VALHALLA, N.Y. (August 6, 2020) – Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), has appointed Jorden Hutchins, 8, as an official hospital ambassador for its 16th Annual Go the Distance fundraising event. Hutchins received his official ambassador sash during a special ceremony at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, which was attended by his family and members of the hospital's pediatric care team.
Jorden Hutchins, 8
In May, Hutchins was in Maria Fareri Children's Hospital's pediatric intensive care unit due to complications from Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) that landed him on life support. With the help of Maria Fareri Children's Hospital's pediatric experts, Jorden recovered and is doing well today. As a Go the Distance hospital ambassador, Jorden will help represent the thousands of seriously ill and injured children cared for by Maria Fareri Children's Hospital services each year.
Go the Distance to Make a Difference
This year's Go the Distance fundraising event - which is typically attended by hundreds of supporters and includes a one-mile walk around WMCHealth's Valhalla, NY campus - will be held virtually. Those interested in supporting Maria Fareri Children's Hospital and its care of the Hudson Valley's most seriously ill and injured children are encouraged to create a fundraising team and hold a socially-distant, one-mile walk on the course of their choosing any time between now and Sunday, September 13, 2020. Donated funds will support the advanced care services provided to children like Jorden at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital.
Jorden's Recovery from Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome
This spring Jorden fell ill with a cough and had difficulty breathing. After four days of high fevers Jorden's family brought him to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital for care, where his condition worsened rapidly due to what was later identified as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that while the causes for MIS-C in children are currently unknown, "many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19" or had been exposed to someone with COVID-19.*
Jorden was rushed to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital's pediatric intensive care unit where he was placed on a ventilator. With his heart failing, the care team at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital conducted an emergency procedure to provide extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a treatment that the American Thoracic Society says temporarily replaces the function of the heart and the lungs.**
ECMO is a complex treatment that requires a multidisciplinary team of specialists to execute. After the second of two heart procedures during his course of care, Jorden's health improved significantly, his ECMO and ventilator treatments ended and as his recovery continued, Jorden was discharged to return home.
Jorden, who will turn 9 on August 15, loves math and history and will enter the fourth grade this fall at Our Lady of Victory Elementary School in Mount Vernon.
Hutchins Family
Jorden's mom, Beverly Hutchins said Jorden was very fortunate to have been treated by such a professional team. "I am so very grateful to all the doctors and nurses in the pediatric intensive care unit at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. The care he received was extraordinary. He is feeling very good, and he is enjoying all of the attention!"