Hospitalized infants and children need special pharmaceuticals and equipment engineered to work with their small stature. From the tiniest tube or milliliter of medication to ECMO, a formidable device that acts as an artificial lung outside the body, medicines and machines that help sick kids get well are specialized - and high--priced. Skilled pediatric professionals armed with evolving treatments and expensive tools work to save more than 14 million children annually from life-threatening injuries, birth defects, cancer, and numerous other ailments. To afford such specialized treatment, children 's hospitals require funding. Children's Miracle Network (CMN) is a nonprofit organization that raises money to benefit hospitalized kids and increases awareness of its member hospitals. All CMN contributions directly benefit hospitals, helping to purchase up-to-date equipment, train staff, conduct life-saving research, implement outreach programs, and provide health care for children whose parents can 't afford to pay.

      The 170 Children's Miracle Network hospitals are there 24 hours a day to help kids of every age and background overcome every imaginable disease and injury - from asthma and broken bones to cancer, sickle cell anemia, pediatric AIDS, muscular dystrophy and serious injuries. Thousands of special events and fundraisers are held through a children's hospitals, media partners and volunteers. Along with the "Children's Miracle Network Celebration" hosted on television, corporate sponsors sell paper Miracle Balloons, radio stations broadcast Radiothons, and college students hold Dance Marathons. This year, Children's Miracle Network hospitals will provide charity care worth billions.  Children's Miracle Network has raised more than $2.2 billion to date, most of which is donated by Americans.