To donate $10 to the Just for Kids Kampaign, from your cell phone:

    * Text NCKIDS to 85944
    * Reply YES to the confirmation message

Please pass along this information to others so they can get involved, too.  It’s quick, it’s easy, and costs less than what most of us spend on dinner.  If everyone in Wake County contributes just $10, we could meet our goal – right now!

If you would like to find other ways to get involved, simply click here.

Thank you for your support!

A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your pre-paid balance.  Messaging and data rates may apply.  All charges will be billed by and payable to your mobile service provider.  Service is available on most carriers.  Donations are collected for the benefit of the WakeMed Foundation by the Mobile Giving Foundation and are subject to terms found at www.hmgf.org/t.  You can unsubscribe at any time by replying STOP to short code 85944; reply HELP to 85944 for assistance.

To read our privacy policy, click here.

Now available - a virtual tour of WakeMed Children’s!

While construction continues, you can view pictures of what some of the finished rooms will look like and take a 360-degree tour of patient rooms in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Medical Surgical Unit.

Some of the great new features you will see in patient rooms are private, full bathrooms (including showers) as well as sofas with full-size pull-out beds,  to make stays more comfortable and enable Mom or Dad to stay close.  Every room is equipped with the latest technology and cheerful decor.

The children’s hospital also includes additional rooms to make the stay a little bit better for both patients and their families.  A teen room for older children will include computer stations and video games.  A play room for the younger children will have a variety of age-appropriate activities in a bright and colorful environment.  A family lounge gives family members another place to rest and visit, and an on-site procedure room will enable children to have minor procedures without having to leave the floor.

Click here to take your sneak peek now!

Don’t forget to sign up for email updates to make sure you get the word about all our Grand Opening events in May!

The WakeMed Foundation extends a sincere thank-you to the Wake County New Vehicle Dealers Association for their generous support.  The Association designated the WakeMed Children’s Hospital as a recipient of their annual contribution to local charities.  

Thanks to the Association for their generosity and to everyone who visited with us at the WakeMed Foundation’s Children Can’t Wait booth during the Expo!

This Thursday – Sunday, the North Carolina International Auto Expo will be held at the NC State Fair Grounds.    The Wake County New Vehicles Dealers Association is generously donating a portion of the proceeds to the WakeMed’s Children’s Hospital. 

Click here for event details. 

So, come out to see all the new cars and help build the first and only Children’s Hospital in Wake County.  

WakeMed Children’s will have representatives at a booth inside the Exposition Center with more information about the Children’s Hospital, to help you take a virtual tour, and to hand out surprises to the kids.  Stop by and you may even be able to meet Twinkle!

Our sincerest thanks to the Wake County New Vehicles Dealers Association and Curtis Media for helping to support WakeMed Children’s Hospital.

Hearts Warmed by Winter Chill Tennis Challenge

Saturday night’s Winter Chill Tennis Challenge was a great success at Raleigh Racquet Club!  Over 35 players competed in a Round Robin Tournament, and enjoyed a round of cardio tennis – the new fitness craze sweeping the country.

Four WakeMed physicians entertained the crowd with a special exhibition match.

Children enjoyed their own cardio tennis fun, and were joined by Twinkle, the WakeMed Children’s mascot.

Thanks to Raleigh Racquet Club for hosting the event which benefitted the WakeMed Children’s Hospital.  Watch for more events as we get closer to the opening of the Children’s Hospital this Spring.  Click here to sign up for email updates.

If you weren’t able to participate in the Winter Chill, but would still like to help support the Children’s Hospital, click here.

Don’s mom, Denise, shares her family’s experiences at WakeMed Children’s.

September 18, 2009 was a day 14-year-old Don would never forget. He jumped on his Yamaha Rhino, an off-road vehicle, and drove down to see the geese that had just landed on the pond near our house.

After 5 years of driving his ATV utility vehicle, he felt confident in his driving skills – even after watching a national news story just weeks earlier on the prevalence of Yamaha Rhino accidents and roll-overs. He soon realized the meaning of the word ‘accident’ as his Rhino suddenly flipped over on that September afternoon.

He was taken immediately to WakeMed’s Children Emergency Department where he quickly received a CT and found out he had a crushed spleen, bruised lung and broken several ribs.  He was in unbearable pain.

The team of trauma doctors was remarkable. Initially, it appeared that Don’s condition would require surgery to remove his damaged spleen. However, while understanding that surgery may be necessary at any time, Don’s physicians decided to monitor his condition in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.  I am so thankful that they chose that option in order to save his spleen.

From the moment Don entered the ED, the entire WakeMed staff demonstrated the utmost compassion and attention – especially his nurses Pat, Mandy and Rita who were gentle, caring and kept Don smiling through the pain. Dr. Goodwin, one of the physicians caring for Don, had a contagious sense of humor and a remarkable ability to communicate with teenage patients.

It was a mother’s nightmare to get a call that my child had been in an accident. Yet, WakeMed was a blessing because all of the staff worked as a team to meet the medical needs of my son during a critical time. Not only did WakeMed take remarkable care of my son, but they were conscious of our needs as a family.

Where else can you find such personal attention and compassion from beginning to the end?  Nowhere, except WakeMed.

Get in on the newest fitness craze sweeping the nation -Cardio Tennis!

On Saturday, February 6, from 6 pm – 10 pm, the Raleigh Racquet Club will be hosting the “Winter Chill Tennis Challenge” to help raise funds for the construction of the new WakeMed Children’s Hospital.

Burn off that winter chill!  As the only tennis club with indoor courts, even on a cold winter night you can enjoy an evening out for the family.

Players ages 15 and up are invited to play in Round Robin Doubles and participate in cardio tennis under the instruction of Raleigh Racquet club’s professional instructors.  Children ages 5 to 14 will enjoy their own cardio tennis session with WakeMed’s mascot, Twinkle, and enjoy games, popcorn, and a movie.  Everyone is invited to watch a exhibition match with some very special guests.

There will also be prizes, raffles, and refreshments!

Register now! Space is limited, so make sure to get yours reserved today. Enjoy an fun evening out with the family while helping improve and expand children’s healthcare.

Holden was an average, healthy, nine-year-old boy who loved to play hockey.  One day his parents, Stuart and Donna, noticed that their seemingly healthy boy was getting up to use the bathroom at night more frequently than usual.   Although Stuart and Donna had no reason to believe anything was wrong, they decided to be safe and scheduled an appointment for their son to see his doctor. 

Holden’s doctor ran some tests and they were shocked to find that he had juvenile diabetes.  They were scared because they knew the seriousness of the condition.  “It was our worst fears come true,” said Donna.

Luckily for Holden, his doctor recommended he go to WakeMed Children’s Emergency Department. WakeMed’s pediatric diabetes team confirmed Holden’s condition right before he slipped into a diabetic coma.

Holden stayed in the hospital for several days.  During this stressful time, Holden’s parents were warmly embraced by WakeMed Children’s culture of care – from the program’s registered dietitians, diabetes counselors and diabetes educators to nurses who specialize in the care of diabetic pediatric patients.

These specialized nurses taught Holden and his parents how to give insulin injections and test his blood. “Before he was hospitalized, he was scared to death of shots,” said Holden’s parents.  “The nurse really did an awesome job of comforting him.”

After Holden’s stay at WakeMed Children’s, he was back on the ice in no time.

One day, Lisa got a curious call from her child’s day care center in Henderson, North Carolina.  Her son, Matthew, had a low-grade fever and was complaining of leg pain.  She quickly left work to pick up her son, but by the time she arrived at the day care center, Matthew was in agony.

“Whatever he had, had gotten worse,” Lisa recalled. “I got scared and took him to the emergency room.”

Doctors at the local community hospital were stumped by Matthew’s symptoms, but they knew the pediatric specialists at WakeMed Children’s Emergency Department could get to the root of the problem.

At the WakeMed Children’s ED, Matthew saw several physicians, had some tests, and within a couple of hours, received a diagnosis: septic hip.  Septic hip is a serious bacterial infection of the hip joint that is more often seen in adults than children.

Matthew’s infection was so severe that he required surgery.  His doctors later told Lisa that if the condition had gone untreated much longer, Matthew could have lost his leg.  After a stay in the hospital and six weeks of intravenous antibiotic therapy at home, Matthew was pronounced infection-free.  He and his mother encountered many caregivers during his ordeal.  They are thankful that Matthew and all the children in our region have access to specialized pediatric services at WakeMed Children’s.

“As a nurse, I know good care when I see it, and everyone we encountered — every nurse, doctor, radiology technician, home care services, respiratory and physical therapists, even the people who brought him his meals — was absolutely wonderful,” Lisa said.

Today, Matthew runs, plays, and giggles like a typical little boy, but his mom can’t shake the knowledge that his story could have had a very different ending.  “I shudder to think what would have happened if they hadn’t decided to send us to WakeMed,” she said.