On September 27, 2024, Dolores Adame welcomed her newborn daughter, Hannah, into the world. But an hour after delivery, a knock on the hospital door changed everything.
“They told me I had leukemia,” Dolores said. “I had just had my baby, and now this? It was like—what are you talking about?”
The news hit hard. Her thoughts spiraled: What happens to me now? What about my baby? What about my older daughter, Haide? Within minutes, she learned she would need to transfer to Baylor Scott & White for treatment and that she couldn’t breastfeed because of the chemotherapy that awaited her.
“I just sat there in shock,” she said. “How do you process something like this? You think about giving birth and going home with your baby—not fighting for your life.”
What Dolores didn’t know then was that help—made possible by the generosity of donors—was already on its way. At Baylor Scott & White, a team of certified Child Life Specialists would soon meet her family in their darkest moment, helping them find stability, understanding and hope.
A lifeline in chaos
Once Dolores and her family were safely settled in their room at Baylor Scott & White, a quiet knock came at the door. It was the Child Life team.
“Child Life came in—maybe the second person I met—and explained how they support families,” Dolores said. “And I just remember saying, ‘I don’t know how you knew I needed you, but I need you urgently!’”
Dolores’s 9-year-old daughter, Haide, was struggling silently. Always curious, she had secretly Googled the type of leukemia her mother had. Her grandma later discovered her searches while using Haide’s phone, and the weight of the little girl’s worry became clear.
“Haide asked if it was her baby sister’s fault I got sick,” Dolores shared, “and she was worried her little sister might get cancer, too. She was holding all of that inside. It was heartbreaking.”
Healing through connection
That’s when Shelbi Wulf, a certified Child Life specialist, stepped in. “Shelbi didn’t just support Haide—she supported all of us,” Dolores said. “She helped Haide express her feelings, made her feel safe to ask questions, and gave her space to cry and ask for hugs.”
Shelbi vividly remembers her time with Haide: “Haide had so many big questions and big feelings,” she said. “She needed a place to be a kid again, and a way to understand what her mom was going through. We talked, we did activities, and we gave her tools to cope and connect.”
Haide especially struggled when she couldn’t be with her mom during Dolores’s chemotherapy treatments. Shelbi helped Haide understand why and gave her ways to express what she was feeling.
Helping children process big emotions
One of those activities changed the dynamic of Dolores’s entire family. During a Child Life session, Haide wrote, “A hug from my uncle for 10 minutes would make me feel happy.” Dolores’s younger brother wasn’t naturally affectionate, but that simple exercise transformed their relationship.
“Now, every time he comes home from work, he hugs her,” Dolores said, smiling. “Child Life helped us understand something so simple but powerful: Sometimes, you just need a hug.”
They also learned that it wasn’t only Haide who needed support.
The team also supported Dolores directly. “They helped me understand how to talk to my daughter about my hair falling out, about what chemotherapy would do to me. I didn’t know how to have those conversations in a way she could understand,” she said.
“They stepped in and helped me say what I couldn’t.”
The ripple effects of Child Life support
Months later, Dolores is in remission after a successful bone marrow transplant from her sister. Baby Hannah is healthy, full of energy and about to turn one. And Haide? She’s doing great—and has her sights set on the medical field.
“Now she asks if she can give me my insulin. I told Shelbi, ‘You planted that seed.’ I see her thinking differently now,” Dolores said.
The experience of battling cancer in the midst of caring for her young family has changed Dolores, too. Once work-driven, she’s now focused on her health and her family.
“There are a lot of jobs out there,” she said, “but there’s only one me for my kids. This journey taught me that my family has to come first.”
The donor impact behind the care
For Cinda McDonald, system director for the Palliative Care Child Life team at Baylor Scott & White, stories like Dolores’s are why this work—and donor support—matters.
“When patients are diagnosed, their world is spinning,” Cinda said. “Almost every time, their first thought is: What about my kids? That’s where we come in. We don’t just hand them a pamphlet. We show up. We walk beside them.”
She explained that a serious illness is more than a medical event—it’s a family crisis. That’s why timely access to trained Child Life Specialists can change the trajectory of a child’s emotional and developmental health.
“Research shows that intervention from Child Life specialists helps mitigate the risks like school dropouts and risky behavior later in life. When donors fund this program, they’re not just helping families cope today. They’re shaping healthier futures.”
-Cinda McDonald
Why philanthropy matters
Cinda is especially proud that Baylor Scott & White is one of the few health systems with a dedicated Palliative Care Child Life team serving children of adult patients facing serious illness. “It’s rare, it’s powerful, and it’s changing lives,” she said.
Palliative care, she added, supports people experiencing life-altering diagnosis, such as cancer, heart failure or significant trauma, no matter their prognosis. Hospice, in contrast, focuses on comfort at the end of their life.
“Many families we serve will go on to live long, full lives,” Cinda said. “Our support helps them navigate that ‘new normal’ together.”
Yet despite its proven benefits, Child Life services are not covered by insurance. They exist only because of philanthropy.
“Funding this program is giving more children and families the kind of care and compassion that Dolores and Haide received,” Cinda said. “The difference it makes, immediate and long term, can’t be overstated.”
‘They gave me peace when everything felt impossible’
As for Dolores, her gratitude runs deep.
“Child Life was the best part of this entire experience,” she said. “They gave me peace when everything felt impossible. They helped my daughter feel safe. They helped me feel like I could be a mom—even while fighting for my life.”
She hopes to give back one day. Maybe even as a nurse.
“This experience made me rethink my whole life,” she said. “Now, I want to be the person who helps others through this. Because I know what it feels like. And because someone was there for me, maybe I can be there for someone else.”
How to help
Your support can help rewrite the story for families facing the unimaginable. Your generosity can make it happen.
Baylor Scott & White’s Palliative Care Child Life team stands ready to meet families in their moments of crisis. More specialists are needed to serve more facilities across North Texas.
