CMN works to assist children, families with medical needs

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Nurse Rachel Bemo attends to infant Hannah Senseney last month in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Freeman West. The unit cares for prematurely born babies, and works with Children’s Miracle Network, a group that assists young patients. Globe/T. Rob Brown

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April 8, 2010

By Scott Meeker Globe Staff Writer The Joplin Globe Thu Apr 08, 2010, 05:35 PM CDT

JOPLIN, Mo- — Each day she spends at work, Rachel Bemo sees first hand the difference that Children’s Miracle Network can make.

A nurse in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Freeman Health System, Bemo and other staff members there use vital equipment such as IV pumps and transport carts to treat their young patients.

But Bemo has a much more personal connection to CMN. When her twin girls — Gwenyth and Isabelle Zamanzadeh — were born at 32 weeks old, they were treated in the NICU.

“A social worker came to talk to me when I had the girls here,” she said. “She talked to me about the services they could provide. Gwenyth had problems with the muscles in her legs and needed braces that were really expensive. I called (CMN) and they helped us to pay for them.”

It’s impossible to not be touched by each and every child who receives assistance through Children’s Miracle Network, said Kathy Watson, coordinator for the Joplin branch of the international organization.

“They’re unlike any other child because they’ve been through things they shouldn’t have gone through — things most adults couldn’t handle,” she said. “It just makes them a very different person.”

The nonprofit organization helps to provide families with assistance for medical needs for children from birth to age 21. Assistance can come in the form of medical equipment, medicine, prosthetics, transportation and lodging expenses.

CMN is “event driven,” said Watson. Those events include the annual radiothon held in conjunction with Zimmer Radio Group, and the Miss Miracle Pageant.

Fundraisers are held in each of the 14 counties CMN serves in Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas. The organization’s primary sponsor, said Watson, is Wal-Mart.

“They have been with CMN since day 1,” she said. “Each store in the counties that we serve individually do their own fundraisers. They’re amazing people.”

In 2009, CMN made $247,775 in charitable disbursements, with 451 families helped with direct financial assistance. That included $64,000 for infusion syringe pumps for the NICU, $45,700 transportation for families to seek treatment, and $27,900 for lodging for families to stay at the Ronald McDonald House.

Volunteers from throughout the community also help make a difference by donating their time to the organization.

“Our volunteers are everything from high school and college students, to families who have been helped by CMN and want to give back,” Watson said. “And then there are people in the community who just call us and say, ‘What can I do for you?’”

Watson said that CMN does not use income-based guidelines when providing assistance to families.

“We go by a need-based (system),” she said. “Parents can both have jobs and be doing fine, but when your child is diagnosed with a devastating illness, your medical bills immediately start racking up.

“We can’t do a lot, but what we can do is help give them some peace of mind so that they don’t have to worry about getting to and from appointments or where they’re going to stay. We can let them be able to concentrate on their child and what their child needs.”

The Freeman NICU is one of the major beneficiaries of funding from CMN. The organization provides the unit with equipment essential to helping babies born prematurely or suffering from problems such as infections or respiratory distress.

Prior to having her twins, Bemo had been a nurse in the cardiology and ICU units of the hospital. Spending time in the NICU gave her a deep appreciation for the staff members there and all that they do. She transferred to that unit about two and a half years ago.

“What I think is neat about NICU nurses like Rachel is that — since babies (born prematurely) have to stay until their due date — they become part of the family. I just think that the bond they make with the families is really special.”

And that’s something that rarely happens in other areas of a hospital, Bemo said.

“It’s nice,” she said. “It really makes you feel good.”

Pageant registration

Registration is currently under way for the 2010 Miss Miracle Pageant.

The contestant who raises the most money for Children’s Miracle Network will be crowned Miss Miracle 2010. She will have the opportunity to appear on a billboard for one month, and receive a diamond necklace and professional photography session.

The pageant will take place Saturday, June 12, during Boomtown Days. All contestants will receive prizes, with additional prizes awarded to girls who raise $250, $500, $1,000 and $2,500.

Girls must be between 4 and 12 at the time of the event to participate. Each contestant must raise at least $100. Registration forms must be returned no later than 5 p.m. Friday, May 28.

For more information about Children’s Miracle Network, call 417-347-6639 or visit www.cmnmiracles.org.