After a rough year, 15-year-old meets Selena Gomez

Last summer, Elizabeth Cortez's life changed overnight. On July 7, Elizabeth splashed in the pool with friends, and the next morning she couldn't move.

"I screamed to my mom from my bed," Elizabeth said. "Everything was numb. My mom put me on my feet and I just collapsed when she let go."

She was rushed to the hospital where doctors diagnosed her with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disease that causes inflammation of the spine. She has since regained feeling in her legs and feet but not her arms or hands.

"It's weird because I'm only 15 and have always been healthy," Elizabeth said.

She takes 18 pills each day in hopes that the medication will ease the inflammation and reverse the paralysis.

The teen is from Grand Prairie, the same hometown as Selena Gomez, and has posters of her favorite celebrity plastered on the walls at home. A surprise visit at the hospital from Selena bolstered Elizabeth's spirits as she recovered from another bout of pain and numbness in her legs and feet. Elizabeth serenaded Selena with a meaningful song - "Story of My Life" by Frankie J.

"The song shows that even through the darkest days, God will always bring a rainbow at the end," Elizabeth said.

In Elizabeth's words:

"This year has been the toughest of my life. In July, I became paralyzed and had to learn to walk again and am still not able to use my hands. As anyone could imagine, I haven't had very many good things to say about this year, until today! Because of Children's, I was able to meet Selena Gomez! I was so excited and grateful for the opportunity to meet her. I was able to sing to Selena and I took lots of pictures with her. Even though I might have a lot of bad memories from this year, I now have one of the GREATEST memories that I will always remember. Thank you Children's!!"

Watch Elizabeth sing to Selena:

See Selena Gomez in the Children’s parade

See photos of guest star Selena Gomez at the 22nd Annual Capital One Bank Adolphus Children’s Parade benefiting Children’s Medical Center. For many, the parade kicks off the holiday season each year.

Did you attend this year’s parade? If you did, leave a comment and share your story.

A bounty hunter brightens patients' days

It's not every day that you see a bounty hunter hanging out with kids. Today some of the characters that will appear in the 22nd annual Capital One Bank Adolphus Parade visited the hospital to bring cheer to the kids who won't have a chance to be there tomorrow.

One patient in particular stood out to me. Kristin Alcarez, the tiniest patient there, was standing in awe, blowing kisses to all the characters who passed by. The 19-month-old is waiting for a new liver so today's visit was a welcome distraction for Kristin and her mom, Brenda Maciel.

Kristin is just one of the patients that Levi Larkin, a Star Wars bounty hunter, visited today. Since Larkin's first visit to Children's a couple of years ago, he has been on a mission to put smiles on patient's faces.

Read more about Larkin's experience in his words:

Some may find it strange when they ask me what my hobby is. I'm a Stormtrooper. When I was a young boy, I wanted to be a stormtrooper or a Jedi. I used anything I could find in the house to use as my light saber. Lucus brought so many adventures to my home with his creative story of intergalactic drama. As the years went on, I still found joy in collecting and following Star Wars. But my greatest joy came the day I completed my stormtrooper armor, and joined the 501st Star Garrison. Little did I know my second event would change the way I looked at my dream. My second "tour of duty" as TK-9950 was to visit Children's the day before the parade. I was joined by two fellow troopers and a little droid name R2-D2. That day I was blessed with meeting some of the greatest people I would ever know. These children smiled and hugged us. To see these kids so happy in the face of such adversity shattered that selfish part of me that joined the 501st for me, and reforged it to a new mission.

The next day I participated in the Children's parade. I marched the streets in the cold with my other brothers and sisters. I returned in 2008 to visit the hospital and march in the parade. That year we captured one of my favorite photos. The very embodiment of what we do. A picture of Darth Vader, evil Lord of the Sith, being led down the hallway by the hand of a little boy.

Tomorrow I will be marching again with my heroes - the little boy and girl warriors who battle every day for the next, and survive. And I am proud to stand by them.

For one patient, heart surgery led to the chance of a lifetime

Since Klaire Hicks underwent life-saving heart surgery on Oct. 20, it's been a whirlwind. Only two-and-a-half weeks after two holes in her heart were repaired at Children's, Klaire flew to Hollywood to film a commercial with recording artist and Disney star Selena Gomez. And today The Dallas Morning News followed her around Velma Penny Elementary School in Lindale. The photographer captured "a day in the life of Klaire" in anticipation of tomorrow's 22nd Capital One Bank Adolphus Children's Parade where she will make another debut.

If you're curious about Klaire's visit with Selena, look at our photo gallery for a sneak peek of behind-the-scenes moments and watch the commercial during the parade's live coverage tomorrow on WFAA-TV. It will also air on more than 350 television stations at various times throughout the holiday season.

Some relief for scale-aphobic children

It's ironic that now, when "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" plays on every strip-mall loudspeaker in America, I recall the least wonderful time of the year for me in elementary school - thanks to a recent Dallas Morning News article.

Mrs. Galloway was a wonderful elementary P.E. teacher. Very encouraging. Very fun. I looked forward to every one of her classes but one - the annual weigh-in. On this end-of-school-year judgment day, our beloved instructor would line us up like little ducklings (or pachyderm in my case) and put us on the scales for the whole class to see. It mortified me. Every year, I tried to contract convenient illnesses, but, alas, there was never any flu to be found.
You see, I grew quick... and I kind of liked food (still do). My weight was at least in the top 3 every year, sometimes 40 to 50 pounds heavier than my friends'. No matter how good of an athlete I was, whether I ran the mile a minute faster than everyone else or could slap a basketball backboard, I inevitably became "fat boy" on weigh-in days. Granted, I had years of roundness in mid-elementary that warranted the title, but I felt like I grew out of that by fifth and sixth grade. The weight scales unfortunately didn't indicate any difference.
In the whole "no pain, no gain" scheme of things, I probably became a better person for enduring the yearly ordeal. But I also obtained insecurities about my image and a sense of helplessness about my weight that linger to this day.

In the aforementioned DMN article, our own Dr. LeAnn Kridelbaugh - pediatrician and physician nutrition specialist at Children's - says that childhood fitness cannot be accurately measured by a weight scale alone. She adds that simple Body Mass Index numbers don't really produce accurate measures for kids, either. "With kids these numbers are moving targets," she says. "A normal BMI or waist circumference for a 10-year-old would be horrific for a 5-year-old. Although there are some norms for waist circumference, we don't focus on them. Instead pediatricians plot a child's height, weight and BMI on a curve."
In case you missed it, the key word in that quote is "curve," and she's not talking about shapeliness. The curve Dr. Kridelbaugh mentions has a lot more in common with your college calculus grade than your chest-to-waist ratio. The idea is that fitness measurement numbers (BMI calculation, waist circumference, weight, body fat percentage, etc...) should be interpreted relative to each child. One hundred and fifty pounds may be healthy for one child and unhealthy for another. Dr. Kridelbaugh says the truest statistical way to track your child's health is to monitor his BMI percentile range according to his age and gender.
"If you see that one year a child is in the 50th percentile and the next year he is in the 75th percentile that's cause for concern even if the BMI is still in the normal range," Kridelbaugh says. "A child should be at one percentile his whole life. If he's jumped that much, it's time to start thinking about what the child is eating and drinking and how active he is."

If instructors, coaches and parents heed this advice, a lot of kids might avoid unjustified image complexes. More importantly, they will be able to discern which kids truly do need to make adjustments.

As far as I go, well, I'm just glad that we don't have annual weigh-in days at work. Trying to get sick is harder than you'd think.

A clinic just for stuffed animals

It seems like every time I walk the halls of the hospital, I leave inspired. It's a magical place where all the needs of the children are met, not just the physical ones. It's a place where a teddy bear clinic is just as important as a child's medical treatment.

I didn't know what to expect at a clinic for stuffed animals. What I found immediately put a smile on my face. In the corner of the room, nurses wheeled a penguin out of "surgery." The animal was attached to an IV pole and wore a mask for anesthesia. A nurse carefully placed the penguin in the owner's hands before they moved onto their next patient.

Children got to walk in their parent's footsteps for a day as they lined up at different stations with their most prized possessions. Many had concerned looks on their faces when they handed over their beloved animals at triage, radiology, IV, X-ray and surgical areas designed just for the miniature patients.

I watched the children go through the process, and I could only imagine how empowering it felt for them to be making the decisions.

One of the decisions 7-year-old Madeline Smith made that day was her bear's symptoms. She told clinicians that "Andy" had tummy problems. Madeline could relate since she's been dealing with tummy problems of her own since birth. She has Methylmalonic Acidemia Disorder, a metabolic condition that causes her to have five to six bouts of pancreatitis each year in addition to anemia and kidney disease. She gets a special formula and takes many medications each day.

"All of the child life specialists we know and love worked at the clinic," said Trey Smith, Madeline's dad. "Not only was it comforting but it was also educational for chronic patients like Maddie."

Andy had an IV placed in his arm before undergoing an MRI scan and having his blood drawn. He was diagnosed with appendicitis and would need surgery.

"We always try to explain to Maddie why she has to get her blood drawn," Smith said. "It was neat for her to see her bear's blood under the microscope. They even explained how they look for cultures."

Madeline kissed Andy goodbye before surgery and sat patiently in the waiting room. Within minutes, Andy's tummy problems were fixed and the duo was on their way.

Art Cars Make Pit Stop at Children's Before Next Weekend's Parade

Art, like beauty, I suppose, is in the eye of the beholder.

We witnessed that last Friday when Harrod Blank, an art car enthusiast and documentarian, brought three art cars to Children's Medical Center for patients and employees to experience. The art cars - the Fantasy Van, the Camera Van and Pico de Gallo - will join two others in the Capital One Bank Adolphus Children's Parade next weekend in downtown Dallas.

For so many, cars are symbols - symbols of status, safety, sensibility. For others, like Harrod and his crew of art car aficionados, vehicles represent a dream or a vision or a fantasy.

Kids and grown-ups, alike, flocked to the kooky cars that played music, displayed video and otherwise inspired creative thoughts. Watching others enjoy the cars made my day. I can only imagine how Harrod, one of the cars' creators, felt as he watched patients wheel out IV poles to touch and feel and experience his art.

The art cars join an impressive line-up of special guests at this year's Parade. Next Saturday, December 5, starting at 10 a.m., watch in person or live as more than eight equestrian units, 400 clowns, 1,300 dancers, and nearly a dozen bands kick start the holiday season.

Famous friends like Selena Gomez, Miss America Katie Stam and Cruella de Vil from the Dallas Summer Musicals' 101 Dalmatians, plus everyone's favorite costume characters and more than 10 giant inflatable balloons, will parade down Commerce Street for crowds of more than 350,000!

Join us for the art. Join us for the music. Join us for the fun.

I love a parade

What are the elements of a great holiday parade? In my mind a great parade includes dazzling dancers, magnificent marching bands, exciting equestrian teams, fanciful floats and imaginative inflatable balloons, plus cartoon characters and clowns, clowns, clowns.

Put all this together and you have the 22nd Capital One Bank Adolphus Children’s Parade. The 2009 edition of the parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 5, beginning at 10 a.m. along the streets of downtown Dallas.

In fact, the parade has become known as the “Miracle on Commerce Street” for its magical ability to combine a holiday kick-off, delighted families and significant fund-raising for Children’s Medical Center.

This year, the parade will feature Selena Gomez, recording artist and the star of Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” who will be visiting her hometown to make a guest appearance in the parade.

The streets fill up early. Some people even stay overnight to get the best seats. So, if you’re planning to attend, I’d recommend you get there by 7 a.m. because it’s standing room only and the crowds are rows deep by parade time.

I have a great job for the parade. I accompany the photographer from Children’s Medical Center from the pre-dawn hours right up until the parade starts. That means I see all the behind the scenes looks at the marching bands and dancers, the antics of clowns, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves, and a dazzling display of floats and giant inflatable balloons. It’s a parade lover’s dream come true. Plus, I get to drive a golf cart on the city streets. Who could ask for anything more?

Brad Pitt, caps and an inspirational patient

I'm not ashamed to say it. I like Brad Pitt. If it wasn't for Troy (I'm particularly sensitive about screen adaptations of classic works), I might call him my favorite actor. People tend to think of his looks before his acting, but I think he consistently stretches himself with his roles. He's a complex guy, and his performances represent all the varied, mysterious aspects of his personality. However, one thing consistently apparent about Pitt is that he is altruistic. Not many movie stars would move to post-Katrina New Orleans, adopt representatives of all the United Nations and/or give their free time to helping out with a program like Caps for Kids. I know about his involvement with the latter, because a patient at Children's told me so.

Megan Garcia received an autographed baseball cap from Pitt in the mail shortly after learning that she had a brain tumor at age 15. "That meant a lot to me," Megan said. "I was just like, 'Oh my gosh! I just got a hat signed by Brad Pitt!' It just boosted my spirits.'"
Strong spirits have played a big role in Megan's so-far-successful battle against cancer. She has undergone regular sessions of chemo and radiation at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's the last two years. Her last chemo treatment was in April, and the tumor has been reduced and contained. Although not technically in remission, she is doing very, very well. She even participates on the student council at John Horn High School in Mesquite. This year, she organized a "Wear Your Cap to School Day" for the Mesquite ISD.

Wear Your Cap to School Day is a Caps for Kids initiative dedicated to raising awareness and funds for children battling cancer. Students around the United States are asked to donate $1 in exchange for the right to wear a cap to class. "We (John Horn students) wear uniforms; so, to get to wear a hat is a big deal for us," Megan said. Megan is still counting the total donations from Mesquite ISD's day on Oct. 23. More than 10 schools participated.
The money they raised will be used to provide sports memorabillia and celebrity-autographed caps, like the one Megan received from Achilles, to young cancer patients. The hope is that the caps and memorabillia will "give the children the pride, confidence, and strength needed during their fight with cancer" according to the Wear Your Cap to School Day Web page. At least in Megan's case, that hope seems to be fulfilled, not only for her but through her to the hundreds of fellow cancer patients she helped with her initiative and compassion.

Her story just goes to show the direct and indirect miracles Children's creates by caring for its patients... And it also kind of makes me want to revisit some old Pitt films, maybe A River Runs Through It.

Be there for The Lights at Legacy

Wondering what to do this weekend?

Here’s a plan: On Sunday, November 22, The Shops at Legacy in Plano will kick off the holiday season by hosting “The Lights at Legacy,” a fun-filled tree lighting ceremony enjoyed by local residents and surrounding communities that specifically benefits the Child Life department at Children’s at Legacy.

Children’s Medical Center will be there, with the Women’s Auxiliary supporting the hospital through the sale of blinking reindeer noses and specially commissioned Christopher Radko™ holiday ornaments that were inspired by a patient’s artwork. The Auxiliary also called in a few favors and managed to get Santa Claus himself to make an appearance – sales of photos with the Man in Red will also help out the hospital (I hope yours go better than mine did last year).

A real Children’s ambulance will also be on-site, and there will be tables providing free information on the hospital and the Women’s Auxiliary.

Several shop owners and restaurants are generously donating a portion of the day’s sales to Children’s, too, so make a point to stop by the U Boutique and Med Spa (relax), Half Shell’s Seafood Grill (mmmm…oysters), Gordon Biersch brewery restaurant (Prost!), St. Bernard Sports (Ski Texas!) and Bachendorf’s jewelers (for even more beautiful, sparkly things).

Other cool holiday baubles at the event include live reindeer, carolers, face-painting, train & carriage rides and caricature artists — all while various musical groups and choirs perform on three different stages. Other merchants will also be hosting a variety of activities including special promotions both inside and outside their stores, and great deals for attendees to start their holiday shopping.

There’s so much to do and see, you may have to make more than one trip. Or call some relatives and tell them to bring a few friends of their own.

The festival kicks off at 2 p.m. The tree lighting ceremony, featuring Plano mayor Phil Dyer as the official switch -flipper, happens at 6:30 p.m. For more information about the event, please visit the website.