MEET OUR 2023 CHAMPION!

Every year, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals asks each of its member hospitals to identify a “Champion” to serve as the face for the millions of children treated by children’s hospitals annually. These ambassadors spend one year advocating for the charitable need of the hospital where they received their care.

This year, James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital selected Waylon Denny to be our 2023 Champion!

Waylon spent the first 298 days of his life at James and Connie Maynard Children’s
Hospital. He weighed just 1 pound, 4 ounces when he was born and spent his first four
months in neonatal intensive care. After an eye surgery, Waylon developed an infection
that placed him in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). His condition was so critical that
his doctors placed him on a special form of life support called extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation (ECMO), which circulates blood through an artificial lung and then back into
the bloodstream. Thanks to Children’s Miracle Network Hospital donations, Maynard
Children’s Hospital had this specialized equipment on hand to help save Waylon’s life. He
spent 10 days on ECMO and recovered with the help of his dedicated PICU care team.
Now 7 years old, he no longer requires a trach to breathe. Waylon’s favorite place is in the
great outdoors, where he loves to have adventures.