CENTRAL ALABAMA CHILDREN TO BE FEATURED ON ANNUAL RADIOTHON FEB. 18 & 1
02/02/2010
MONTGOMERY (Feb. 2, 2010) – WMXS-Mix 103 listeners will be inspired by the stories of personal courage and strength from central Alabama children during the annual Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon Thursday, Feb. 18 and Friday, Feb. 19, from 6 a.m. till 4 p.m. The Radiothon, which benefits ill and injured children treated at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, will be broadcast live from Children’s (1600 7th Ave. S., Birmingham 35233) Thursday morning and Eastdale Mall (1000 Eastdale Mall, Montgomery 36117) Thursday afternoon and all day Friday.
The Portis family of Montgomery is just one of the thousands of families from central Alabama who made nearly 10,000 visits to Children’s Hospital last year. Already blessed with three children—Sarah Kathryn, Elizabeth and Jon Cole—Joy and Cole Portis felt called several years ago to adopt others into their family. First came Samuel, a 3-year-old from China, whose congenital birth defects include a malformation of his heart, a cleft lip and cleft palate. Next came Zoe, age 8, and Emme, 11 months, from a village in Ethiopia. Last year, 7-month-old Eli, who was born with Down Syndrome, joined the Portis family. These precious children brought with them special medical, social and developmental challenges – and all are being met at Children’s.
The care the Portis children – and thousands of others – receive at Children’s Hospital is made possible by the generous donations of individuals, civic organizations and businesses from across the state and Southeast. The annual Radiothon helps raise those much-needed funds.
As the state’s only fully-pediatric medical facility, Children’s Hospital is the 10th busiest pediatric medical center in the United States. It is one of only about 45 freestanding acute care hospitals of its kind in the nation and the only hospital in Alabama dedicated solely to the care and treatment of children. It is licensed for 275 beds.
Children’s is home to the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center, the only pediatric renal care center, the largest pediatric burn center in the Southeast and is one of the largest pediatric outpatient centers in the nation. It is a private, not-for-profit hospital governed by a volunteer board of trustees. The hospital was recently recognized for the excellence of its nursing care by achieving Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Children’s will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2011.
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