UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Free Care Fund ensures that no child is turned away due to financial concerns. Since 1954, KDKA-TV has supported the fund through its annual holiday telethon, helping raise money to provide care for children in need.
As KDKA-TV prepares for its 72nd telethon, we share the inspiring stories of children whose lives were saved by the care they received at UPMC Children’s Hospital. Among them are 18-year-old Kyree Beachem and 19-year-old Nico Beachem from Ellwood City. The Beachem family’s journey with UPMC Children’s Hospital began five years ago when Kyree was chosen as the junior co-host for the 67th Annual Free Care Fund Telethon. Today, she’s a senior in high school with a part-time job.
“I am going to graduate this year,” Kyree Beachem said, reflecting on a milestone that seemed nearly impossible given her medical history. Kyree was born with Hirschsprung’s disease, a rare condition where the colon lacks nerve endings necessary for normal digestion. At age 2, she underwent a small intestine transplant, but it failed. Five years later, she received a multi-organ transplant, which included the small and large intestines, pancreas, and liver. Despite nine rounds of organ rejection, Kyree has remained resilient. Though she’s faced challenges, her health has been mostly stable in recent years.
“I’ve been having ups and downs, but I’ve been doing pretty good so far,” she said.
Kyree did have to have her large intestine removed after the transplant, but her mother, Nan Beachem, says she’s adjusting well. “The good days definitely outweigh the bad ones,” Nan said.
Kyree isn’t the only transplant survivor in the family. Her older brother, Nico, was born prematurely at 28 weeks and weighed just over 2 pounds. He spent nearly his entire first year at UPMC Children’s Hospital. At age 5, Nico underwent a transplant due to necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious condition that causes intestinal tissue death. Following his transplant, Nico made a remarkable recovery.
“He got the transplant, and he was one of those kids who just never looked back,” Nan recalled. “Three days after his transplant, he was sitting with the Child Life Specialist in the playroom. It blew everyone away that he did so well.”
However, Nico faced setbacks two years ago when he experienced organ failure and chronic rejection. Now, he relies on IV fluids for 12 hours a day and takes more than a dozen medications. Despite these challenges, Nico leads a fulfilling life.
“He’s living a very, very good life around all of those IVs and meds,” Nan said.
Nico, who graduated from high school in the spring, enjoys video games, music, and watching football. He fondly recalls watching the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s Super Bowl.
“It was awesome,” Nico said.
Nan Beachem said, “All those little things that you might have taken for granted with your healthy children are nothing short of a miracle with these kids.”
Both Kyree and Nico know their lives were saved by UPMC Children’s Hospital.
“They’ve pretty much saved my life. I wouldn’t be here today without Children’s,” Kyree said.
“The care at Children’s Hospital is like no other. Everybody truly cares about these kids,” Nan added. “They give them the care that they would want their own children to receive.”
Nan Beachem is no stranger to caring for children. Over the course of 20 years, she has fostered 86 children and adopted five. In addition to her four biological children, she’s managed to balance the needs of her family while working as a single mom for 14 years.
“It’s tough when you have two medically needy kids to be in both places at the same time,” Nan said. “But I know they’re in good hands at UPMC Children’s Hospital.”
Her faith in the hospital’s care has been a source of comfort. “I know that they’re just as good there with all of that staff as they are with me sitting next to their bed. It is probably the one thing that gives me sanity in all of this.”
At home, the Beachem family shares a house full of love, where Kyree and Nico’s siblings have been deeply influenced by their experiences. Many of them have pursued careers helping others, including becoming a teacher, therapist, and even a nurse at UPMC Children’s Hospital—where Kyree hopes to work someday.
“I either want to be a nurse or a child life specialist,” Kyree said.
For the Beachems, UPMC Children’s Hospital is more than just a medical facility. “Children’s Hospital not only saved my kids’ lives, but they gave my kids lives,” Nan said.
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