CHRISTUS Health Announces 2026 Children’s Miracle Network Champion

BEAUMONT, Texas — CHRISTUS Health has named 12-year-old Trace White as the local 2026 Children’s Miracle Network Champion for the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System.

The announcement was made during a gathering of community partners and donors recognizing 2025 fundraising efforts and marking the start of this year’s Children’s Miracle Network campaign.

Children’s Miracle Network member hospitals nationwide select a local ambassador each year to represent pediatric patients receiving care at their facilities. The champions share their experiences to highlight the importance of charitable support for children’s hospitals.

Trace was born six weeks premature and diagnosed with Down syndrome. He spent the first six weeks of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit at CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Hospital–St. Elizabeth, where he received care for feeding challenges and required oxygen support, according to CHRISTUS Health.

Those early days were filled with uncertainty according to a CHISTUS news release, but the NICU team surrounded Trace’s family with unwavering compassion. His neonatologist emphasized possibilities rather than limitations, encouraging his parents to believe that Trace could achieve everything his older brothers could.

Now after a tenuous start to life, Trace is thriving thanks to that care.

CHRISTUS officials say through generous donations, CMN helps hospitals deliver compassionate care, family education and lifesaving equipment, giving children like Trace the chance to grow strong and pursue their dreams.

Caralee Thompson, program director for the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation’s Children’s Miracle Network program, said Trace’s story reflects the impact community donations have on pediatric care at nonprofit hospitals.

“We are thrilled to have Trace representing CHRISTUS as our CMN Champion,” said Thompson. “As a nonprofit hospital, we rely on the support of the community to continue providing the accessible care our patients need and deserve. Patients like Trace are proof of the transformative impact donations have on pediatric health care.”

As the local champion, Trace will represent CHRISTUS Southeast Texas at community events and donor engagements and advocate for specialized pediatric care. He will also support Children’s Miracle Network’s nationwide Health For All Kids Impact Pledge, an initiative aimed at expanding funding for children’s health care over the next two years.

Children’s Miracle Network officials say the program is designed to help hospitals address increasing and more complex pediatric health care needs through local fundraising support.