By Ashley AntleWhen the Ray family embarked on a cruise in April to celebrate Caleb Ray’s 18th birthday, their focus was on celebrating a milestone, not the sickle cell disease Caleb has lived with since being diagnosed shortly after birth. Towards t...
Story by Sydney HanesCook Children’s employees Ashley Pagenkopf and Danny Peltier were in for a big surprise Tuesday when Kidd’s Kids announced their families are going on an all-expenses-paid trip to Walt Disney World!Every year, Kidd’s Kids takes 3...
By Ashley Pagenkopf, MS, CCLS, Child Life Specialist at Cook Children'sOur Child Life teams utilize in-kind donations every day, all day. From stocking playrooms, celebrating birthdays, offering comfort, providing distraction, and meeting basic needs...
By Heather DugeTwelve-year-old Adalyn Gibson rarely gets sick. When she fell asleep early one night on the couch, her mom, Chelsey, thought a late night and cheer practice had taken a toll. After vomiting and complaining of a stomachache along with t...
Story by Sydney Hanes. Video by Tom Riehm.In April, patient Kaydence Mixon who was diagnosed with leukemia rang the end-of-treatment bell at Cook Children’s Medical Center surrounded by her family, friends and care team. Following a heartfelt speech ...
By Ashley AntleAngel Alderete and Yolanda Orduno, of Odessa, know the challenges of navigating the health care system for a child with medically complex needs, especially when living hundreds of miles from the care their baby requires.Alderete and Or...
By Heather DugeSometimes a mother’s intuition can be the difference between life and death. That was true for 7-year-old Ismael Aguilera whose episodes of debilitating headaches turned out to be a life-threatening condition. Ismael’s mom, Karla, ques...
On Tuesday, patients and families were invited to come to the Atrium at Cook Children’s Medical Center to participate in a miniature golf tournament alongside two golfers from the Charles Schwab Challenge, which is set to begin this week at The Colon...
By Jean YaegerThe number of babies and toddlers who screened positive for marijuana in the Emergency Department at Cook Children’s continued trending up in 2022.Last year’s data show 33 patients between ages 0-3 whose urine tested positive for a mole...
By Sydney HanesPatients admitted to the Cook Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can spend days, weeks or months there. No matter the amount of time spent there, the connections built between the tiniest patients, their families and their ...
WFAA featured Resident Artist Sydney Peel and her incredible impact on patients and patient families through art. Watch and read the story here. The Cook Children's Creative Artist in Residence Programme (CARPE) offers opportunities for expression an...
Easter came early to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth! From egg hunts to arts and crafts to visits with the Easter bunny, the day was egg-stra special. Happy Easter from all of us at Cook Children's! ...
By Heather DugeMegan Chavez realizes that even in the best of circumstances parking often feels overwhelming. As system vice president of Cook Children’s Experience, Chavez strives to see every step of the hospital visit through the patient families’...
Child Life Week: This week, we’re celebrating our Child Life Specialists at Cook Children’s who make an impact on the emotional safety of children and families in health care.By Lauren Bridge, MS, CCLS, AYA Child Life Specialist at Cook Children’s He...
Happy Birthday, Garth Brooks, from Cook Children's. This video is in celebration of country music singer and songwriter Garth Brooks and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Child Life Zone. Garth Brooks is a major supporter of Teammates for Kids...
By Jean YaegerMarty Knott, D.O., Ph.D. was AmieLynn’s primary surgeon during the historic procedure to separate conjoined twins, AmieLynn and JamieLynn, on Jan. 23, 2023. Although this was his first time separating conjoined twins, Dr. Knott brought ...
By Jean YaegerKaitlin Bates and her three young sons heard a loud pop while walking on a nature trail one day last summer. At first, Kaitlin thought their stroller ran over something, maybe a snake. Then her 18-month-old son Jace started screaming. K...
Sisters JamieLynn and AmieLynn underwent surgery on Monday, becoming the first conjoined twins to be separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center.Jamie and Amie lay face-to-face and shared a liver, which was successfully separated during the 11-hour p...
By Ashley AntleFor Kevin Greene, business is personal.Every day that he walks into work as vice president and administrator at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Prosper, his two young sons are on his mind. Greene sees them in every face he encounters ...
By Ashley AntleThey grow up so fast. One minute you’re rocking your baby in your arms and breathing in their sweet baby smell from the top of their head, and the next you’re carting them off to the doctor for their teen physical and wellness check.In...
Child Life Specialist Series: We're diving deeper into children’s expression of emotions, the validation of children’s emotions and experiences (including tears), and what it looks like to advocate for our children in all settings.By Ashley Pagenkopf...
Cook Children's patients enjoyed a Christmas party on Tuesday morning with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. They received gifts and participated in arts and crafts activities.Video by Tom Riehm. Photos by Lauren Graham and Eline Wiggins. ...
The Texas Rangers had their annual holiday visit with Cook Children's patients on Dec. 13, 2022. Current and former players, along with members of their broadcast team, surprised patients in multiple departments at the Medical Center to spread some h...
The Dallas Cowboys stopped by for their annual visit with Cook Children's patients on Dec. 12, 2022.Football players and cheerleaders surprised patients in multiple departments at the Medical Center to spread some holiday cheer. There were extra smil...
Happy Halloween! Our patients participated in trick-or-treating while babies in the NICU celebrated their first Halloween dressed in adorable costumes. Our staff members showed off their Halloween spirit! We hope everyone has a safe and happy Hallowe...
By Jean YaegerThe sunny personalities and determination of Sophie Worsham and Libby Sponsler shine through as the girls and their families deal with the physical challenges and developmental delays of Down syndrome. Sophie, who is 15 months old, has ...
North Texas may be the home base for Cook Children’s Medical Center, but the hospital’s reach stretches far beyond its eight-county service area, thanks in large part to Cook Children’s Teddy Bear Transport. This year marks 40 years of Teddy Bear Tra...
Hispanic Heritage Month is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to celebrate and pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.