USA Health celebrates Children’s Miracle Network Champion Maci Brown with crowning ceremony

A school-wide celebration for Maci Brown, age 9, who recently was named a Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) champion for USA Health Children's & Women's Hospital, was held on Friday, April 26, at Bay Minette Elementary School.

Her classmates, teachers and staff, plus University of South Alabama mascots and cheerleaders, rallied around her during a special ceremony, where she received a crown symbolizing her role as an ambassador for CMN and the hospital.

Students also took part in a mini dance party and relay races during the celebration. This week, some 800 students at the Baldwin County school have been raising money for Children’s Miracle Network to support sick and injured children.

Maci's journey with USA Health began before she took her first breath. Diagnosed with Stage 3b kidney disease, among other health conditions, her entrance into the world was marked by intubation and a 58-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s & Women’s Hospital. Early on, her family was told she may never be able to walk.

Supported by her family and caregivers, the little girl defied the odds. With the help of intense physical therapy, Maci learned to walk. These days, she can be seen skipping, running and dancing. Her mother, Christy English, was so inspired by the healthcare teams helping her daughter that she went back to school to become a pediatric nurse.

Beginning this month, even more people will have an opportunity to be inspired by Maci. In her role as a childhood champion, her smiling face is now emblazoned on donation cards and banners posted at local stores including Walmart, Publix, Costco, and ACE Hardware.