‘What Children’s Health is building is INCREDIBLE’

Longtime Dallas residents, Helen and John Carona have watched the city grow. Now, they want to help build the future of Children’s Health with a $5 million pledge to the new Dallas pediatric campus.

Helen and John Carona vividly recall when their then-6-year-old daughter, Kirsten, was hospitalized at Children’s Health℠ after her appendix ruptured.

Their pediatrician had failed to identify what was causing her discomfort and, suddenly, they found themselves in one of the scariest moments of their lives.

Their daughter’s care team calmed her down and looked after her, while also checking in on Helen and John. The couple was struck at the hospital system’s approach to whole family care.

“The nurses and the doctors were so thoughtful,” Helen said. “The patient is the priority, and our daughter received excellent care, but we also felt cared for as parents — both physically and emotionally.”

About four years later, with Helen’s help, their daughter rallied her Girl Scout troop to organize a kid’s fashion show to benefit Children’s Health.

“Doing that meant a lot to our daughter,” Helen said.

More than 12 years later, inspired by their daughter’s gratitude for the hospital that saved her life, Helen and John want to ensure doctors and nurses have the resources to be there for future families like theirs that unexpectedly rush through the hospital’s doors, committing $5 million to the new Dallas pediatric campus.

“It’s a source of pride to help the hospital system in its biggest venture yet,” said John, who serves on the Children's Medical Center Foundation Chairman’s Advisory Board. “It feels good to know that you play some small part in making something like this happen.”

The new campus, a joint investment with UT Southwestern Medical Center, aims to address North Texas’ unprecedented growth and evolving needs to care for future generations of children.

As the region’s health care needs also grow and increase in complexity, the new transformative campus will provide the needed infrastructure for innovation and strategic collaborations between Children’s Health and UTSW to transform pediatric medical and surgical care delivery.

“These big institutional needs in a growing city like Dallas are paramount,” John said. “One of the greatest opportunities for accomplishment, if you are from the area, is to participate in supporting these institutions as they come together.”

Building for the next generations

Helen and John understand what it’s like to build something from the ground up.

John’s entrepreneurial journey started when he was only 12 years old.

A product of Dallas public schools, young John wanted to help support his family, so he worked out an agreement with a neighbor and bought a lawn mower from him. Over the next couple of weeks, he began mowing the lawns of more than 20 homes in his neighborhood.

The lawn mowing stint ignited a lifelong passion for business, and, decades later, he founded a small property management boutique in Dallas.

For roughly 45 years, Helen and John have poured themselves into Associa, a residential community management firm, developing what started as a small, local business into an international industry giant. John also juggled a 24-year-long tenure at the Texas Legislature, where he served as a state senator and representative.

Despite their busy schedules, growing and caring for their family has always been their priority. Today, they are the proud parents of five children who have given them eight grandchildren.

“We’re pretty lucky,” John said with a smile.

As their own family continues to expand, supporting Children’s Health’s efforts to care for the next generations of kids is important to the Caronas.

For them, the hospital system is a beacon of hope for North Texas communities — and beyond.

“What Children’s Health is building is incredible, it’s jaw-dropping,” John said. “This new facility is all about the future. It shows that Dallas is a positive, forward-thinking place — and it’s not going to be held back.”