After leukemia diagnosis, Bethel Park 2-year-old in remission thanks to UPMC Children's Hospital
The Free Care Fund at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh ensures no child is denied medical care. And every year since 1954, KDKA-TV has helped raise money for the Free Care Fund with our annual holiday telethon.
This week, as we get ready for our 72nd annual telethon, we want you to meet some of the children who are alive today thanks to the care they received at UPMC Children's.
Among them is 2-year-old Maeve Krieger of Bethel Park. She has had quite the journey in her young life.
"Our journey with Maeve started in September or October of 2023," said Maeve's mother, Lauren Krieger.
Maeve was just seven months old when her parents noticed her appetite was off, and she wasn't meeting normal growth milestones.
At first, they weren't too concerned, but after a while, they realized something was definitely wrong, and they took Maeve to her pediatrician.
Lauren said, "She felt Maeve's stomach and felt something that wasn't right."
The doctor sent them to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for testing. They later got the call no one wants, telling them to return to the hospital immediately.
"That night is when we were told that our daughter had leukemia. I said, 'What does that mean? What does that mean?' And I just kind of went into shock," Lauren said.
Maeve's father, Zack Krieger, added, "I work in health care, but I think it's very different whenever you hear about your own child being sick. You think that prepares you, but it certainly doesn't. But you get into parent mode. You handle the emergency. And we knew we were going to be in good hands at Children's Hospital."
Maeve began cancer treatments right away. She was just nine months old.
"Every day she was getting some sort of medicine, whether it was a steroid or a chemo medicine," Lauren said.
Maeve was admitted in mid-November. She spent her first Thanksgiving and Christmas in the hospital.
"We basically moved into the hospital," Lauren said.
Zack added, "I mean, there were so many people there that helped support us through those early couple of weeks, and pretty soon it started to feel like a second home."
Maeve was eventually discharged on New Year's Eve, but she continued to make trips to UPMC Children's.
"We were in and out of the hospital. She did over 150 days of inpatient treatment," Zack said.
While no one wants to have a child in the hospital, Zack and Lauren say there's nowhere else they would've rather been than UPMC Children's.
"We encountered the best people. Anyone from the cleaning crew to the nurses to the people who run the check-in. They know me when I walk in. I pull out my ID, and they're like, 'We know you,' and they know Maeve. They take the time to get to know us as people, and we get to know them, too," Lauren said.
But for Maeve, it's the folks in the Child Life Department who hold the biggest piece of her heart.
The hospital's Child Life staff does all kinds of things to take a child's mind off the seriousness of why they're there, doing things like drawing, playing games, and even singing with them.
Lauren said, "So, they're not the doctors guiding us medically, but they're just making Maeve's life better and happier. They are immense. The hospital cares about your whole family, not just your sick child. They're our family, and that's what you get when you go to Children's. You get another family."
Zack and Lauren were so moved by the care Maeve and their family were receiving at UPMC Children's that they almost immediately began trying to find ways to give back.
Zack said, "Like any small child, whether it's a birthday or she gets sick at the hospital, we just started getting gifts. And that's stuff that we don't really need, especially while we're there. So, we really tried to direct people towards donating to Children's Hospital, but specifically, the Free Care Fund."
The Kriegers have now raised more than $15,000 for the Free Care Fund.
"It really helps take away that burden, that financial burden, that worry that all these families can have. So that you can really just focus on the support and care for your child," Zack said.
As for Maeve, she's been in remission for two years now, which means she's officially cancer-free. She got to ring the bell in November.
"There were some really dark moments early on in her treatment. So, for me, every day is a bonus day. Every day is something more," Zack said.
Lauren added, "I just want her to thrive, and she is. And I want her to know how much of an impact she's had on everybody's lives and how much of an inspiration she is at such a young age."
And now is your chance to help kids just like River. Please join us this Thursday, Dec. 18, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and donate to the Free Care Fund. Your donations help thousands of local children and their families every year, and we couldn't do it without you.