“They laughed with us, held me when
I cried, and celebrated with us when Milo
reached any sort of milestone,” Abby says.
“They took photos of him at night when I
wasn’t there so that I didn’t miss anything.
The child life specialist would ask about our
older children and bring in books for them
because she knew Milo’s health affected
our entire family. One of our primary
nurses even came in on her day off to say
goodbye when he was discharged.”
Complications from his early birth and
some lasting effects from Gastroschisis
brought Milo back to the hospital six times
during his first year of life. This month will
mark the first anniversary of his last stay
in the hospital. Now a healthy two year-
old, he loves to swim, look at books, eat
pizza, and wrestle with his older brothers.
“Looking at him now, you wouldn’t know
any of this had ever happened,” his
mother says. “I used to think it would
never end, but those three months were
just a blip in his life.”
Although the family now lives in
Dallas, Milo continues see his doctors at
McLane Children’s in Temple and visit the
staff who cared for him in the NICU. “I
feel like they really know and care about
Milo,” Abby says. “I used to see parents
bring their older children back to visit the
NICU staff and thought I would never do
that, but I do. They really became like an
extended family.”
Made possible by philanthropy
During Milo’s hospital stay, Abby saw
the effects of philanthropy in the NICU.
“You can just tell donors’ investments are
going to a good place,” she says. “The
staff take care of their resources and are
very appreciative of what they have.”
“When you have a child in the NICU,
it’s not just your baby—it’s a piece of your
heart that you leave behind every day,”
Abby says. “It’s humbling to think there
are people who care enough about others
to make donations to this wonderful NICU.
It saved Milo’s life. I don’t know who they
are, but I can’t thank them enough.”
To learn more about how you can
help, please contact Lori Luppino, director
of philanthropy for Temple and McLane
Children’s, at 254-899-3771.
McLANE CHILDREN’S: PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITY
Play games. Heal kids.
The 5 things you need to know about Extra Life.
1. What is Extra Life?
Extra Life is a peer-to-peer fundraising
effort uniting gamers around the world
in support of their local Children’s Miracle
Network Hospital. Much like running
a marathon for a cause, Extra Life
participants fundraise year-round and
pledge a day of play in honor of the 10
million children served by CMN Hospitals
every year.
2. How does it work?
Participants create a custom
fundraising webpage and invite their
friends and family to donate or join
their team. You can unlock achievement
badges and power-ups by sharing on
social media, inviting people to join, or
reaching fundraising milestones. Then,
celebrate your achievements with a day
of playing games!
3. How will the funds be used?
Since 2008, Extra Life has raised
more than $40 million for everything from
research, to equipment, to charity care at
CMN Hospitals. At McLane Children’s, our
goal this year is to raise $30,000 to fund
several pieces of vital equipment, including
an osmometer, a pediatric bronchioscope,
and a defibrillator.
5. How can I participate?
It’s so easy, anyone can do it! Just
contact Jennifer Williams at 254-899-3777
or visit Extra-Life.org/team/McLane to
learn more about our efforts, make a
donation, or join our team with your own
fundraising campaign.
4. What is Game Day?
There’s no limit to how, what or when
you play while you’re raising money
through Extra Life. Play video, board, card,
tabletop, mobile and sports games. If you
can play it, it’s “fair game.” In fact, the only
requirement is that you have fun while
doing it! Host your own gaming marathon
whenever you like, or join thousands of
other gamers around the world for Extra
Life Game Day on November 2, 2019.
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THE COMPASS / BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE CENTRAL TEXAS FOUNDATION NEWS / FALL 2019