Kelly found comfort at Children's Health℠ as a child. Now, he's helping create incredible moments for others.

Fear was often the first thing Kelly Plough felt walking into the hospital. But at Children’s Health, his anxiety didn’t last long.

Growing up with severe asthma, Kelly was hospitalized often, but his care team always found ways to transform tough experiences into incredible moments.

“I was once hospitalized during the holidays, and everyone went above and beyond to make sure us kids got to experience the joy of the season,” he said.

Kelly remembers marveling at the twinkling star-like ceiling lights inside the hospital, playing “The Oregon Trail” with his mom between treatments and visiting the playrooms.

Those experiences left a lasting impression.

They’re part of the reason Kelly pursued a career at Children’s Health and why he continues to give back to the place that once cared for him.

Today, Kelly serves as a laboratory microbiology manager and has worked at Children’s Health for more than a decade.

The laboratory team works around the clock to identify microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites, providing physicians with critical information to diagnose and treat patients.

“My friends and family all think I just look through a microscope all day,” he said with a laugh.

Although mostly done behind the scenes, Kelly knows the impact is significant.

“Having a team that can identify something quickly and have such an impact, possibly saving a kid’s life, is a big deal for me,” Kelly said. “We’re very proud of that.”

His team also finds opportunities to bring joy to patients and families. Each year, they participate in the hospital’s Halloween costume contest, dressing up as characters from The Muppets, Looney Tunes and even emojis.

“We try to do something cartoony for the kids every year,” Kelly said. “It’s some of my favorite days at the hospital.”

Kelly is proud of the incredible moments he gets to be a part of — both big and small — at Children’s Health that help make life better for kids. And since he began working at the health system, he and his mom made a point of supporting its mission through charitable giving.

After his mom passed away in 2021, he increased his donations in her honor.

Team members can provide Children’s Health with ongoing support through recurring payroll deduction gifts — an easy way to make a pre-tax contribution that adds up over time and provides the system with a steady stream of funding to support its greatest needs.

Inspired by the role philanthropy plays in supporting patients and families, Kelly has taken over his lab’s fundraising efforts by creating an online peer-to-peer fundraising page called the Test Tube Trotters, which has raised more than $12,000 over the past four years.

“It’s fun to see how much we can raise,” Kelly said. “We try to outdo ourselves each year.”

His team has found creative ways to give back through bake sales, silent auctions, book sales and encouraging friends and family over emails and social media to donate to Children’s Health.

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I’m very proud to work here, and I know philanthropy is essential if we want to be the best hospital around where people can come and feel confident that they’re getting the best care. That’s very important to me.

— Kelly, Children's Health employee

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Each year, Kelly is reminded of what’s possible when people come together in support of a shared mission.

And now, these donations are powering the future of pediatric health care in North Texas. Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center are partnering to create a new Dallas pediatric campus to expand access to world-class care for generations to come.

“We all have the power to make change here,” Kelly said. “But it’s a team effort. We can’t do it alone.”