TYLER, Texas — This holiday season, CBS19 has teamed up with the Children's Miracle Network to bring joy to East Texas children who need it.
Meet Kimber Jane de la Cruz! Born at just 27 weeks, she was the 2020 CMN Miracle Child, and she's overcome many life-threatening medical challenges in her short life.
She weighed just 1 pound 15 ounces and only 13 1/2 inches long.
"When she was very little. we were here for 84 days," her mom Hollie De La Cruz said.
The NICU at Christus Mother Frances Hospital, where Kimber fought for her life nine years ago, is equipped with life-saving equipment like a ventilator that she would need to breathe for the first four days of her life.
"But then she went to a CPAP machine, and then down to a Vapotherm, and then high flow oxygen, and then a regular flow oxygen. So she had some sort of supplemental oxygen help for about the first 10 weeks of her life. But the nurses and doctors, they're wonderful," Hollie said. "They take care of not just the patient, not just the babies, but they take care of the family. They've become parts of our family."
And the De La Cruz family would need that support when they hit their ninth week in the NICU.
"She had the typical heart bradycardia. she would desat, where she would forget to breathe. But when she was 9 weeks old, they did a head ultrasound, and that's when she was diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia," Hollie said. "It is essentially a brain injury. She has damage to the white matter in her brain on her left ventricle, so she has weakness on her right side."
Her family spent many emotional days in the NICU.
"Days where any small success is a big success in the NICU. so when we were able to come out of the isolette into a regular baby bed, that was a victory," Hollie said. "When she was able to wear clothes for the first time, that was a big deal. The first time she took a bottle. Just anything that is typical for a newborn baby is a big deal for a premature baby."
Kimber's first Thanksgiving was spent in the hospital. The holidays in the hospital are heart-wrenching. Even the tiniest gesture like a little bear can bring immeasurable comfort for families and children who can't be home for the holidays.
Kimber named the two teddy bears she received from CMN Sky and Chase.
"This is our first one that she got. It's lost its feet stitching, and then we got the second one at a CMN event. And she sleeps with them just about every night," Hollie said.
While Kimber couldn't cuddle with it in the isolette, Hollie said she thinks it's important for the families of the pediatric patients to have something to know that people are thinking of them.
"Even if they're not here with you, that you're in people's thoughts and prayers, and that CMN does such an amazing job of making people feel loved and feel comfort in such times of need," Hollie said.
After almost three months in the hospital, Kimber came home six days before her Christmas Day due date.
Since then, Kimber's been a patient in the Christus Trinity Mother Frances special needs clinic, which is funded by CMN.
She was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 1 years old, and at age 4, she had her first seizure.
But she's let any of that stop her!
"Kimber's played T-ball. She's played little dribblers, she's done dance classes, and then this year, since she's old enough, she showed her first goat with our FFA chapter through the school.
Hanging out with goats is her favorite thing to do when she's not in school. She's taking care of her animals now, but when Kimber grows up she wants to be a nurse.
"Because you sometimes you work hard, and then you you go to college, and then you will maybe your wish came true," Kimber said.
Hollie says she just wants Kimber to keep proving people wrong.
"If she puts her mind to it, she can do anything that she wants to do and that that part is exciting," Hollie said.
Today, Kimber lights up the NICU room that nine years ago that seemed so dark, so scary for her family thanks to the life-saving equipment and care at Christus Mother Frances Hospital made possible by the Children's Miracle Network.
She's one of many Merry Miracles! Her family feels so strongly about CMN that they give back to the NICU staff on Kimber's birthday by gifting the nurses and doctors lunch.
Hollie also served on the CMN allocation committee.
And people can be a part of Merry Miracles by giving to CMN, such as the bears that Kimber received.
Katie Maxwell, child life specialist at Christus Mother Frances Hospital, said the cuddly gifts really can transform a child's stay in the hospital, which can be scary.
"I've noticed and we know that when stress is lowered, healing can increase. So when kids are able to just be relaxed, their parents can also relax, and the whole environment can just kind of stay calm, and that allows for healing to happen a lot faster," Maxwell said.
Maxwell said bears and soft stuffed animals are very universal for children.
"So when I come in with a bear, they immediately know, OK this is a nice place, and this is a nice person that I can trust," Maxwell said. "It's a really great gateway to open up conversations, and down the road, if we need to do something hard or scary, then I'm already somebody that they trust because of something as simple as a bear."
She not only gives out bears in the NICU and on the pediatric floor, but to the children of patients in the hospital.
The hospital also offers a playroom for the children to visit and take their minds off being in the hospital and lets them just be a kid -- playing with toys, coloring or even playing video games.
Everything she's able to do for children is funded by CMN as is her job. During the holidays, she's able to bring Christmas to the kids with decorations, toys and Santa's workshop.
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