Meet Brooklyn, our 2026 Children’s Miracle Network Champion. 

When Chelsea gave birth to her daughter Brooklyn at Ascension Sacred Heart, she never imagined the road that lay ahead. Born with severe respiratory distress, Brooklyn was quickly rushed to the NICU. But it was her newborn screening that revealed a rare condition: Brooklyn was diagnosed with DiGeorge Syndrome, a rare condition in which she was born without a thymus — a critical part of the immune system.

As a first-time mom, Chelsea was thrust into a world of uncertainty. “The doctors said if she didn’t get a thymus transplant, a cold could end her life,” Chelsea recalls. “Every day was a battle.”

Brooklyn was placed in isolation at just one week old and remained there for the first 3.5 years of her life. Between the NICU and PICU, she underwent numerous surgeries during her nine-month stay in the hospital as an infant. Despite the rarity and severity of her condition, the medical team at Studer Family Children’s Hospital refused to give up.

With incredible courage and cutting-edge care, Brooklyn became the first child in Florida to undergo an experimental thymus transplant, making her only the 99th to ever be done in the United States over 26 years. 

“Her doctors rallied around her and took a chance on her when they've never handled a baby like Brooklyn,” Chelsea says.

Though Brooklyn was too young to understand the gravity of her illness in the beginning, her mother remembers how the hospital became her home. “When I couldn’t be by her bedside, the NICU and PICU staff treated her like she was their own,” Chelsea says. “I would come back and she’d be surrounded by toys or being cuddled and loved on. These people were strangers who became family.” 

That kind of compassion made all the difference during their long hospital stays. Chelsea wasn’t just navigating Brooklyn’s complex medical needs, she was also learning how to be a mom in the most difficult circumstances. The support she received from doctors and nurses helped carry her through the darkest moments, creating bonds that still last today.

“They didn’t just care for Brooklyn—they cared for me too,” Chelsea says. “We still lean on them for moral support.”

Now eight years old, Brooklyn is thriving. Though surgeries still make her anxious, she’s living a life full of hope that once seemed out of reach.

Thanks to donors like you, Children’s Miracle Network helps hospitals like Studer Family Children’s Hospital provide life-saving care, innovative treatments, and critical equipment, giving kids like Brooklyn the chance to grow up strong and chase their dreams. Together, we can make big change for all kids.