VALHALLA, N.Y. (July 17, 2023) – Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital has named three former patients as its newest youth ambassadors. The children - all of whom underwent successful treatment for severe illnesses at WMCHealth’s Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital - will represent the thousands of seriously ill and injured children served annually by the hospital’s advanced pediatric services.
A signature duty of the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital ambassadors will be to lead the hundreds-strong procession for the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital Walk and Family Fun Day, which will step-off September 24. The event is the largest fundraiser for Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and all donations made through the Walk and Family Fun Day will support the hospital’s advanced care services.
Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital appointed Camryn Kellam of Fishkill, Chase Pultz of Beacon, and Jack Boyle of Pearl River as hospital ambassadors during a special sashing ceremony at Clover Field in Pomona, NY, prior to a New York Boulders Frontier League baseball game. WMCHealth’s Elissa Chessari, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of WMCHealth’s Northern Region, led the appointment event.
This year’s ambassadors are:
Camryn Kellam – Sickle Cell Disease – Fishkill
Doctors diagnosed 10-year-old Camryn of Fishkill with Sickle Cell Disease three weeks after birth. She has been a subject in one of Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital’s many groundbreaking clinical trials and today, Camryn is doing great with little-to-no signs of Sickle Cell Disease symptoms. She is one of eight children chosen from all over the United States to represent Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for 2023.
Chase Pultz - Infectious Disease and Neurosurgery – Beacon
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| Maria Fareri Children's Hospital ambassadors (L-R) Chase Pultz, Jack Boyle and Camryn Kellam with WMCHealth's Elissa Chessari |
Chase, 9, of Beacon was admitted to WMCHealth’s MidHudson Regional Hospital with a severe sinus infection. Within three days, the infection had traveled to Chase’s brain, and he was transferred to Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital for advanced care. Neurosurgery and other procedures ensued, requiring Chase to spend the next 30 days recovering at the hospital. Today, Chase is thriving.
Jack Boyle - Neurosurgery - Pearl River
15-year-old Jack of Pearl River was playing basketball with his brother when he developed a headache and collapsed. An ambulance rushed him to Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, where pediatric care experts discovered a tangle of ruptured blood vessels. Jack needed multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation, but today Jack is doing great! He is an honor roll student, an avid outdoor sportsman and member of the cross county, winter track and golf teams.
For more information about the Go the Distance Walk and Family Fun Day, visit: Go the Distance Walk and Family Fun Day 2023.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with nine hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I (adult and pediatric), Level II and Level III trauma centers, the region’s only acute care children’s hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.
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