Children’s Miracle Network is excited to start the fundraising year with Briella King, our 2025 Kansas City Market Champion! Briella will have local celebrity status, representing CMN at KU Medical Center on all campaign materials as well as special projects throughout the year. Briella and her family will do an amazing job not only highlighting the gift CMN has been to them but representing the many families who also found comfort at KU Medical Center while navigating challenging medical journeys.
Briella came into this world four months early and weighing one pound, six ounces. She was sweet but also a fighter, eager to see the world she arrived so early for.
Her four-month, 120-day NICU stay was filled with blood transfusions, cardiologists, learning to eat, swallow and breathe all while her parents patiently waited for her organs and lungs to develop. Briella’s parents also learned that Briella suffered a brain bleed at birth causing cerebral palsy. This unexpected diagnosis revealed another level of heartache, the fear of how this diagnosis would affect their daughter’s life. On the hardest days, her parents sat next to her incubator in the NICU telling her about all the places in the world there was to see, begging her to live so they could show her.
Every day, Briella grew stronger and was finally able to go home and meet her big sister, Aubrey. Once at home, Briella began daily physical, occupational, and feeding therapies that continued for the first three years of her life. During that time, she achieved a major milestone of walking for the first time at 16 months old and received her first pair of ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) braces. She was very eager to debut them in public and played soccer for the first time when she was 4 years old. Always working hard to reach the next milestone, Briella went through VitalStim therapy which is an electrode treatment that shocked her esophagus to contract, strengthening her swallowing muscles. Before this therapy, Briella could only drink liquids that had a thickener added to it, so she wouldn’t aspirate. After six-months of intensive work, at 6 years old, she could finally drink any liquid she wanted without the addition of a thickener. She has come a long way from that one-pound baby girl and her family knows that KU Medical Center will always be there for amazing care to help her to grow and thrive in all aspects of her life.
Briella is now a healthy 12-year-old and avid traveler. Her parents kept the promise they made to show her the world. She has been to France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hawaii, and the Bahamas to name a few. She enjoys playing with her dogs, shooting hoops, spending time with her friends and listening to Taylor Swift. When she grows up, she would love to be an emergency doctor.
Congratulations Briella!
At the pediatric clinic at KU, every child is provided with a dedicated, multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals. This team works collaboratively to ensure the child receives the highest quality care, while also offering ongoing support and guidance to the family. From doctors and nurses to social workers, each member of the team plays a vital role in creating a nurturing, comprehensive care experience tailored to the unique needs of each child.
One of the social workers a family may work with is Amy Werner. Since 2021, Amy has been in
the Outpatient Pediatric Clinic, meeting with parents and children to explore the non-medical factors that can affect health. When families face challenges such as limited access to food, transportation difficulties, educational obstacles, housing instability, or lack of quality employment, she has the opportunity connect them with community resources to help address these needs. She also takes the time to explore the mental health needs of the patient and their families and assists them with coping skills, parenting techniques and provides basic counseling services.
Amy started her career working with patients in the nursing home setting. While she provided services to some long-term residents, her primary role was to facilitate the discharge planning process for those who were short-term residents staying for rehab care. She enjoyed what she was doing and decided to further her education and get her master’s degree. She then decided to further explore working with kids and began her career at KU. Always having enjoyed being a support person to others, she wanted to help patients and their families find the positive side of their situations, even when they are in a crisis.
Children’s Miracle Network can be that resource for families when they are in crisis mode and have a need associated with their medical care. “Access to resources can be difficult depending on each family’s situation. There may be barriers due to their child’s diagnosis, issues with insurance and even challenges due to physical access to care. Working with Children’s Miracle Network helps offset these barriers for the families treated at KU,” says Werner. Thanks to the fundraising and donations from our generous partners, CMN is able to provide gas cards, meal cards, and even pay for durable medical equipment when insurance isn’t enough or won’t cover the needed items at all.
While Amy says that some days are harder than others, helping to protect and care for kids is so rewarding. To relieve the stress that can come from a hard day in clinic, she enjoys spending time with her family and loves to be outdoors.
Spending time in the hospital is difficult, especially when you are a child. The staff in our pediatric unit do everything they possibly can to make a child’s hospital stay less scary and more fun. Children’s Miracle Network is proud to partner with them to make sure they have everything they need to make this happen, especially on special occasions.
For some families, their child needs to spend time in the hospital during a special day like 
Halloween, Christmas or even their birthday. While certainly not where they want to be on these festive days, leave it to Lexi, the Child Life Therapist on the pediatrics unit to make sure these kiddos have a day to remember!
This summer, there was a special little girl named Kolbie who was spending time in the hospital on her birthday. Kolbie loves all things princesses, so Lexi got to work! With the help of Children’s Miracle Network, Lexi was able to throw quite the princess party for her, complete with two princess cos-players dressed as Belle from Beauty & the Beast and Merida from Brave. Donned in a princess sash and tiara, Kolbie was the belle of the ball!
Big Wins in 2024 for the Extra Life Program
We are thrilled to share that the Extra Life program has soared to new heights, raising over $200,000 in 2024!
On November 2nd, gamers nationwide participated in Extra Life Game Day, dedicating up to 24 hours to gaming and fundraising for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. This year, 116 gamers raised $121,000 for KU Medical Center, a 21% increase from last year! Their unwavering enthusiasm and commitment to the cause continue to inspire us and fill our hearts with gratitude.
A giant thank you to the legendary Dan Ryckert and the incredible Giant Bomb team, who raised an unbelievable $45,320 in just one day through their Extra Life stream. We were also honored to be the chosen charity for the Humble Bundle Summer Charity Bundle this year, which raised over $80,000 to benefit pediatric initiatives in the Proton Therapy department at KUMC.
We are looking forward to new partnerships and ever-increasing momentum in 2025 as we continue to build Extra Life in the community. Register for Extra Life today and game for good any day of the year! Let’s game for good! Visit Extra-Life.org and select KU Medical Center as your chosen hospital.
A huge shoutout and thank you to our top Extra Life players and teams of 2024!
Player Leaderboard
Team Leaderboard
November & December were busy with campaigns at Ace Hardware, Valvoline Instant Oil Change and 7-Eleven locations throughout the KC Heartland! Each of these partners were collecting donations from their customers when they checked out. Whether they made a $20 donation or opted to round-up, these customers are helping CMN Partners make a BIG impact for local kids!
On December 12, Cumulus Media dedicated not only airtime, but their passion and voices sharing stories of world-class healthcare that KU Medical Center provides to children and families on the 10th annual Miracle Day of Hope Radiothon. The KC Community responded with love, support and generous hearts by raising $93,269 for Children’s Miracle Network. Thank you!
Special recognition to our friends at Cumulus Media for their work and support. We are proud to have the opportunity to work with such a dedicated partner for the past ten years and look forward to many more to come.
Round Up Ask
January - December
Spin & Swing Combo
Janary 21 - February 9
Our efforts are made possible through local partnerships and campaigns.
Children’s Miracle Network at KU Medical Center
P.O. Box 3245
Kansas City, KS 66103
Phone: 913-588-9100
Fax: 913-588-9101