 Haley Baxter is the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Champion for California. The Champions, chosen from each state, serve as ambassadors for the 17 million children who are treated at CMN hospitals each year. The ambassadors travel to Washington, D.C. and Walt Disney World to participate in CMN “Celebration” events.
Haley Baxter is a miracle child in more ways than one. She’s survived the ravages of a malignant ovarian tumor the size of an elongated volleyball, and when she fell ill, her can-do attitude rallied support from the staff at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System (SVMHS). As a Children’s Miracle Network’s (CMN) “Miracle Child,” Haley, now 13, shared her story during the CMN’s annual fundraising drive in June.
Her ordeal began in early January. Over the next six months she had two surgeries and chemotherapy at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at the Stanford Medical Center, and follow-up care at SVMHS. William G. Koehne, MD, pediatrician, cared for her at SVMHS where both of Haley’s parents are float nurses in progressive care. “Haley is friendly, warm, extroverted, very strong and very courageous. She handled the physical and tremendous emotional stress very well, and her parents are pillars of strength,” says Dr. Koehne.
 Libby Baxter, RN, Haley’s mom, says, “A major source of strength was the SVMHS staff. They pitched in and showered us with care, concern, meals and donations. I think this level of kindness is special about Memorial, which in a way is like a small-town hospital. When a family goes through a serious illness, you realize you just can’t do it on your own. My husband [Hilbert Brice, RN] was working double shifts to keep things going so I could take care of Haley.”
“The hospital is a large family,” Dr. Koehne says. “The nurses, doctors and staff all care very much about each other and each other’s families.” Some staff members even shaved their heads. Knowing that Haley’s hair would fall out due to chemotherapy, Rachel Failano, RN, and ovarian cancer survivor had an idea: get hospital staff, friends and family to sign up to have their heads shaved for every $100 collected in donations. The goal was to raise $1,000. A sign-up sheet was circulated around the hospital with 20 people signing up. The first name on the list was Haley’s brother Ty, age 11. The “hair shaving event” brought over two dozen hospital staff as well as family and friends together to raise over $11,000. Haley describes that day as “real emotional with everyone laughing and crying. It’s really cool that they were up to shaving their heads for me.”
 Hector Dox, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon, was one of the physicians who shaved his head. “We wanted to do something for Haley. When a member of the hospital family is in need, we come together. Sharing the time and joy and helping was my intent,” says Dr. Dox.
As Haley’s hair began to grow back, its baby-like softness was noticeable and irresistible to touch. “Everyone keeps patting my head. My mom says, ‘Oh, it’s so baby soft,’ and I say, ‘Okay, you can stop now.’”
Baxter advises families facing similar challenges to be there for one another. “One way we got through this was faith. Another was to schedule some fun activities. When we knew the next major thing coming was unpleasant, say the next surgery or chemotherapy, we tried to plan something fun or good to look forward to in between,” she says.
When she was diagnosed, Haley says she was scared. “Then I just kept asking God to help me get through it and I had a lot of support from people.” She’s back in school as an eighth grader at the Salinas Christian School and is the head cheerleader. |
