2023 children's miracle network champion: kalley-mae yee

Kalley-Mae Yee weighed little more than a pound when she was born. Now, the vibrant 4-year-old girl from Hawaii Island is the 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) Champion for Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.

In the fall of 2018, Cherilyn and Kevin Yee were expecting their new baby. But when Cherilyn was just 23 weeks pregnant, she noticed something was not quite right. The Kapiolani Critical Care Transport team flew with her from Hawaii Island to Oahu.

Kapiolani’s team performed an emergency C-section. Kalley-Mae was just 11.81 inches long and weighed just 1 pound, 6.6 ounces and was immediately placed in an incubator in Kapiolani’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Kalley-Mae spent 183 days in the NICU.

“Every day was a journey. Some days, all we could do was try to get from morning to lunchtime, then from lunch to dinner, one step at a time,” Kalley-Mae’s dad, Kevin, said. “Everyone at Kapiolani was amazing. They explained every step, were always compassionate and made us feel like we weren’t just patients, but we were family.”

Kalley-Mae and her family will share her courageous story throughout the year, inspiring countless CMN Hospitals community partners and supporters committed to the health and well-being of Hawaii’s keiki.

Watch the video to learn more about Kalley-Mae's journey, or read more about this energetic little girl and the significance of her custom Champion pin on HawaiiPacificHealth.org/News.