For Mariah, Shriners Children's will always feel like family.
Her chest appeared significantly sunken whenever she cried or breathed, but doctors reassured her parents that she would simply “grow out of it.” Instead, as Mariah grew older, she developed severe asthma and relied heavily on inhalers and nebulizer treatments. By the time she was 5 years old, her nighttime wheezing had become so severe that her family knew something more was wrong, even as they continued searching for an explanation.
“At the time, what I had was unheard of. No doctors, nurses or medical staff could tell my parents what was wrong with me,” Mariah said.
Determined to find answers, Mariah's family continued searching for help. Then one day, her older sister, who was serving in the Army and living out of state, called home with a lead. While searching online, she had come across a hospital website featuring a child whose chest looked remarkably similar to Mariah's. Hoping they had finally found someone who could explain what was happening, Mariah's parents quickly reached out. Soon after, they scheduled a consultation and drove from their home in San Antonio to Shriners Children's Texas. In 1999, when Mariah was 7, she finally received the answers her family had spent years searching for.
During her first visit, pediatric surgeon Laurens Pickard, M.D., diagnosed Mariah with pectus excavatum, a congenital chest wall deformity that causes the breastbone to sink inward. For the first time, Mariah and her family found themselves surrounded by people who understood her condition.
“After multiple appointments, I learned I would need the Nuss procedure, which has two parts,” Mariah said. “I had my first surgery at age 8, and a titanium bar was placed in my chest for two years. During that time, I returned for regular checkups. When I was 10, I underwent a second surgery to have the bar removed.”
The titanium bar was designed to lift and reshape Mariah's chest wall, correcting the severe sunken appearance. Despite having the bar in her chest, Mariah stayed active and even participated in cheerleading competitions during treatment. The surgeries were a success, but what Mariah remembers most is not the procedures themselves. It’s the people who helped her through them.
My experience with Shriners Children's has been a major part of my life. I am so grateful for every single person who was involved in my care.
“From the moment I arrived at Shriners Children’s Texas, it felt like a little city or village of just positivity and reassurance. I actually had a group of nurses and staff who I would sing with at appointments. I never felt outcast or alienated, because there were other kids there who were like me.”
When Mariah was officially discharged from care at the age of 11, she had no issues bouncing back to a normal routine. “I’m fully healed. It’s like it never happened,” she said. “I even still have my bar to this day; they gave it to me when I got it removed.”
In 2008, a few years after being discharged, Mariah was invited to speak at a Shriners International banquet in Houston. Soon after, Mariah appeared at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where she sang the national anthem as a teenager. Today, at 34, Mariah is still singing. She performs the national anthem at sporting events, sings on stage at church and even strums her guitar at home. When she is not singing her heart out, she enjoys spending time with her pet chickens.
"My experience with Shriners Children's has been a major part of my life," Mariah said. "Dr. Pickard was so welcoming and warm. He was such a blessing to my family. Looking back, it feels like everything came together at exactly the right time with exactly the right people to help us."
Today, Mariah hopes her story will encourage other patients and families walking through difficult seasons. As she puts it, "There is light. There is hope. If I ever felt fear or frustration, I just remembered it’s an emotion, not a place to settle.”
