Meet Nolan – Our 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion!
Each year, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) partners across the nation choose an ambassador to serve as the face for children treated at their local children’s hospital. This ambassador also advocates for the charitable need of children’s hospitals across North America. We are so excited to formally announce that Nolan, a member of our Patient Ambassador Club, has been selected as our 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion representing The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio!
We first introduced you to Nolan in the summer of 2021 when he graced the cover of Our Children, Our Future, our quarterly Foundation newsletter. Dr. Courtney Smith, Nolan’s mom, is a pediatrician with The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio Primary Care – Dominion Crossing. Thanks to her training, she is very observant of any changes she sees with her children’s health. During playtime one day, Dr. Smith noticed something strange with Nolan’s left eye. After a referral to a retina specialist, Nolan was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in 2019 and had to have his left eye completely removed. Eight weeks after surgery, Nolan was fitted for a prosthetic eye – his “superhero eye,” as he likes to call it. Nolan’s doctors were fearful the cancer had spread microscopically and suggested chemotherapy. In August of that same year, Nolan began chemotherapy at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio – the same place his mom once served as the Chief Resident and a place where she helps heal children every single day. Nolan completed his chemotherapy just in time for his fourth birthday. He celebrated by ringing the bell, marking the completion of six long months of chemo.
Today, Nolan is a spunky seven-year-old who loves reading, hanging out with his little brother, Cooper, and drawing his favorite characters from his books. Because of donors like you, Nolan has not missed a beat at being a kid. He has learned to swim, play t-ball, build forts, and loves to stage elaborate light saber battles throughout his house!
To Nolan, having a prosthetic eye is just a normal part of his everyday life. Nolan has taken it upon himself to learn more about his eye so that when people ask about it, he can explain to them what makes it his “superhero eye.” That kind of healing spirit is what makes Nolan the perfect Champion for The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. As our Champion, Nolan will share his story while representing The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio at various events with donors and throughout the community. If you see Nolan out at a community event, look for the red and yellow CMN Hospitals balloon to see what he is up to!
Joining Nolan this year are our Patient Ambassador Club (PAC) members, who know first-hand what it means to be given a second chance at living a healthy life. The PAC was created to give patients who have received or are currently receiving life-changing care at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, a platform to help others by being an advocate, volunteer, and a fundraiser.
To learn more, visit ChildrensHospitalSAFoundation.org.