'Miracle for Kids' broadcast raises $220,000 with help from young Mexico, Mo., sisters

By Joey Soto

Published Sept. 29, 2008

True courage made one of its usual visits to Columbia ahead of schedule Friday in the form of two young girls.

Ava and Madeline Wilson, ages 4 and 6 respectively, made their quarterly trip to Columbia from Mexico, Mo., for their check-up at the Children's Hospital several days early to participate in the "Miracle for Kids" radiothon. Alongside their mother Nicole Wilson and father James Wilson, the two girls' stories were broadcast over the airwaves on four radio stations.

The "Miracle for Kids" radiothon concluded Friday night with a total of $222,000 raised, surpassing last year's record. The money will help families like the Wilsons live as normal of a life as possible.

Without the most high-tech machines and tests, the average person wouldn't be able to tell there was anything wrong with the girls, James said.

"They both go to school," he said. "They play tee-ball, soccer and dance. You could put them against any other kid and you can't really tell the difference except on a bad day."

The "bad days" are a result of their genetic condition, cystic fibrosis. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. The mucus obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

Madeline's diagnosis 10 days after her birth came as a shock, as no one in either James or Nicole's family was known to have had CF, Nicole said. James' initial reaction was similar to heartbreak, yet he was hopeful.

"You're surprised, crushed, devastated," James said. "You wonder what's going to go on. But then you realize that you can work with it. You can do these things. And they can live a long, normal life if we stay on top of things."

James and Nicole were apprehensive about having another child after Madeline was diagnosed with CF. They knew the chance was 25 percent, but were hopeful the odds were in their favor for their second child, James said.

"There are only 30,000 people in the US that have it," James said. "So I guess we're lucky to have two of them."

The girls endure 20-minute treatments twice daily to clean their lungs of mucus, in addition to receiving prescription drugs.

"With Madeline and Ava, it's routine," Nicole said. "They get up and they swallow their pills and do their treatment because they know they can't leave the house without it. It's a fight sometimes, but we do a lot of rewarding."

She said the girls don't fuss and complain consistently about their condition.

"They've taken such ownership and we learn from them," Nicole said. "When you don't feel well, you don't want to be shaken every day. But three times a day they have to go through that. And they don't really complain."

Having a sibling with CF has helped Madeline and Ava cope with their condition, Nicole said.

"When Ava was scared of doing things, Madeline would step in as a mother figure and she would say, 'It's OK, this is what you have do,' in a sweet little voice," Nicole said. "When they go to clinic they hold hands and tell each other things like, 'If you don't cry for your swab I won't cry for mine.'"

Every three months the Wilsons take a trip to the Children's Hospital for testing.

"It just breaks your heart really, because you tell them they have to do this to get better and they know it," Nicole said.

There is currently no cure for CF, but the treatment is effective and James said there are more effective drugs in the making.

"There's no cure, so they'll just progress with what they're doing," James said. "But there are some drugs on the pipeline that look good. Hopefully those will work out."