Your kindness, our Promise
The e-newsletter of Cook Children's Health Foundation
By the numbers
Cook Children’s embraces Our Promise: Knowing every child’s life is sacred, we promise to improve the well-being of every child in our care and our communities. To live up to this Promise, Cook Children’s combines the art of caring with the use of leading technology and extraordinary collaboration to provide exceptional care for every child, every day.
By seeing the world through the eyes of children and their families from all backgrounds, we’re able to shape health care suited to them: connected by kindness, imagination and respect—with an extra dose of magical wonder.
Take a look at our annual "By the numbers" report, which highlights all the lives you've helped impact this past year.
Meeting an urgent need
“The emergency department is full of kids who didn’t know they were going to see us when they woke up that morning. We meet families on the worst day of their lives.”
When a child is in life-threatening crisis, every parent knows only the best care will do. In those heart-thumping moments of uncertainty, hundreds of families turn to Cook Children’s Emergency Department (ED). In fact, a patient walks through the door every two minutes. The physicians and staff must work quickly to treat every one of them.
Taylor Louden, M.D. excels in the fast-paced and intense work in Cook Children’s ED. He’s had seven years in pediatric emergency medicine and was promoted to the medical director of the department in 2022. He takes shifts at all hours and walks 20,000 steps a day to keep up with demand.
While Dr. Louden’s achievements are extraordinary, in our ED, his credentials are the norm—and it’s a point of pride for him.
“A lot of people don’t realize how unique we are. Cook Children’s ED has no interns, no trainees gaining experience outside their field. Every child is cared for by a highly experienced, board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physician at all times,” he says.
The 396 full-time staff in Cook Children’s ED save lives at regular intervals, and your donations accompany them at every turn. From the latest equipment and technology to inviting facilities and comforts for the children that need it most, the need is always urgent.
No matter the reason for a child’s crisis, your gift today meets them right away.
Children’s Miracle Network gets a new look
Did you know Cook Children’s is part of a network of children’s hospitals?
Children’s Miracle Network is an organization dedicated to local fundraising for kids- on a nation-wide scale! With partners like Costco, Wal-Mart, Panda Express, Ace Hardware and SO many more, CMN donations are making a monumental difference at Cook Children’s.
If you’re local to Fort Worth and the surrounding communities, shopping and donating wherever you see the new iconic CMN balloon means your contribution stays right here, helping kids at Cook Children’s.
She counted every step to The Blast this year.
At The Blast in 2023, eight-year-old Kylie walked for the first time with her family and friends – the team members of “Kylie’s Herd.” They learned she had leukemia just a few months before.
“Walking in for the first time, it was the most impactful thing we had ever been to,” says Kylie’s mom, Christy. “Just seeing all the families from the fifth floor and the amount of people there to support these kiddos was just incredible.”
Kylie and her family needed that support. Through years of treatment, Kylie faced long hospital stays, 137 chemo treatments and time away from friends and school. As a side effect of her medication, Kylie’s hip began to collapse and she learned that she may one day need a replacement.
Kylie’s family endured and Kylie’s Herd grew. They attend The Blast each year to give back and gather with their new-found Cook Children’s family.
“You feel so alone and isolated throughout this journey,” says Christy. “[The Blast] gives you a lot of hope and more of a village than you thought you had.”
Cook Children’s donor funds bolster cancer patients at every step, providing comfort and innovation that sets our program apart. Donations at The Blast also fund clinical trials, like the one that helped Kylie to a future that’s cancer-free.
In May of 2025, she rang the bell to celebrate the end of her treatment, when scans showed no evidence of disease. Suddenly, The Blast 2026 had a whole new meaning for Kylie.
Last Saturday at The Blast, Kylie took her victory lap at Panther Island Pavilion, surrounded by the dedicated members of Kylie’s Herd.
The event raised over $418,000 for Cook Children’s Hematology and Oncology Center, ensuring that the right programs and treatments will be available for kids just like Kylie.
There’s still time to celebrate Kylie’s next steps. Give today!
Here, Employees Care
Every day, the people of Cook Children’s show up to care for kids and families. But many choose to go a step further. Through the Employees Care program, over 3,600 team members across the system give to support patients and families facing some of life’s toughest moments.
Their generosity helps provide everything from small comfort items that brighten a child’s day to meaningful improvements across the hospital, like new equipment, updated play spaces and enhancements to areas like the Emergency Department.
It’s a powerful reminder that the heart of Cook Children’s isn’t just the care we provide—it’s the people behind it.