Ashleigh

Meet Ashleigh Panelli: one of the longest-giving employee donors to Children’s Health

Ashleigh Panelli always knew she would become a nurse one day. As a child, when playing with friends, she made sure to have Band-Aids on hand in case anyone got hurt. When family and friends were sick, she picked up on their emotions and knew how to help.

“It’s been a God-given gift since I was born. Even in school, I never once flinched, and knew I was going straight into nursing -- and that’s what I did,” said Ashleigh, now a RN in the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Health.

Not only did Ashleigh know she had a future in nursing, but she knew she’d have a career at Children’s Health because she enjoys spending time with kids.

As a teenager, she babysat, and her first job was in childcare at her church. When she was in high school, her dad was a Dallas Mavericks season ticket holder, and each time they drove from her hometown in Grapevine down Interstate 35 to catch a game at American Airlines, they passed by Children’s Health. There was something about the hospital with its red balloon logo that always resonated to her.

During the summer between her junior and senior year of nursing school, Ashleigh was accepted as an extern at Children’s Health and was placed in the cancer clinic. The following spring, right before graduation, she applied for a position in the clinic and has been caring for patients and their families for the last 16 years, most recently bone marrow transplant patients.

She sees patients and families on some of their toughest days and is a familiar face throughout their journey. She often meets children when they’re most ill from cancer treatment, cares for them during isolation after their bone marrow transplant and follows them for several years after. For her, the best part is having a front row seat to watch them get back to being a kid again.

“I don’t love seeing them at their worst, but you see them from their lowest point to where they’re playing and doing all the things that kids love to do. They can go back to school, hang out with their friends again, play sports and just be a kid.”

Children’s Health’s mission to make life better for children is something Ashleigh can attest to both professionally and personally. In 2021, her daughter Ella suddenly experienced a seizure while at home. Ella, one week away from her 6th birthday, was rushed to Children’s Health by ambulance. While receiving care in the Emergency Room, she had two more seizures and was admitted to the hospital.

After running tests, Ella was diagnosed with febrile seizures – a convulsion in a child that may be caused by a spike in body temperature – and was cleared to go home. One year later, while Ashleigh was driving with both of her daughters, Ella had another seizure that landed her back at Children’s Health. With the help of the Neurology care team, Ella, now 9, recently finished a treatment and hasn’t experienced a seizure since.

Having a loved one in the hospital can be a scary experience, especially when it’s your child. Ashleigh said having Ella in the hands of fellow care team members gave her comfort and peace.

Long before Ella was born and treated at Children’s Health, Ashleigh began giving back to the hospital system through recurring payroll deduction. She was a new team member at the time and wanted to make an additional impact in the lives of patients and families she cared for each day.

Now, Ashleigh is one of the longest-giving employee donors, providing critical and reliable unrestricted gifts that add-up over time. This kind of support is a crucial piece to the ability of Children’s Health to make a difference in the lives of kids and families in our community, fueling innovative treatments and life-saving research. 

“It's an easy way to give back. You can do it without having to think about it, and you know that it's going to a good place,” Ashleigh said.

As a nonprofit health system, Children’s Health depends on the generosity of donors like Ashleigh to remain one of the nation’s leading pediatric hospitals. These unrestricted gifts allow us to meet the urgent needs of kids today as we prepare to serve the growing needs of kids tomorrow. 

“I continue to donate because I see the difference it makes in our kids. I’ve learned that every little bit helps. Your dollars will be put to good use, and we see the return on these donations through the lives of our patients,” Ashleigh said. “This hospital is great, but now our giving as team members is an opportunity to support a new campus that will progress pediatric care in the future.”