A Flower Mound teenager handed over a big check Friday to the North Texas hospital that saved his life.
Cale Balusek doesn’t remember that time in his life. He was born 10 weeks premature. In pictures, he was barely bigger than his father’s hand.
Balusek presented a check totaling $16,500 to the NICU at Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Grapevine, money he raised through a tennis tournament he organized.
“I just want to say thank you so much for this opportunity,” he told hospital officials. “Because it's impacted my life greatly."
Cale’s parents, Steven and Tonya, remember the two months their little boy spent in the hospital. A twin did not survive. Cale had severe medical problems, which he has since overcome.
“We remember going to the hospital and putting him on our chest,” said Steven. “That was our ability to bond with him."
Cale is now 16. The sophomore is a member of the varsity tennis squad at Flower Mound High School. He organized the Love Babies tennis tournament two years ago. The event raised $7,800 for the hospital in it’s first year.
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“We were thinking about my back story,” he said. “I was born with two holes in my heart, in the NICU for two months, hyperthyroidism, chronic lung disease, and that the nurses were there, not only for me but my parents."
This year, Cale set a goal of raising $10,000, which he far exceeded. Next year, he says he’ll try and double that. The money from the November tournament will help pay for reclining chairs, for parents of preemies.
“It’s mind-blowing that I'm able to make a difference,” he said. “And to help others who need help."
