kids at Children’s Health are gamers, and we want them to know that we care for them and support them.

And the games and equipment we provide through our fundraising are a way to help distract them, even if only briefly, from whatever is happening in the hospital. They can play by themselves or with friends. It immerses them in a different world, and that’s pretty magical.

ALEC

JOEY “TRIPPY” TAYLOR Professional Gamer at OpTic Gaming