Miracle Monday: Meet Courtney!

Courtney is a remarkable young lady who has overcome many odds. As a baby, she was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Shaken Baby Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. At 2 months old, she had a stroke and was hospitalized for several months. Since then, she has been diagnosed with a mental delay and severe scoliosis. After spending years in and out of the foster care system, she was adopted by her biological aunt and uncle. In 2015, Courtney had two surgeries to correct her scoliosis. While the surgeries have been successful, Courtney still lives with mobility issues and a hearing impairment.

In November 2018, Courtney was awarded a service dog through the Miracle Service Dog Program supported by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at Freeman Health System. Courtney’s service dog, Thunder, will be able to assist with her mobility challenges and alert her to dangerous situations she may not recognize due to her hearing impairment.

In addition, Courtney’s aunt and guardian, Sue, currently works at one of our local Casey’s General Stores in Joplin, Missouri. This connection is one of the many roles that played a part in a record-breaking fundraising year for our 44 locations raising money for Freeman Health System. Over $81,000 was raised in total to support kids just like Courtney!