Because of restrictions related to COVID-19, Christina Heckmann’s husband, Dan, couldn’t attend her 20-week prenatal ultrasound. That meant Christina was alone when the maternal-fetal medicine specialist at their community hospital discovered one of their twins had an abnormal kidney that might never function.

“He looked at me, tears streaming down my face, and said, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it now. Any questions?’” she remembers. “I shook my head, and he left.”

Stunned by the news and her doctor’s indifference, Christina called Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for a second opinion. A few days later, she and Dan met with Division of Urology Chief Douglas Canning, MD, who provided information on their unborn child’s condition — along with reassurance.

“Dr. Canning said something that struck me right away: ‘We are not in the business of scaring new parents.’ He stayed patient and calm and made it clear there was a plan, and that CHOP would be with us every step of the way,” Dan recalls. 

Although the couple was unable to make the hourlong trip to deliver at CHOP when Christina went into early labor, Dr. Canning began advising the team in their local hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit as soon as the twins, daughter Natalie and son Luke, arrived. Diagnosed with hydronephrosis, a condition in which urine backs up into the kidney, Natalie needed antibiotics and extra monitoring. 

“Even though we weren’t at CHOP, we were getting CHOP care from day one,” Christina says. “Since then, we have been at CHOP so many times, our doctors are like family.”

Becoming CHOP regulars

In summer 2022, Christina and Dan joined the CHOP community in mourning the loss of Dr. Canning, who died following a cycling accident. They had trusted him deeply and were anxious about meeting Natalie’s new urologist, Sameer Mittal, MD. 

“But just like Dr. Canning, he promised us, ‘I've got you. We're going to get through this together,’” Christina says. 

Dr. Mittal repaired Natalie’s kidney surgically when she was 8 months old. That was not the family’s first CHOP hospitalization, however — or their last. Two months before Natalie’s procedure, she and Luke had been admitted for five days with a relentless stomach flu. Luke later developed severe eczema and began monthly visits with Kim Nguyen, MD, an allergist-immunologist at CHOP. Natalie has had ear tubes inserted three times, and last year she had her adenoids removed and was also admitted for a kidney infection.

But the most dramatic CHOP visit occurred just after the twins turned 2. Christina brought Luke to the Middleman Family Pavilion in King of Prussia when he spiked a fever that persisted for a week without responding to medication. Upon admission, his lethargy worsened and he developed a skin rash and “strawberry tongue” — a bright red, swollen tongue with bumpy spots resembling strawberry seeds.

These were telltale signs of Kawasaki disease, a rare condition that causes blood vessel inflammation and can lead to serious heart damage. After the first-line treatment failed, the care team pivoted to an overnight infusion of a medication Christina knew well from her job with a pharmaceutical company. 

“Our team recognized this was not just about my child’s illness — it was about my needs, too, and including me in their decisions,” says Christina, remembering how the nurses replaced Luke’s crib with a bed so she could hold him all night. “He wouldn’t let go of me, and I didn’t want to put him down, so they said, ‘Climb in, Mama, and be with your baby.’ They cared about what was best for both of us.”

The infusion worked. Luke’s fever dropped, and his heart was safe.

The language of play

Christina and Dan hope the twins’ urgent needs for CHOP care are in the past, but both children, now almost 4, still require routine appointments. Dr. Mittal continues to monitor Natalie’s kidney function, and Dr. Nguyen gives Luke regular injections of a drug that controls his eczema.

“I’ve never met doctors like the ones at CHOP anywhere else — doctors who treat my husband and me as part of the team and take our fears seriously every time,” Christina says, noting that it’s not just physicians who make CHOP special. 

“It's the security guards who know our names and light up when we walk in. It’s the nurse who went out and got Luke a doughnut because he wasn't eating and doughnuts are his favorite thing. It’s the Wawa cart volunteer who made me tea. It’s the Child Life staff who brought in a therapy dog,” she says.

CHOP’s Child Life Services have had a particularly strong impact on Natalie and Luke. Natalie needs to stay well hydrated to ward off urinary tract infections, so Child Life specialists have set up “tea parties” and reward charts to encourage her to drink more fluids. Luke loves cars and trains, so they created “Luke’s Garage” and “Luke’s Train Depot” in his hospital room.

When Luke came for his first eczema treatment, he was so anxious, the nurse couldn’t even take his vitals. That’s when Child Life specialist Catarina Lynch stepped in.

“For Luke, it was about speaking to him through his language of play. During his injection we watched Lightning McQueen and ‘Cars’ videos, then we would play with push cars and light spinners to help him return to his baseline,” Catarina explains. 

Two years later, this routine continues to soothe Luke during every appointment.

Giving and gaining

Wanting to express their appreciation for CHOP, last year Christina and Dan included their large personal and professional networks — Christina’s through her work in pharmaceuticals and Dan’s as owner-operator of four McDonald’s restaurants in Bucks County, Pa. — in a toy drive. During the 2025 holiday season, they collected thousands of dollars in toys to donate to Child Life Services. 

“Christina and I are intentional about teaching our children the value of service — that when we give, we gain. We are grateful for the care Luke and Natalie continue to receive, and we give back because of everyone at CHOP who has helped ensure our children grow up healthy, happy and thriving,” Dan says.

Contributions like the Heckmann family’s help Child Life specialists like Catarina in their everyday work. 

“Donations enable me not only to provide normalizing play for patients who are coping well, but also to go the extra mile for patients who need more support. Whether it's finding the perfect birthday gift that matches a patient's niche interest, providing sibling support, explaining a new diagnosis or hosting a playroom slime party, donations are how I have rapport-building, breakthrough moments,” she says.

This summer, the Heckmanns will honor Drs. Nguyen and Mittal — whom Natalie affectionately calls the “bean doctor,” since he cares for her kidneys — at a golf tournament they coordinate annually to raise funds for the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, which they have supported for years.

Dr. Mittal says he is not surprised by the Heckmanns’ commitment to giving back.

“The work they are doing, as well as their friend network that contributes, is inspiring, especially because their contributions are not just financial,” he says, noting that Christina and Dan have also offered to be advocates for other families navigating kidney conditions. “They invest their time and mental energy in improving the lives of other patients and their families. The family has been unbelievable partners in the care of Natalie and Luke and in supporting our division and CHOP as a whole.”