INTRODUCING: 2018 Miracles on 34th Street Ambassadors
Miracle Kids Help Light Up Bakersfield Memorial Hospital
Miracles on 34th Street continue to light up our world at the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. And, it is with great honor that I introduce you to our four wonderful 2018 Miracles on 34th Street Ambassadors here.
Jordan “Jo” Taylor
September 2, 2017 started like any other day for Jordan and his family. But that day quickly became a day he and his family will never forget.
Jordan’s dad, Jamaal, took him fishing for a little father-son time at Hart Park. Not long after they arrived, Jordan was bitten by a rattlesnake. Jamaal rushed Jordan to the hospital. Jordan spent a week in the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield M…emorial Hospital.
Jordan’s parents are forever grateful for all of the wonderful doctors, nurses, and physical therapists who cared for Jordan while in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the pediatric department at Memorial Hospital.
Jordan’s Story
Justin Maness
August 14, 2017 started like any other morning until Justin’s mom Misty realized something was terribly wrong. Justin was rushed by ambulance to the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. His blood sugar level was 414 and Justin was in diabetic ketoacidosis. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He and his family were overwhelmed with his new diagnosis, but the care and education the…y received helped them adjust to Justin’s new way of life.
Justin’s story is inspiring because he has mentally conquered his diagnosis and does not let it define him. He is funny and everyone he meets adores him!
Justin’s Story
Phillip “The Mayor” Harris and Faith Kight
Phillip was born with sickle cell anemia – a blood disorder where there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body. Periodic episodes of pain are a major symptom of sickle cell anemia. When the pain becomes unbearable, Phillip goes to see his friends, the caring staff, at the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. …Phillip is well-known around the hospital and was even given the nickname “The Mayor.” He often helps out the nurses and Child Life Specialist, Grace with special projects while he is staying at the hospital.
When Phillip grows up, he wants to be a Pediatric Nurse to help sick kids or even kids with chronic conditions like sickle cell.
Faith has been admitted numerous times to the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. She suffers from constant vomiting and severe migraines that have caused dozens of hospitalizations since 2016. Initially her doctors thought her ongoing symptoms were migraine related; however, now her doctors believe she may have an autoimmune disorder. Faith was even hospitalized once due to an episode that caused paralysis to the entire left side of her body. She has not fully recovered from that paralysis.
Faith is a cheerleader at Frontier High School. She aspires to be a lawyer or go into the medical research field one day.
Phillip and Faith’s story: