ABC30 is hosting their 9th annual “Futures Worth Fighting For” Telethon, allowing for even more miracles to happen in the lives of kids at Valley Children’s Hospital. During the past eight years, ABC30 has helped raise more than $1 million for Valley Children’s.
The ABC30 “Futures Worth Fighting For” Telethon will be held in the Valley Children’s Hospital rotunda on Thursday, August 10, 2023. For the entire day, ABC30 anchors will be sharing the services and care Valley Children’s provides and volunteers will be standing by to take donations that will help kids like this year’s CMN Hospitals Champion, Mac.
Mac was born with spina bifida and a severe form of chiari malformation, a condition where brain tissue extends to the spinal canal. A little more than just 24 hours after his birth, Mac had surgery to close his lesion in neurosurgery and was treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for two weeks. Mac’s mother, Veronica, sat next to Mac talking to him while he was in his isolette incubator.
Mac has been admitted to the hospital more than 100 times, with 12 weeks being his longest inpatient stay. His diagnosis has caused him to wear a tracheostomy tube to help him breathe and a gastronomy tube to help him eat.
Through the years, Mac has received a total of 34 surgeries at Valley Children’s. Veronica says they have practically seen every specialty at the hospital, including neurology, neurosurgery, urology, pulmonology, ENT, gastroenterology, plastic surgery, rehabilitation, orthopedics and nephrology. “The trust doctors have shown in Mac’s ability is astounding, it’s something I have not found to be the case elsewhere,” says Veronica.
Mac is now 12 years old and in the sixth grade, homeschooled by his mom. Veronica says, “Mac always has a great attitude. To this day, his goal is for others to have a better day. Mac absolutely loves watching sports and hopes to become a sports agent someday. He has thoroughly enjoyed being our CMN Champion this year, bringing his influential smile to many events in and out of the hospital.
It is because of generous donors and sponsors that miracles happen every day at Valley Children’s. Our heartfelt thanks go to ABC30, The Wonderful Company and all of our amazing sponsors listed below for their ongoing support of this event. We also want to recognize all of the volunteers who help make this event so impactful.
We encourage you to support the 9th annual ABC30 “Futures Worth Fighting For” Telethon event through our various platforms, including our online giving page and text-to-give option. Your generosity allows us to provide the best specialized pediatric care for kids like Mac throughout the Central Valley.
How to Donate
- Donate by phone by calling 1-877-353-0000
- Text GEORGE to 20222 to make an automatic $10 donation.
- Make a donation of any amount today by visiting: https://donate.mygift4kids.org/#/donor/y/2497/29/542
- You can become a Miracle Maker by donating $20 per month or a one-time donation of $240. As a thank you, you will receive a Miracle Maker t-shirt to show your support for children’s health.
(Text-to-Give Terms & Conditions – hmgf.org/t)
This blog is brought to you by Valley Children's Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic power of Valley Children's Hospital.
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