Marisa DeHoyos

Marisa DeHoyos is your average twelve-year-old. She plays the flute in the Franklin Middle School Band, is actively involved in basketball, but her passion is running track. She often endures long practices and strenuous exercises to prepare her for competition. When Marisa experienced a sharp pain in her neck one afternoon, she and her family dismissed it as fatigue or a muscle pull. Less than two hours later, the pain was so unbearable that Marisa's parents rushed her to the Trauma Center. There they were told Marisa was dehydrated.

The next day, the DeHoyos' took Marisa to see Dr. Dan Pope as her fever was elevated and her neck was increasingly stiff. "Marisa's X-Rays were normal, but I wanted to admit her to Meek Children's Hospital primarily for pain relief," said Dr. Pope. Marisa's neck was so sensitive that the slightest contact was unbearable. "It is terrible to see your daughter in that kind of pain," said Marisa's father. "You want to make the pain stop, but there was no way to help her."

While in Dr. Pope's office, the DeHoyos received the answers they were looking for. A blood culture taken while Marisa was in the Trauma Center had started to grow. The results of the blood culture and an MRI would determine Marisa had vertebral osteomylitus, an abscess around the vertebrae in her neck. There was danger of the abscess growing and putting pressure on the spinal cord, causing permanent damage. Marisa's dream of running track could have been destroyed, but during her stay at Meek Children's Hospital, the abscess in Marisa's neck began to shrink, eliminating the need for surgery.

Marisa is now out of the hospital and recovering. Although she is in a neck brace, her parents rejoiced. "We are thankful to those who prayed for Marisa," said her father. "Without such a quick diagnosis, Marisa would not be able to run and do things that girls her age do."

Funds donated to Children's Miracle Network purchased equipment Marisa needed to be treated for her condition. Because all money donated stays local, kids like Marisa can be treated in Abilene, close to her family, friends and school.