Media Advisory: Patients and Families Will Share Children’s Center Stories During Mix 106.5’s 34th Annual Radiothon

What:

Mix 106.5’s 34th Annual Radiothon benefiting Johns Hopkins Children’s Center kicks off this week on Thursday, Feb. 23, and runs through Friday, Feb. 24. It is the Children’s Center’s largest fundraising event of the year, and airs on the Baltimore radio station throughout the two days.  

Children from across the country and their families come to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center to receive the highest quality pediatric care. This annual event, which has raised nearly $27 million since it began in 1990, and the generous assistance of donors allow physicians, clinicians and staff members to continue providing world-class care to patients, while supporting their families in a time of need. Funds raised in previous years have helped the hospital purchase lifesaving tools and technology, support patient care, fund important research, and develop innovative tools and programs. Funds have also been used to purchase books, toys, games, art supplies and more to help make each child’s patient experience more special.

During this year’s radiothon, eight patients and their families will be featured. Among the patients are 12-year-old Colson and 10-year-old Marybeth. Learn about their stories below.

When:

Media are welcome to visit Thursday, Feb. 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Who:

• David Hackam, M.D., Ph.D.Co-Director and Surgeon-in-Chief, Johns Hopkins Children’s CenterProfessor of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Margaret Moon, M.D., M.P.H.Pediatrician-in-Chief and Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Children’s CenterDirector, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Where:

Johns Hopkins Children’s Center — The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center Building1800 Orleans St.Baltimore, MD Parking is available for media in the Orleans Street garage. Please cross the overpass bridge to the Children’s Center.

RSVP:

If you would like to visit the radiothon or to set up interviews with featured patients, their families and physicians, please reply by Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 5 p.m. to Kaitlyn Roman at 440-465-3645 or [email protected].

Colson’s Story

Colson was first diagnosed with pneumonia when he was 2 years old. Pneumonia returned frequently in the years that followed, and each year, the illness seemed to get worse. “It was never on anyone’s radar that there might be something more serious,” recalls Colson’s mother, Emily Sparks. That was until March 2020, when Colson was 10 years old, and a serious case of pneumonia and the flu sent him to the pediatric intensive care unit in their hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, for three days. “His entire lung was covered with pneumonia, and we were having discussions about possibly putting him on a ventilator,” she says.

After Colson’s hospitalization, his family began meeting with local specialists to learn why the pneumonia kept returning. It was then that doctors discovered a cyst in the bottom of Colson’s right lung, also known as “bronchopulmonary sequestration,” which made it difficult for him to breathe and run. The cyst was collecting bacteria, and had its own blood vessel sources, which was causing him to continue becoming extremely sick. Doctors explained that Colson needed to have that part of his lung removed in order to prevent him from getting sick again. Without the surgery, doctors cautioned that Colson ran the risk of developing lung cancer.

After doing research, his parents consulted with a care team at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center — including pediatric surgeon Shaun Kunisaki, one of a handful of surgeons in the country who could perform the specialized surgery. In June 2020 — because of his condition and the COVID-19 pandemic, a flight was not an option — Colson and his mom made the more than 15-hour drive to Baltimore for a successful five-hour surgery to remove part of his lung. Now, two years later, Emily says Colson is a happy, active 12-year-old who plays soccer. “It is a miracle I found a place like Johns Hopkins,” Colson says. “They changed my life for the better.”

Marybeth’s Story

During a routine wellness visit in 2017, a doctor noticed 5-year-old Marybeth had not grown during the past year. Her doctor recommended seeing an endocrinologist, who then urgently connected her family with pediatric nephrologist Olga Charnaya and a team at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The Ellicott City, Maryland, family’s lives turned upside down when they received a shocking diagnosis: Marybeth had failing kidneys, already at stage 4. “I was just shocked with disbelief that my little girl’s kidneys were failing,” recalls Marybeth’s mom, Katherine Di Cristofaro. Weeks later, after a kidney biopsy, the family learned Marybeth would need at least one kidney transplant, and possibly multiple throughout her life. She was put on the transplant waiting list, but Charnaya preferred she receive a live kidney — especially if it came from a parent, which would extend the life of the kidney and prevent her from needing another transplant sooner. Marybeth’s father, Brian, was healthy and willing to donate a kidney. “You would do anything to save your child’s life,” Brian says. “Whether it’s jumping in front of a train or donating a kidney.”

The day of the transplant surgery, Katherine watched her husband and daughter be wheeled away for the lifesaving surgery. Four and half hours later, a successful transplant surgery was complete, and eight days later, Marybeth was back home. Now, almost three years later, 10-year-old Marybeth and her father are doing well. Marybeth is tested monthly to ensure her kidney is functioning properly, and she sees Charnaya every few months. “She truly is a living miracle, and the transplant itself is a miracle of an extension of life,” Katherine says.

Colson and his mother, Marybeth and her parents, and their doctors are available for interviews. Johns Hopkins Children’s Center co-directors Margaret Moon, M.D., M.P.H., and David Hackam, M.D., Ph.D., are also available to speak about radiothon.