Meet William! Our 2026 CMN Hospitals Champion for Orlando Health

Each year, 170 member Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) identify a “Champion” in each of their local communities to serve as the face for children treated at their local children’s hospital. These ambassadors spend their year advocating for the charitable needs of children’s hospitals across North America.

2026 Champion

This year, eight-year-old William will serve as our 2026 CMN Hospitals Champion for Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Along with his parents, Brigid and John, and little sister, Lottie, William will spend the year serving as a local advocate for patients like him treated at our hospital.

Meet William

After 41 long weeks of anticipation, Brigid and John were overjoyed to finally meet their baby boy. But William’s arrival was anything but routine. Born via emergency C-section at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, doctors quickly discovered William’s umbilical cord had wrapped around his neck three times.

A swift and skilled team sprang into action, intubating and resuscitating William as his parents waited anxiously for updates. He had been without oxygen or a heartbeat for approximately 15 minutes. When John finally saw his son, he was pale, still and silent, but he opened his eyes for the first time. In the hours that followed, doctors diagnosed William with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a type of brain injury caused by the lack of oxygen at birth.

William was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and placed on life-saving support. Weighing in at 8½ pounds and 23 inches, he stood out among his smaller NICU neighbors. For three days, he was kept in a cooling suit to protect his brain and organs. An EEG soon revealed he was experiencing seizures, and an MRI confirmed some brain cell damage.

From those earliest days, Brigid and John felt surrounded by care and compassion. Brigid lovingly refers to William’s care team as his “fairy godmothers” for the way they fought for him, comforted their family and gave them hope.

Over the course of 18 days in the NICU, William demonstrated incredible strength. He slowly made progress, transitioning off the feeding tube and breathing machine, and passing every test, including the final car seat challenge.

By discharge day, Brigid and John were cautiously optimistic. Follow-up care at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children helped William thrive, hitting every milestone in his first year. His family thanked the exceptional care he received for getting him home. “They saved our lives and we are incredibly grateful to this team!” says Bridgid.

As William grew, his care team remained by his side. In 2020, he was diagnosed with a speech delay and began in-person therapy at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Rehabilitation. A year later, he was diagnosed with autism, and his therapy expanded to include occupational and physical therapies, providing him with the comprehensive support he needed to succeed.

Thanks to the unwavering dedication of his rehab team, William continues to strengthen his skills. When he began speech therapy, he had only a few words and struggled with emotional regulation, an effect of his early brain injury. Today, he is a chatty, thoughtful 8-year-old who has made incredible progress. He loves all things Pokémon, enjoys swimming and is an avid performer – enthusiastically acting out anything he can. His family credits his transformation to the continuous, compassionate care provided by his team at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer, who remain his biggest advocates.