When Caitlyn and Colin brought their 15-month-old son, Ambrose, to Dell Children’s Medical Center with unusual bruising and tiny red spots called petechiae, they were looking for answers.
Within hours, those answers would change the trajectory of their lives.
Ambrose was diagnosed with Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia (MPAL) with Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) KMT2A rearrangement, an extremely rare and aggressive form of leukemia. His blood had become dangerously thick, putting him at risk for stroke, and he was rushed to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
“It was the most terrifying day of our lives,” Caitlyn recalls.
But when Caitlyn and Colin look back on that day, they don’t only remember the fear. They remember the people who cared for their family when their world completely changed.
“Dell Children’s Sees People”
As Ambrose underwent testing, Caitlyn, eight months pregnant at the time, waited anxiously outside one of the imaging rooms. When she heard her little boy cry, she broke down in the hallway.
A Child Life specialist noticed.
She stopped, asked if Caitlyn was okay, and stayed with her. Later, before anyone even knew Ambrose’s diagnosis, she returned with toys and a special box to bring him a little comfort.
“That moment has always stayed with me,” Caitlyn says. “If I could describe Dell Children’s in one sentence, it would be this: Dell sees people.”
That same compassion was there when an oncologist entered the room to deliver the devastating news.
“He told us plainly that Ambrose had leukemia,” Caitlyn says. “Then, after seeing our reaction, he paused and asked if we wanted a moment before talking any further. It was such a small thing, but it made all the difference. In the middle of the worst moment of our lives, we were still treated like human beings.”
Excellence Guided by Compassion
As Ambrose’s condition became more critical, the PICU and oncology teams moved quickly to stabilize him. Under the care of pediatric hematologist-oncologist Dr. Philip Neff and a multidisciplinary team, every decision balanced urgency with thoughtful, compassionate care.
Rather than simply choosing the fastest option, the team consistently asked what would be best for Ambrose. They carefully explained each test, discussed every medication, and chose the least invasive approach whenever possible. When placing IV lines proved difficult because of Ambrose’s tiny veins, the team paused, brought in ultrasound guidance, and minimized unnecessary needle sticks.
“They weren’t just trying to get the job done,” Colin says. “They were thinking about what was best for our little boy.”
That philosophy left a lasting impression.
Over the next two years, Ambrose would receive care at several nationally recognized children’s hospitals, including a bone marrow transplant outside Austin before returning to Dell Children’s for ongoing follow-up care.
Those experiences only deepened the family’s appreciation for the care they had found at Dell Children’s.
“Because of Dell, I knew what to ask for as a parent,” Caitlyn says. “Dell showed me what excellent care should look like. It taught me how to advocate for my son.”
Finding Joy in the Hardest Moments
For the Thomas family, healing involved far more than medicine.
Between treatments, they wandered Dell Children’s outdoor spaces together, watching birds, blowing bubbles, and floating rubber ducks through the stream outside the cafeteria. Staff members smiled, waved, and stopped to play with Ambrose. Even during lunch breaks, employees took a moment to make a little boy feel special.
In the midst of so much uncertainty, those small moments gave the family pieces of ordinary childhood to hold onto.
“They made it feel like we weren’t just living in a hospital,” Caitlyn says. “They gave us pieces of normal life when everything else felt uncertain.”
Keeping a Family Together
And even as Ambrose underwent treatment, life for the Thomas family continued to grow.
Soon after his diagnosis, Caitlyn gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Lily.
Rather than separating the family during such a vulnerable time, Dell Children’s found a way to keep them together. Newborn Lily stayed with her parents and big brother during those precious first weeks of life. The hospital even arranged for Ambrose to attend his baby sister’s baptism in the chapel before the family transferred elsewhere for his bone marrow transplant.
“It was a gift we didn’t fully appreciate until later,” Caitlyn says. “When we left Dell, we couldn’t all stay together anymore. Looking back, those first weeks together meant everything.”
Today, the Thomas family has grown to include four children: Ambrose, a Christmas baby born December 25, 2021; Lily, 3; Emil, 2; and the family’s newest addition, Becket, born in May 2026.
One Child. One Chance.
Today, Ambrose is a happy, healthy four-and-a-half-year-old.
He still returns to Dell Children’s for follow-up appointments. And remarkably, the little boy who once arrived critically ill now walks through those same doors with excitement rather than fear.
“He remembers Dell as a place of joy,” Colin says. “He lights up when he gets there.”
For Caitlyn, that says everything.
“You have one child and one chance to do right by them,” she says. “I will trust Dell with my one chance every single time.”
Ambrose’s story is a reminder that exceptional pediatric care is about more than treating disease. It’s about caring for the child in front of you, supporting the family beside them, and preserving moments of childhood even in the midst of unimaginable circumstances.
Because of the generosity of our community, Dell Children’s can continue to provide care that reaches far beyond medicine—giving children like Ambrose the chance not only to survive, but to return to the joy of simply being a kid.