Each football season, we team up with Fresno State for a once in a lifetime experience for some of our patients. At each home football game, one Valley Children’s patient is selected to be the Kid Captain of the game and gets to participate in the coin toss with the team along with being a part of on-field festivities. For the 2023 season, we have six special Kid Captains to introduce you to the day before each big game!
Meet 12-year-old Mac. Mac was born with a congenital brain malformation and Spina Bifida. He spent 2 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit at Valley Children’s Hospital and continues to be cared for by doctors in almost every pediatric specialty Valley Children’s has to offer, including the award-winning PICU.
Mac is the best joke-teller in 7th grade and loves all things sports and games. When Mac grows up, he wants to be a veterinarian. Cheer on Mac and the Bulldogs as they face UNLV on September 30 at Valley Children’s. Stadium.
More About the PICU
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Valley Children's offers 24/7 coverage by pediatric intensivists board certified in pediatric critical care and many with subspecialties in pediatric anesthesiology. Dedication to interdisciplinary care includes consultations provided by Valley Children’s medical and surgical specialists. Valley Children’s PICU is also certified in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) – a life-sustaining intervention for failing heart and lung function. Valley Children’s ECMO team has received international recognition from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) for demonstrating exceptional commitment to evidence-based processes and quality measures, staff training and continuing education, patient satisfaction and ongoing clinical care. This program is the only one of its kind in the Central Valley for infants and children and they have patient outcomes that have been in the top 10% to 20% in the world compared to other ELSO centers.