Cook Children’s partners with the organ procurement organization LifeGift. On April 24, representatives from LifeGift helped raise the “Donate Life” flag on our campus in honor of the patients who have received donated organs and the deceased patients who became organ donors.

“Cook Children’s has been working with LifeGift for years so we can help save lives in another way,” said Marie Boyd, Office Operations Manager in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Donors at Cook Children’s have provided kidneys, hearts, livers, lungs and other organs for transplant surgeries across Texas and beyond. Their first names and ages are etched into a memorial plaque near the medical center’s prayer garden. From 2022-2024 at Cook Children’s, there were 23 organ donors and 75 organs transplanted for a total of 63 lives saved.

“In the face of unimaginable loss, organ donation offers grieving families a rare and powerful gift: the chance for their child’s legacy to live on by saving another life or lives. It’s a profound reminder that even in the darkest moments, hope can take root,” said Mindy Coates, BSN, RN and LifeGift Chair.

A very special person, Eli Marski, joined this year’s flag raising. Eli received a life-saving kidney transplant when he was born. He shared powerful words to honor and thank all organ donors, especially his.

“I just am full of gratitude for the second chance that my child has been given,” Kami Williams, Eli’s mom, said. “I would say he’s a warrior, he’s my hero.”

LifeGift delivers lifesaving transplants to those who need them. Sign up online to register as a donor.

It’s not every day that you see a patient on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) walking around the halls of the hospital or taking a turn outside in a wheelchair. Children on this life-supporting device have very sick lungs. Most patients are fully sedated while ECMO assists their lungs in the exchange of blood gasses to properly oxygenate their body and its organs. But Emerson Bellucci is not most patients. 

“People would line the halls when she was up doing therapy,” said Ashlee Bellucci, Emerson’s mother. “Everybody wanted to see because they said this is not your typical ECMO patient. And I said, ‘Well, this is not your typical kid.’”

The 12-year-old from Fort Worth is one-of-a-kind in a lot of ways. Strong, resilient and mature beyond her years, Emerson not only beat the odds on ECMO, she survived a very rare and life-threatening reaction to the common antibiotic Bactrim, which she was prescribed to treat a staph infection she developed from cystic acne. The reaction is so rare, in fact, that few studies on the condition exist.

In 2023, physicians from Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri, published a review of five cases of severe lung inflammation following the use of Bactrim, or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Like several in this case study, in the early days of Emerson’s reaction, her symptoms of fever, rash and difficulty breathing were initially thought to be the result of a viral infection. But her breathing became so labored that she was admitted to Cook Children’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) on August 18, 2024, where her care was overseen by a team of intensive care physicians and consulting specialists, including Javier Gelvez, M.D., pediatric intensivist, Krishna Pancham, M.D., pulmonologist, and Raymond Nkwantabisa, M.D., ECMO program medical director. In his 28 years of practicing medicine, Emerson is the first patient Dr. Nkwantabisa has treated for Bactrim-induced pneumonitis.

“Basically, Emerson developed severe inflammation in her lungs as a result of getting the Bactrim,” Dr. Nkwantabisa said. “This inflammation ended up causing pretty severe lung injury and damage to the air sacs in the lungs, resulting in pretty severe air leaks that required the placement of chest tubes to allow the air to escape from her lungs.”

Despite the chest tube placement and subsequently being placed on a ventilator, Emerson’s lungs were so inflamed that no amount of ventilator support could move air in and out of her lungs adequately to support her oxygen levels.

“We all need a certain amount of healthy air sacs to be able to breathe and exchange gases.” Dr. Nkwantabisa explained. “So when you get sick with, for example, very severe pneumonia where you don't have enough healthy open air sacs to exchange gas, we usually will intubate you and put you on a ventilator to breathe for you. But the ventilator only works when you have a reasonable number of healthy air sacs. If every air sac is injured or not working well, then the ventilator is limited in terms of how it can help.”

One day Emerson is a normal pre-teen dealing with all of the things that come with adolescent development and, within a matter of weeks, she’s on life-support with lungs so sick doctors began preparing her and her family for the possibility of needing a lung transplant.

“It's been the worst thing ever I could imagine,” Ashlee said. “But then there's been such high moments, you know, when I see her get up and walk with three ECMO lines in her legs. It's just miraculous.”

A Critical Lifeline

Think of ECMO as an external artificial lung. Tubes are inserted into large blood vessels, like the femoral artery and the femoral vein. Those tubes carry blue blood out of the body and pass it through an external machine that removes carbon dioxide and infuses oxygen into the blood. The oxygenated blood then flows back into the body, delivering vital oxygen to the patient’s organs. It is one of the most advanced forms of life support available.

There are very few patients that meet the criteria for remaining awake while on ECMO, says Danielle Ransonette, Cook Children’s ECMO co-coordinator. For one, the patient must have adequate pain control and tolerance without requiring complete sedation, and that doesn’t happen often, especially in children. The patient also has to be at a developmental level where they can follow directions and be reasoned with to protect the ECMO cannulae. Meeting the criteria meant Emerson had the opportunity to shoot a few basketball hoops, do physical therapy and to stand to hug her parents, all while on ECMO.

Rather than seeing the lung assist device as an obstacle, Emerson saw it as the lifeline that it was, and chose gratitude as her fuel.

“What definitely kept me going is I finally realized that it's my support,” Emerson said. “There was a huge chance I could have been dead without it. And I think that's definitely a huge reason that I'm still going.”

An Elite Force

Cook Children’s has a team of professionals specially trained to operate ECMO, and a member of this team is at the patient’s bedside 24/7 for as long as they are on the device.

Dr. Nkwantabisa likens this team to the military’s Navy SEALs, a team of elite special forces known for conducting high-risk and often covert operations. The ECMO team is called on when things are really dark and dire, he says. They are highly trained, highly competent and very low-key. Like the SEALs, these respiratory therapists and nurses are called away from their daily jobs and units throughout the hospital to accomplish a separate mission to care for an ECMO patient, sometimes for weeks or months on end. When all is said and done, they return to their respective units with little to no fanfare.

“It takes a special kind of person because, not only is it the wear and tear emotionally and physically that you go through, but there's also an intense amount of training that you come in and do over and above your regular scheduled hours,” Ransonette said. “It takes somebody who's truly dedicated, who really wants to further their knowledge and skills and really help take care of these kiddos.”

A Voice for the Voiceless

In late September, while still on ECMO, Emerson was transferred to a pediatric lung transplant center in Houston to prepare for a potential transplant. Once again, she defied the odds. On October 30, she was removed from ECMO and her transplant subsequently denied due to her recovery and progress. 

“It was just such justification for faith and God when we got the [transplant] denial letter,” Ashlee said. “Probably one of the happiest days of my life. Needless to say that that particular letter will be framed and placed at home.”

On December 12, Emerson was transferred back to Cook Children’s and admitted to the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) where her lungs continue to recover as she does daily physical therapy to strengthen her body.

“We consider [Cook Children’s] home,” Ashlee said.

Just as Emerson embraced ECMO as a lifeline, she and her family view her health and healing journey as one with purpose.

“We told Emmie early on when we were all trying to get a grasp on this just sudden change in her health, that God has a plan for her, and that she's got a story to tell when she gets through all of this,” said Robert Dancy, Emerson’s father. “We don't know what it is or how she's going to use it, but she's going to have a story to tell to help other people.”

Part of that story is the role parents and caregivers can play in supporting other children on ECMO. Having experienced ECMO while awake, Emerson was uniquely positioned to share her discomforts, such as feeling cold while on the machine, and how solutions like hot packs and warm blankets helped her feel more comfortable. Emerson hopes to use what she’s learned from the experience to be a voice for the voiceless, guiding caregivers in easing the pain and discomfort of those on ECMO who cannot communicate their needs.

And she has a message for other children facing life-changing circumstances and hardships.

“Never give up,” she said. “You will have days when you don't want to do anything because you're going to feel like you're never enough. But, no matter what, never ever give up. Keep the faith.”

“Our Joey likes to move at his own pace,” said his mother Denise Belles.

Joey arrived at Cook Children’s in June of 2019. What his family thought were headaches from recent growth spurts and allergies turned out to be a rare form of cancer called pineoblastoma. A tumor was growing in his head and spinal fluid was building up in his brain.

“At the time, he was going to football camp and loved it. Then we did the CT scan and within days, we got the diagnosis that changed our lives forever,” said Denise.

On July 3, Cook Children’s neurosurgeon Daniel Hansen, M.D. removed Joey’s tumor. Luckily, Dr. Hansen was able to get the entire mass at once. From there, Joey began a strict regimen of proton radiation therapy. In November, he was admitted to Cook Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit to begin stem cell chemotherapy.

“It was really hard on his body,” Denise said. “You deplete them (patients) of everything and start from scratch. But the doctor said to Joey ‘You don’t have a shot if you don’t have the right attitude.’ So we came up with a plan and no matter what, we were going to be positive about it.”

Part of the plan came together after a visit with a physical therapist. She asked Joey to start walking and told him that if he kept track of his progress, he could win a gift card once he hit 10 miles. The incentive is part of a new program at Cook Children’s called ‘Miles in Motion’ which encourages hematology/oncology patients to get moving.

“When I first got here, I was sick and I was moving pretty slow,” said Joey. “We started walking the first day, but I could only do two laps.”

Joey would log his walks on a piece of paper in his room. Soon, the papers began piling up as he started making multiple laps around the unit.

Physical therapist Lydia Robey was part of the team that came up with the idea for ‘Miles in Motion’ as part of a quality and safety initiative to get patients out of their beds and exercising.

“We were brainstorming how to increase activity for this particular group of patients and one of our dieticians pointed out that these kids were losing muscle mass at a far greater rate than they should,” said Robey. “Some of that was due to inactivity, as well as steroids and medications that cause muscle atrophy. We started reviewing the literature and the evidence just became overwhelming of how important exercise is.”

Robey said due to varying blood counts, patients are not always able to do resistance exercise. However, she says walking is always good.

“Everyone agrees that walking is safe, so we wanted to find a way to motivate and empower families and patients to start walking as part of their daily routine,” explained Robey.

Joey and his parents did just that. They committed to walking each day during his four separate hospital stays, which spanned between two and four weeks each.

“For about a week, I did two to four laps a day and then I started getting to 10 and I thought ‘Wow, this is good!’ and then I started doing 20,” Joey exclaimed.

Before he knew it, Joey was walking more than 30 laps at a time, a feat that seemed impossible when he first started.

“There really is a noticeable difference between the first time I saw him and how he is now,” said Haleigh Schreck, one of Joey’s physical therapists. “He walks every single day on his own, no matter what he’s going through treatment-wise. His drive and motivation are very impressive.”

Last week, Joey hit a milestone that not even his physical therapists thought was possible. Joey marked off his 26^th mile in the ‘Miles in Motion’ program, which is equivalent to walking an entire marathon. Walking a marathon was never even a goal for Joey or for the ‘Miles in Motion’ program, but as he got closer to mile 26, he knew he had to go for it.

“We were just like, we’re this close to getting a marathon and I decided ‘I’m gonna do this,’” said Joey.

On Thursday, Feb. 20, Joey made his final laps around the unit were he’d been walking for the past four months. This time, nurses, child life specialists and physical therapists lined the walls. They held up handmade signs and cheered him on. With just five laps to go, Joey took one step at a time, thanking his mom and dad for their support as they finished the journey together.

At the final lap, excitement built as the medical staff cheered his name. “Joey, Joey, Joey!” they chanted until breaking into a loud roar as Joey ran through the finish line, a paper streamer strung across the hallway.

He did it. Joey walked a marathon.

“It was awesome,” he said basking in the wonder of his achievement. “I could have never done it without my family, the whole team we have. Everyone has been so supportive of me. It’s just truly amazing what we have done, me and my parents.”

This wasn’t the first marathon completed by a member of the Belles family. Denise ran the New York marathon in 2010, but she said this one was much better.

“This one is more rewarding,” Denise said. “His training was harder. I definitely feel more fulfilled with his than mine. It means so much more.”

If that wasn’t enough, finishing a marathon wasn’t Joey’s only major accomplishment of the day. It was also his final day of chemo.

“In the beginning, I really thought this was going to be devastating,” said Joey. “But everyone has been helping me and pushing me. With them, I knew I could get through this and do it with power.”

While he did have a supportive family and medical team, Joey also did what his doctor advised and had the right mindset throughout his cancer journey.

“Joey has been an amazing patient to work with,” said Haleigh. “I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t just smiling and having the most positive attitude. He blew all of our expectations out of the water.”

“I’m so proud of him. It shows how if you have the right mindset then you can overcome anything,” his mom said.

With his treatment coming to an end, Joey and his family are making plans for the future. They’re downsizing to a smaller home so they can take more trips together. This summer, they hope to go to Italy.

“We’re a close-knit family. We just love being together, but this has brought us so much closer,” said Denise. “We don’t want to wait to do stuff, like travel, anymore. We enjoy each other and we don’t take anything for granted.”

“They told me I was a match,” Ferrel recalls, “and there was no hesitation. I wanted to be the one who helped her. It’s a blessing for me to be the donor who cures her disease.”

The Ferrel family are active ranchers from Panhandle, Texas, and accustomed to the small-town way of life. In January 2018, 14-year-old Jackie started to look a little puffy, Audrey said, and her behavior was off.

Audrey took Jackie to their local doctor for what they thought would be a routine diagnosis. Instead, they got a call from the physician’s office that would change their lives.

“We had barely arrived home when they called with the results — Jackie was in end-stage renal failure,” Audrey said. “They told me, ‘You need to get back here right now. We’re flying her to Cook Children’s.’”

Audrey and her husband, Ty, packed up the family and drove to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. Cook Children’s urologist and surgical director Blake Palmer, M.D., diagnosed Jackie with IgA Nephropathy, or Berger’s Disease, which has no cure. The disease occurs when an antibody called immunoglobulin A builds up in the kidneys. They become inflamed and lose their ability to filter waste from the blood, which can be fatal if not treated.

Jackie would need a transplant to survive.

Berger’s Disease usually progresses slowly over years, but the course of the illness varies from person to person. Its exact cause is unknown.

Medication can treat some cases, but transplants are often needed. Initially, Jackie was hospitalized at Cook Children’s for a month, but she was eventually able to go home on dialysis. She resumed activity and even began track season.

“She had an awesome track season. She did very well,” Audrey said. “In addition to that, she still participated in cross country, qualified for regionals, and played basketball and tennis.”

Despite her outward progress, Jackie’s internal condition worsened, and a transplant was needed to save her life.

In December 2018 Jackie was placed on the transplant list, and they received a call for a high risk kidney shortly after, however they declined, knowing Audrey would begin testing for a live donor transplant.

“She told us she was feeling great, she didn’t want to take a high risk kidney if she could hold out,” Audrey said. “I was convicted from the beginning that my kidney was going to be the one.”

The process for matching with and receiving a live kidney donation is extensive and requires multiple EKGs, various scans and blood tests to ensure the kidney is a match and the risk is low. Surgeons at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, which has collaborated with Cook Children’s for years on various projects, evaluated Audrey to determine whether she would be a candidate.

“Over time dialysis becomes less and less effective,” Dr. Palmer said. “She [Jackie] was more ill on a day-to-day basis, really just not able to thrive or have a normal life like we’d expect a normal 15 year-old. But after this transplant, she is going to get all those things back.”

Audrey’s tests confirmed she was a match. The final CT scan determines whether a donor is compatible based on the placement of an artery.

“We got the final call while at a basketball tournament,” Audrey said. “I just asked, ‘When can we schedule it?’”

Because Audrey was an adult, the surgery to remove one of her healthy kidneys would have to take place at Texas Health Fort Worth. The kidney would be walked across a sky bridge that connects the two hospitals and implanted in Jackie by a surgical team at Cook Children’s.

“The collaboration between our two hospitals is something I’m really proud of. I know the clinical teams on both sides of that sky bridge are really proud,” said Dr. Tariq N. Khan, transplant surgical director at Texas Health Fort Worth. “It’s about bringing the best resources together, with the single focus being the best possible care to the patients we serve.”

Audrey and Jackie scheduled their transplant for Aug. 27, 2019. The sky bridge cut the time from hours to just minutes for the donor kidney to be delivered. With Jackie feeling fatigued and unable to participate with her teams and work with the family’s ranch animals, the transplant could not have been scheduled at a better time.

“Toward the end I didn’t feel well at all,” she said. “I was ready by the time all the testing was done.”

Jackie checked in at Cook Children’s the night before to begin pre-op preparations and Audrey arrived at Texas Health Fort Worth the next morning, both of them with an entourage of family and friends.

Dr. Khan began Audrey’s surgery at 7 a.m. and by 10 a.m. he was transporting the kidney to Cook Children’s with the Fort Worth Life Gift transplant team.

Dr. Palmer and his team at Cook Children’s were waiting with Jackie prepped in the operating room. They knew as soon as the kidney was connected and producing urine that the transplant was successful.

The mother-daughter pair spent two months recovering Fort Worth, before heading back to ranch life. They have both recovered and Jackie is slowly easing back into her routine as a typical teenager.

“Jackie is feeling awesome. She is able to attend church, youth group, and 4H events. She is also keeping books for the varsity basketball team,” Audrey said. “She has begun to exercise again and has had her first ride [horses] since the surgery. While she’s not cleared to go back to school and regular sports yet, we anticipate that she will be cleared to do so soon. We are blessed beyond measure and are counting them out loud for sure.”

Though Audrey can’t physically donate again, she would make the same decision if she could go back, and encourages others to consider doing the same.

“Being a live donor was the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s a gift, really,” Audrey said. “It’s giving life twice.”

First, there’s a seven-year age difference. Then, Garrett is married and an operations manager for a company in Las Colinas, while TJ is a single, free spirt and an aspiring actor working summer stock in Kentucky with dreams of Broadway.

But get past the surface and you will find Garrett and TJ share a bond like never before – one has been saved by a bone marrow transplant and the other has provided that life giving donation to someone else.

Their story begins on an early Saturday morning in February, 2013. TJ was a junior in high school. He felt more fatigued and dizzy while performing, but felt it was probably just due to his hectic rehearsal schedule. TJ later told his mother, Sherri that he didn’t feel well and when his symptoms persisted they looked into it further.

TJ went to visit his pediatrician, Tom Rogers, M.D., on a Thursday and had blood work done on a Friday before he was scheduled to go to church camp. The next day, TJ received a tap on his shoulder. It was his parents, Tom and Sherri, telling him that Dr. Rogers called and wanted them to go to the Cook Children’s Emergency Department immediately.

“At that point I was freaking out a little bit,” TJ said. “I was definitely freaking out because I didn’t know what was going on. One of the weirdest moments was when we went to the emergency room and they gave us a private room, which generally doesn’t happen in the ER. By private room, I mean door shut kind of room. The doctor came in and asked if I knew what was going on. The doctor said, “I can tell you right now you either have aplastic anemia or leukemia. At that point, I didn’t even know what aplastic anemia was.”

Shortly after being admitted, TJ was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, which is a blood disorder where the body’s bone marrow doesn’t make enough blood cells. The disease affects approximately three in a million people.

And just like that, TJ’s life was turned completely upside down.

He was admitted to Cook Children’s and immediately pulled out of school for his junior year at Keller high school. His siblings weren’t a match for bone marrow transplant, so he initially underwent a six-month immune suppression therapy in hopes this would provide the cure for his disease.

“I was really hopeful that TJ would have a matched sibling, even though we know the chances of a sibling matching are only 25 percent,” said Richard Howrey,M.D., medical director of the Aphresis Program at Cook Children’s and the associate medical director of the Stem Cell Transplant Program. “When we got the disappointing news that TJ didn’t have a match in the family, we felt our best chance for cure was to give standard immunosuppressive therapy, in part because the high risk of serious complications associated with an unrelated bone marrow transplant.”

At the end of that timeframe, shortly after he went back to school for his senior year, his doctors told TJ the immune suppression therapy was not the long term answer they had hope for and he needed an unrelated donor bone marrow transplant.

For TJ, all of these life-changing (and life-saving) events couldn’t have come at a worse time for a young man with big plans for his future.

He had already started planning for college and a degree in musical theatre. He had 19 college theatre auditions scheduled for November, had been cast in a lead role in his high school’s musical, was rehearsing for the high school fall show, which was to be performed at the end of October and was directing his senior play.

TJ went to his doctors and asked for enough time before receiving his transplant to finish at least two of his high school obligations. Cook Children’s and Be The Match found a 10 for 10 match for TJ. His transplant took place on Nov. 8, 2013, a day he now celebrates as another birthday. TJ finished his responsibilities with proceeds from his senior directed play going to Cook Children’s.

Prior to the surgery, TJ’s parents hosted a “Shaving TJ’s Head Party” at their home. In addition to family and friends, a representative from Be The Match was invited to come and swab people who were interested in signing up with the registry. The age range for donors at the time was between 18 and 40 years of age, which eliminated many of the guests who were high school age or parents of high school students who were older. But Garrett decided to sign up and was swabbed that evening.

“The event was a party. It was fun. It was celebratory,” Garrett said. “I weighed the cost of swabbing, but at the time I didn’t fully know the weight of that decision. I really wanted to get on the registry though. The thought going through my head was when TJ was diagnosed, they tested me and our younger brother, Austin, but neither one of us was a match. I found out that it’s very common for siblings to not to be a match. That’s sad being the older brother and I can’t give TJ what he needs to get healthy. I thought, ‘I would love to be able to do this for somebody else’s brother.’”

TJ has a lot to celebrate now. He’s come a long way from the days of chemotherapy, radiation treatment and 108 transfusions.

“During that time it was very much about what do I have to do now to pursue theatre in the future,” TJ said. “I had to set aside acting for a while to get healthy, but I think it was the right choice. It worked out perfectly.”

TJ is currently entering into his junior year at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C. He is pursuing a degree in musical theatre and is in Italy this fall studying Physical Theatre. As it turns out, TJ donor was from Germany. If both parties agree, donors and recipients have the option to meet. TJ and his donor have contacted each other through Facebook and texts, and plans are underway for TJ and his donor to finally meet face to face during his trip abroad.

“We had pretty much known from the beginning that we would want to keep in contact with this person,” TJ said. “I had to wait two years and then it was sign this form and sign that form. He had to sign a consent as well. He actually reached out to me first. I will meet him in the fall and it’s going to be awesome. It will be really interesting. I’m excited for sure. He seems very down to earth and very understanding.”

So as TJ’s transplant story was coming to the kind of happy ending any actor would want to play, Garrett’s story was just beginning.

Earlier this year, Garrett received a call to say he was a match for someone. Garrett admits to becoming nervous as he read about the procedure. As an analytical person by nature he couldn’t help but think about all the details of the procedure. Plus, he’s not a fan of needle sticks or blood. But after talking and praying with his wife Sheila, he knew this was something he sincerely wanted to do – to pay it forward for the help TJ received.

“It was such an incredible coincidence that Garrett wasn’t able to help his brother, but then had the opportunity to save the life of a complete stranger,” Dr. Howrey said.

In July 2017, Garrett drove to Cook Children’s for the first time since TJ had been discharged. Garrett said it brought back a flood of memories of when his younger brother was a patient there.

He arrived at 6 a.m. for the 8 a.m. procedure. The last thing Garrett remembers was him laughing and saying to the anesthesiologist, “I like this guy.”

The medical team drew more than a liter of bone marrow and everything appears to be a success. A year will go by before Garrett will have the opportunity to meet the person who received his bone marrow.

“I would love to meet that person,” Garrett said. “TJ had to wait two years to get in contact with his donor because he was outside the United State. In the U.S., it’s only a year. So my wife and I are definitely looking forward to making contact when that time frame’s up.

Garrett said his soreness continued for a month or so, but he has since returned to a 100 percent and he’s so glad that he took the time out to swab his cheek at TJ’s party.

“TJ and I have a quite an age gap between us,” Garrett said. “I remember growing up, playing video games and my younger brothers wanting to hang out or whatever with me. I thought they were such pests and I would get upset with them. But seeing them grow up and be in high school, I thought I want to be more a part of their lives. Then seeing TJ go through all of this, I was just like, ‘Man, I really want good quality time with him. It made me want to be closer to him.”

As they sit across from each other talking about their experiences, there’s a brief pause. Neither looks at each other but the feeling is there. They are closer than ever before … a perfect match.

Here are three articles about the kids who fight cancer and the work Cook Children's does to hopefully someday #erasekidcancer for future generations:

When it comes to battling cancer: she rocks!

Tori Pence has loved music since she was 7 years old when her grandfather gifted her with her first guitar. But it wasn’t until she was admitted to Cook Children’s that her passion for music flourished. Click to read her story.

Luke's story

On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Cook Children's began this year's #erasekidcancer campaign for Children's Awareness Month with a ceremonial 1k walk. Fifth grader Luke Lange, who’s in remission for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, stepped up to the podium and lowered the microphone to fit his 10-year-old height to share what Cook Children’s means to him. We found it so inspiring, we thought everyone should hear his story.Click to read Luke's words. 

Our efforts to #erasekidcancer

The Cook Children's Hematology and Oncology Center works every day on medical treatments and research to help make the blood disorders and cancers that affect children and teens, disappear. Here are some of our efforts to #erasekidcancer: Click to watch great videos about our MIBG program, Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Program and Complex Blood Disorders and Diseases program.

More about Hematology and Oncology

As a specialty, hematology and oncology was formed because there are so many instances where blood diseases and cancer cross paths. Just like adults, children get cancer, but the cancers children have are very different in many ways than adult cancers. Because of the unique nature of children with cancer, they must be evaluated and treated by pediatric specialists. Our top priority is providing the best care for your child.

Thanks to a gracious act of kindness from one teenager in Arizona, a 1 year old from Joshua, Texas is no longer on that list.

Following a head injury while competing in a North Texas motocross event, Kenneth “Buddy” Wentworth III died at the age of 16 on Oct. 3, 2014. Buddy’s parents gave consent for donation. Since his death, Buddy donated his heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, corneas and other tissue at JPS Health Network.

Eli received one of Buddy’s kidneys. Eli’s kidneys were destroyed because of massive blood loss by placental abruption, a complication of pregnancy in which the placenta separates from the uterus before birth.

Eli was one of the 134 kidney transplants that have taken place at Cook Children’s since 1993, when the organ donation program began.

The Wentworths and the Marskis met for the first time this week as part of the annual “Life Gift” flag raising ceremony that took place at Cook Children’s on April 16, 2015. The Wentworths flew from their home in Arizona especially to be there.

Darbie, Buddy’s mom, said the organ donation was Buddy’s idea.

Darbie said, “When I took Buddy to get his license, he said, ‘Mom, can I be a donor?’ My response was, ‘Dude, do you know what that means?”

It meant saving a little Eli’s life.

“Because of Buddy’s choice, we have the opportunity to raise our child and for that I will be forever grateful,”said Kammi Marski, Eli’s mom.