(LISTEN): Jefferson City family credits MU Health Care’s Children’s Hospital for saving their daughter’s life

A Jefferson City couple is grateful for your generosity during Radiothon each February, saying MU Health Care’s Children’s Hospital in Columbia saved their daughter’s life.

Kennedy Hartmann was born premature at 24 weeks, weighing just one pound and three ounces. Kennedy spent 470 days in the NICU and had 12 surgeries. Her father, Kevin Hartmann, tells 939 the Eagle that his family appreciates your donations to Zimmer’s Radiothon:

“I know that you hear on the Radiothon often you truly make miracles happen but you really do. Mizzou saved Kennedy’s life and you know is definitely one of the hardest times of our life. And the donations and the technology that was made available like it was amazing. The fact that she was born at 24 weeks that we are where we are today,” Mr. Hartmann says.

Seven-year-old Kennedy Hartmann (center) of Jefferson City and her parents Kevin and Kristen (photo courtesy of MU Health Care’s Kristen Fritschie)

Kennedy is now seven and the family says she no longer has a trach and that she’s learning and growing daily. Kevin’s wife and Kennedy’s mother, Kristen, tells 939 the Eagle that Radiothon and the hospital saved her daughter’s life:

“It’s important to donate because you don’t know when you’re going to have to use it. And it’s much nicer, it was just a 20-minute drive for us versus going to St. Louis or Kansas City. So if we want to keep this amazing hospital that saved our little miracle child in central Missouri, then it’s people like you guys that can help donate and make that miracle happen,” she says.

Kristen has written a book about Kennedy’s stay at the NICU in Columbia and she now donates proceeds back to the hospital that saved her daughter’s life. The book is called “Kennedy Ann the Princess with a few more Accessories: NICU Journey.”

250221 radiothon checkpresentation — Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) advancement officer Kristen Fritschie (left) and Zimmer operations manager Carson hold the final check on February 21, 2025 at Zimmer Radio’s Columbia studios (file photo courtesy of MU Health Care)

Zimmer Communications and the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) are already organizing February’s 20^th annual Miracles for Kids radiothon: the 2025 event raised more than $456,000, a record. All proceeds will stay local to help pediatric and adolescent patients at MU Health Care’s Children’s hospital in Columbia. Children’s is mid-Missouri’s CMN hospital. It’s the largest pediatric health care center in mid-Missouri.