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DQ manager featured during Rainbow Radiothon on Dec. 2

cora-1
Cora got to dress up her doll just like her before she went into surgery.

Many people have been personally touched by the wide-reaching services offered by children’s hospitals across the country.

This past summer, Children’s Miracle Network Community Development Specialist Nicole Schmunk visited the Conneaut, OH Dairy Queen location to thank them for their fundraising efforts* and discovered one such story. “I began talking with the manager, Alexandra Arndt, and she ended up sharing her story with me about her daughter Cora,” who is a regular patient at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, explains Schmunk. “Alex is pretty amazing, so we ended up recording her story to use during the Rainbow Radiothon on Friday, December 2.

Arndt details Cora’s story. “My daughter Cora was diagnosed with hydrocephalus three weeks before she was born.”

Hydrocephalus affects cognitive mental processes, bladder control and the ability to walk. It can also cause an enlarged head and ‘sun-setting eyes’.

“When Cora was a week old, a shunt was placed in her brain to drain excess fluid. She’s had multiple surgeries, ongoing physical and occupational therapy, and wears a leg brace,” Arndt continues.

“The list of specialists who’ve helped Cora is quite long and thanks to their care, she is defying her condition. She’s a happy, healthy, beautiful six-year-old who’s thriving in school. We are so grateful for the amazing care team at Rainbow. They’ve had Cora under their wing since before she was born and none of her success would be possible if it weren’t for them.”

You can tune in to hear more from Alexandra and Cora during the Rainbow Radiothon on Dec. 2 on Star 102 Cleveland at 7:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or from anywhere in the country on http://player.radio.com/listen/station/star-102Rainbow Radiothon that has raised nearly $4 million for kids in the greater Cleveland community over the past 14 years. The signature event brings listeners remarkable stories of love, hope and compassion featuring Rainbow’s young patients and the dedicated staff who care for them.

*Over the past 32 years, Diary Queen operators and fans have raised more than $120 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.