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Children’s Specialized Hospital is a proud affiliate of Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), the alliance of premier hospitals for children. Children's Miracle Network is dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for 170 children's hospitals. Together, these hospitals provide the very best care for all children.

CMN was founded in 1983 and Children's Specialized Hospital joined into the network just a few short years later in 1987. Since that time, Children's Miracle Network has donated nearly $9 million dollars to Children's Specialized Hospital Foundation. These funds have supported vital programs and services, as well as assisted in the campaign to build the state-of-the-art New Brunswick facility.

Children's Miracle Network hospitals create one of the strongest international children's causes in the world. No other organization directly impacts as many kids through care, research, and outreach programs.  Thousands of special events and grassroots fund raisers are conducted year-round through a coalition of premier children’s hospitals, media partners and corporate volunteers working together to ensure healthy kids in their communities. Corporate sponsors such as Walmart, Costco, Rite Aid, Credit Unions, IHOP, and Dairy Queen - just to name a few - generate millions of dollars each year to provide the life-saving care and crucial services kids need simply by selling miracle balloons at their registers.

Through its year-round efforts to help kids, Children's Miracle Network has internationally raised more than $3.4 billion to date, most of which is donated a dollar or two at a time by caring individuals across North America.

Michael and Mackenzie Wight     
Named New Jersey's Children's Miracle Network Champions Across America, 2010!

Four years ago, siblings Michael and Mackenzie Wight were in a terrible car accident that resulted in both children suffering traumatic brain injuries. Mackenzie's brain injury was less severe; which allowed her to be taken off the ventilator the day after the accident. Michael suffered a much more injury, known as a sheering injury, which severs the nerve axons in the brain and causes significant deficits in neurologic and motor functions.

Mackenzie was transferred to Children's Specialized Hospital for her recovery and Michael joined her a week later. Mackenzie had some paralysis on the right side of her body. Her therapists successfully worked with her to regain the use of her right side. Today Mackenzie is playing lacrosse competitively and swimming regularly.

Michael was still in a coma when he arrived at Children's Specialized Hospital. The Child Life team helped Mackenzie understand what had happened to her brother, and the changes her family would need to make through recreational therapy.

Michael had a long recovery as an inpatient. Our physical, occupational, speech and cognitive therapists, and physicians and nurses, worked diligently to teach Michael to breathe on his own and regain some motor function. Michael was discharged from Children's Specialized Hospital six months after the accident and is now an outpatient at our Toms River facility. He uses his walker at his physical and occupational therapy sessions three times a week.

The entire Wight family are champions already in our book, due to their courage, strength and the love that had held them together.