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, KDKA-TV wants you to meet some of the children who are alive today thanks to the care they received at UPMC Children's Hospital. Among them is 13-year-old Antonio Jimenez, of Hollidaysburg.

For Jimenez, baseball is life. He dreams of one day playing in the majors. And right now, that dream is what's pushing him to get back on his feet, literally.

"It's like you just have to keep a positive mindset," Jimenez said.

In August, Jimenez was out for a bike ride with friends when he fell off his bike.

Jimenez said, "I got right back up and didn't think anything of it. There was a little cut on my pinky toe, but I just got up and rode my bike home."

For the next few hours, he hung out with his friends and even played some football until his back started to feel tight. So, he decided to lie down.

"And then within the next five minutes, my legs just went numb. I couldn't move them," Jimenez said.

"I could hear him downstairs calling me in a panic," Antonio's mother, Antonella Jimenez, said. 

"He said, 'I can't feel my legs. I can't move them. They're numb. They're tingly.' And I honestly thought, you know how you hit your funny bone, and it goes numb, and it tingles for a minute? That's what I thought. I thought he hit a nerve or something."

But when he still couldn't get up after a few minutes, she called 911.

"They took him straight into trauma at the hospital, and just 10 to 15 minutes later, the doctor came out and said that they were going to air lift him to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh," Antonella Jimenez said.

It was there that doctors diagnosed Antonio Jimenez with what's called a spinal stroke. He had some sensation in his legs but no movement.

Antonella Jimenez said, "We asked what caused it and why, and basically all that they could tell us was that there was a brief moment that there was no blood flow from the brain to the spine, and that's what caused him to have the spinal stroke."

The Jimenez family knew they had a long stay at UPMC Children's Hospital ahead of them. His grandparents took turns with his parents staying in Pittsburgh, so they could go home to work and take care of their other two sons.

Antonio's father, Jason Jimenez, said, "Every time I left, I just wanted to get back so bad. I had this guilt, like how could I leave? This is my guy. How can I leave him, you know? And I got back there one time, and he was just kicking it with the nurses hanging out until like 3 o'clock in the morning. And at that moment, I was like, 'Oh, he's good. He's in good hands. We don't know what the future holds but he's in good hands.' And as a parent, that just means everything."

They say the care Antonio Jimenez received at UPMC Children's from everyone was second to none. But for this family that relies heavily on their faith, it was Father Nick, the hospital's chaplain, who really kept them going.

"He brought some light to our life that wasn't there. It allowed us to realize that we were going to be OK. We didn't know what and we still don't know what the outcome is going to be, but we know we got this. We have each other. We have our faith. And that's what we carry with us, and it allows us to go on, on the daily," Jason Jimenez said.

While in the hospital, Antonio Jimenez also got the chance to meet Ryan Shazier, who shared how he got through the early days of his injury and recovery.

Jason Jimenez said, "Ryan let him know you have to be solution-oriented. What are we going to do to get better? Don't do the 'why me?' because unfortunately, the 'why me?' doesn't give you an answer. And it just puts you in a place of resentment and bitterness. You want to take control, be positive, keep that mindset and he has, which has been amazing to see."

On Oct. 2, two months and a day after he arrived at UPMC Children's Hospital, Antonio Jimenez got to go home, where he continues to work on his physical therapy.

"Some days are really hard, and he handles it like a champ. It's amazing to see," Jason Jimenez said.

In fact, in November, Antonio reached a huge milestone.

Antonio Jimenez said, "At the end of the session, you'll sit on the edge of the table, and you'll try to swing your legs. And for a week, I couldn't. I could do my right leg a lot. My right leg's gotten better at swinging, but my left leg, though, was just a little bit. And then today it went like a lot more. I moved my left leg. So, that was pretty cool to see."

But that wasn't the only exciting development.

"I was able to stand up on my own with the walker. So, that was also cool. That was the first time I was able to do that," Antonio Jimenez said.

Antonio Jimenez and his parents know none of this would be possible without their faith, their family and friends, and even complete strangers.

"He's going to get through this because God is good, and he's going to be with us every step of the way," Antonella Jimenez said.

And Antonio Jimenez says he's going to keep swinging for the fences in therapy so that by spring, he'll be back on that field of dreams and ready for the next inning of his life.

He said, "I just know I will."

And now is your chance to help kids just like Antonio Jimenez. 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.