Moments of Cook Children’s Magic in 2025
As another year winds down, we want to revisit a few of the 2025 headlines that demonstrate the values we prioritize at Cook Children’s. Those values -- kindness, collaboration, imagination, respect, safety and generosity --- happen in big and small ways every day at Cook Children’s. Here’s a recap of 12 stories guaranteed to ring your holiday season with good cheer.
Cook Children's’ kids are the loveliest of them all
Hunter Ezernack, an 11-year-old from Louisiana, comes to Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth for health care … and for haircuts. Hunter is nonverbal and diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. At other hair salons, he tends to kick and scream. But Jasmine Villarreal, manager and stylist at Cook Children’s Mirror Mirror, knows how to put Hunter at ease. Jasmine has some tricks up her sleeve – shielding his wheelchair with a plastic drape, giving Hunter combs to play with, and soothing him with the hum of the hair dryer. Jasmine says appointments for kids like Hunter might take a little longer than normal. But it’s fulfilling when stylists can make children feel safe and a little pampered.
“I want them to be able to come here and feel special,” Jasmine said. “We see kids with all different situations. We’re not scared. We welcome them.”
Groundbreaking Technique Offers Breathing Relief to Athletes
Despite being in great shape, a 13-year-old athlete experienced chest pain and trouble catching her breath during exercise. Pulmonologist John Robertson, M.D. and his colleagues at the Cook Children’s Exercise Respiratory Center in Prosper put Jessye Tout on a treadmill to find out whether it was her voice box or her windpipe causing the discomfort. With a camera through Jessye’s nose and her feet pounding the treadmill, the team was able to take an in-depth look at her breathing capabilities while the symptoms occurred.
That technique performed in Prosper is believed to be the world's first continuous bronchoscopy during exercise (CBE) on a pediatric patient. “The groundbreaking part of our CBE is that it was done in a pediatric patient. So far, all of the published medical literature on the subject has been done in adults,” Dr. Robertson said.
The findings? Jessye needed speech therapy to help prevent her voice box from closing while she exercised. Jessye could get back to playing the sports she loves.
The Cook Children’s Promise Begins Before Birth
The critical mission of the Cook Children’s Health Plan (CCPN) and its 400 dedicated employees drew statewide attention in the spring. CCPN serves 125,000 children in North Texas, along with pregnant women who are CCPN members. Under the health plan, each high-risk pregnancy is assigned a maternity case manager like Chrystal Bryant. Chrystal checks in regularly to make sure her clients have prenatal care, nutrition, transportation to appointments and other resources.
“Cook Children’s Health Plan is committed to ensuring that all children in our community are safe and healthy, and that begins at conception,” Chrystal said.
"She's concerned about the baby, but she's also concerned about me," said first-time mom Shaquerial Evans.
When the two women met in person for the first time, after speaking over the phone for months, they hugged and talked like old friends. For Shaquerial, Chrystal was a source of encouragement and a shoulder to lean on.
Let the Sunshine In: Cook Children's Advances Legacy of Healing and Hope with New Patient Tower
Several patients and Peaks the Dragon helped shovel dirt in May when Cook Children’s broke ground on a 760,000-square-foot tower at Medical Center – Fort Worth. Construction is expected to take five years on what’s being called, for now, the West Tower. Planning the West Tower is a collaboration involving staff, patients and the design and construction teams. The addition will include two dedicated cardiovascular operating rooms, paving the way for heart transplants. The West Tower also will create more space for medical research and expansion of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
“This groundbreaking of the West Tower is not just the laying of concrete and steel. It is a powerful continuation of the pioneering spirit,” said Rick Merrill, president and CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System. “It is a tangible manifestation of our enduring commitment to the future, a bold step driven by the same courage and vision that defined Fort Worth from its earliest days.”
Here’s to the generous investment and forward thinking that ensures Cook Children’s will continue to meet the needs of our growing population in the Metroplex.
Nelson Ku High Risk Asthma Clinic Provides Hope and Help to Families
Before an asthma attack gets severe enough to require a trip to the hospital or Urgent Care, there’s a multidisciplinary team at Cook Children’s taking proactive steps to prevent asthma from flaring up. Cook Children’s opened the Nelson Ku High Risk Asthma Clinic in May to address needs in a clinical setting and through community education. Upon referral, patients come in for evaluation by respiratory therapists and pulmonology clinicians. Child Life specialists introduce patients to the doll Asthma Abby to demonstrate how the lungs work. The goal is to reduce hospitalizations by helping patients recognize their asthma triggers so that families can manage the symptoms before they escalate.
“Sometimes a patient is in the hospital a lot because they have bad asthma, but sometimes it's because they don’t have access to their medications for a variety of reasons, or they don’t understand why they need their medications or how to use them correctly,” said Kate DeVore, LCSW, Case Management Social Work Team Lead.
A New Beginning Takes Flight: Inside the Landmark Collaboration Bringing Las Vegas Trail a One-of-a-Kind Community Health Care Hub
A partnership like none other launched this summer, bringing a comprehensive infusion of safety, health and nutrition resources to the residents of Las Vegas Trail (LVT) in west Fort Worth. The neighborhood health center serving the LVT area officially opened its doors in August with a ribbon cutting that included high school band members and cheerleaders. The center is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between JPS Health Network, Cook Children’s Health Care System, the City of Fort Worth, LVTRise and WestAid. Cook Children’s provides well-child checks, sick care, childhood immunizations, pediatric behavioral health care, food and nutrition education, and assistance navigating the health care system and community resources. Visitors can also find workforce development, a food bank, demonstration kitchen and police storefront on site.
“This project represents a major strategic investment in the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood, demonstrating our commitment to this vital part of our community,” said Mayor Mattie Parker. “We are establishing a best practice here, and Fort Worth’s innovative approach will be a model for other cities.”
More than just a clinic, this health care hub connects individuals and families to conveniently located services that support every facet of well-being, from safety and medical care to food security, financial stability and strong family foundations.
Creative Community: Neighbors Pitch in to Paint Mural at Neighborhood Health Center in Las Vegas Trail
Giant butterflies, flowers and children’s handprints embellish the outdoor mural that greets visitors to the neighborhood health hub serving the Las Vegas Trail community. Kids and adults who live nearby were invited to help paint the mural, giving them a sense of ownership in the project and a way to make their mark on the 3.7-acre campus. In the planning stages, Cook Children’s asked local children for input on the mural design and the art inside the building. Those voices were heard. Las Vegas Trail families can proudly say they helped create a beautiful and vibrant work of art, fostering a sense of belonging and community engagement in the process.
“In everything we do, we put the patient first,” said Veronica Tolley, vice president of Cook Children’s Primary Care & Specialty Services. “This is another example of that, by kids bringing their imagination to a project that’s already been very innovative.”
The mural, which measures 50 feet long and 11 feet high, gives a friendly welcome to guests who pull into the parking lot. It stands as a giant symbol of hope and making connections to one another.
Community Health Team Connects Residents to Resources
Fifty-five families that once struggled with homelessness now live at a Fort Worth affordable housing complex where the Cook Children’s Center for Community Health sets them up to thrive. Casa de los Sueños offers residents much more than a roof over their heads. When they moved in, the center welcomed residents with cookware, air purifiers, pack ‘n plays and other items geared to prevent injury and promote health. To help meet ongoing needs in a pinch, families have access to a diaper closet and emergency food pantry. The center even provided toys that foster child development, sparking joy for the kids.
“We continue to support these families on their climb out of the situation that they were previously in,” said Lenee Bassham, MSSW director of Child Safety in the Center for Community Health. “We want to surround them with the resources they need to succeed.”
Tackling big challenges like homelessness takes an ongoing commitment to build relationships and trust. Initiatives and generous donations at Casa de los Sueños hit the target for practical solutions and respect for the dignity of residents.
CCMC- Prosper opens NICU
Cook Children’s Medical Center – Prosper opened a state-of-the-art Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in September, bringing specialized care to the smallest and most vulnerable babies. The Prosper NICU marks a milestone because it’s the first NICU contained in a children’s hospital in the rapidly growing region of North Texas around Prosper. Patients in the new NICU receive expert care from multidisciplinary pediatric experts, led by neurologists. Comfort, privacy and convenience of families were considered in every aspect of the design. For instance, the oversized NICU rooms are built thoughtfully with features like extra cabinetry for storage and sleep spaces for parents when they want to stay overnight. A bedside camera system allows parents to see their babies via an app when they’re away.
"Our new NICU is a promise to families that their children will receive expert, compassionate care without having to leave their community," said Kevin Greene, President of Cook Children's Medical Center - Prosper. "With each investment we make into our medical center and in our outpatient clinics, we are building a foundation for exceptional pediatric care close to home."
Home Health Goes the Extra Mile
Cook Children’s Home Health celebrated its 25th anniversary in September, marking a quarter century of care for patients in their own homes. What started as a single location in Fort Worth has grown to satellite sites in Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Services include nursing, rehab, respiratory therapy, pharmacy infusion and injectable services, custom mobility, orthotics and prosthetics as well as durable medical equipment and supply services. Our Home Health team brings life-changing care directly to patients like Vivianna Madera, whose new robotic arm improves her mobility and independence.
“My favorite part of working at Home Health is getting to be creative within my position and seeing the results firsthand how our Custom Mobility department helps the families that we serve,” said Joel Murray, custom mobility technician. “The Assisted Technology Professionals and technicians on our team are incredible human beings who are here to help people have better lives.”
Brother's Bone Marrow Cures Sister's Sickle Cell Disease
The Johnson family, who live in Killeen, found kindness and the skilled care Anyah needed at the Cook Children’s Sickle Cell Program. Now Anyah and her brother Cobus share a unique bond: identical blood and immune systems. That’s because doctors at Cook Children’s infused a small portion of Cobus’ bone marrow into Anyah so that she could make healthy red blood cells. That stem cell transplant cured her sickle cell disease. As the matched sibling donor, Cobus felt supported too.
Gretchen Eames, M.D., Medical Director of the Cook Children’s Stem Cell Transplant Program, said the team looks out for the entire family during the transplant process. “It’s a very big deal, very serious therapy, but the success rate is very high,” Dr. Eames said. “And if we can get a patient to be pain free, not needing transfusions, now they have a healthy outlook for the rest of their life.”
Cook Children's Medical Center Fort Worth Achieves Fifth Magnet Designation
Congratulations to the nurses at Cook Children’s Medical Center - Fort Worth, which celebrated its fifth consecutive Magnet® designation from the American Nursing Credentialing Center. Earning that designation for a fifth time puts our Fort Worth medical center in the elite company of fewer than 2% of hospitals in the nation. When the announcement was made in November, we learned that our medical center actually exceeded the benchmarks to achieve Magnet with DistinctionTM. The Magnet® Recognition Program is the gold standard in nursing excellence and validation of high-quality patient outcomes.
“Nurses are the number one care providers at the bedside in the nation and certainly at Cook Children’s,” said Kaylan Branson, Director of Nursing Quality & Magnet Designation. “It feels great to recognize the nurses who do this day in and day out. This recognition is a validation of their hard work.”
Bravo to the Magnet Champion Team who spent months preparing for a site visit so that appraisers could see examples of nursing excellence, innovation, leadership and compassion across all units and departments.
