Miles’ Journey: Care That Reaches the Whole Family

Three-year-old Miles is full of energy and big interests.

He loves toy cars and trucks, the color blue and playing hide-and-seek with his baby brother, Walt.

His favorite movie is The Lion King, and soon he will be trying T-ball for the first time. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Miles already knows his answer. He wants to be a doctor, inspired by those who helped him as a baby.

When Miles was 2 months old, an ordinary afternoon quickly turned into an emergency. His mom, Allie, was getting ready to leave their home in Houston when she accidentally dropped her coffee cup. The hot liquid spilled onto Miles as he sat in his car seat, hitting his right arm and armpit area. Allie immediately began running cold water over the burn. Within seconds, she noticed the skin beginning to blister.

“My friend, who is a physician assistant, was able to come over to take a closer look,” Allie said. “She told us, ‘We need to take him to a hospital.’”

Miles was seen immediately at a local children’s hospital. However, doctors quickly realized he would need specialized care.

“They told us, ‘We can’t treat this because we’re not a burn center, so we’re going to transfer you to Shriners Children’s Texas,’” Allie said.

Miles was transferred by ambulance and arrived at Shriners Children’s Texas later that evening. That night, his burn was debrided. Damaged tissue was carefully removed so the healthy skin underneath could begin to heal properly. Miles spent the night in the pediatric intensive care unit before being transferred to another floor the following day. In total, he remained in the hospital for four days.

Early discussions suggested Miles might need skin graft surgery, which worried Allie because he was so young. But Jong Lee, M.D., a burn surgeon at Shriners Children’s Texas, reassessed the burn and recommended giving it more time to heal naturally.

“I’m so thankful to Dr. Lee for his wisdom and knowledge,” Allie said. “He was incredibly attentive, and Miles has healed so well.”

After his hospital stay, Miles returned to Shriners Children’s Texas for follow-up care in the outpatient clinic. There, the care team monitored his healing and helped manage scar recovery. The family also built a special connection with April McCarty, MSN, APRN, FNP C, CWON, a nurse practitioner in the clinic who cared for Miles.

“Miles was such a brave and tough little guy right from the start,” April said. “I got to see him heal and grow. It was such a joy to see him and his sweet spirit at his appointments. He and his family always maintained such a positive outlook.”

Miles also worked with occupational therapists who fitted him with compression garments to help minimize scarring. Beyond Miles’ physical recovery, Allie said the emotional support she received from the team had a lasting impact.

“Especially being a first-time mom, I just felt so guilty,” Allie said. “But all of the staff made me feel like, ‘You’re a good mom. It was an accident.’”

Before Miles was discharged, Allie met with a psychologist from the hospital’s behavioral health team. She said that support helped her process the emotional weight of the experience. “No one ever made me feel like it was my fault, even though I was battling that.”

Recently, Allie and Miles returned to Shriners Children’s Texas with treats and handwritten notes for the nurses and staff who cared for him. It was their way of saying thank you.

“I know a lot of people stay here for a long time, for months,” Allie said. “Even though we were only here for a short time, I saw how well they treated families. They cared not only for the patient, but also for us as parents.”