Adelaide Cervantes lost her battle to a form of childhood epilepsy just before her 4th birthday
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A tribute to a young girl who lost her battle to a form of childhood epilepsy is getting a more permanent home in Chicago.
Last year Adelaide Cervantes, the daughter of Hamilton star Miguel Cervantes, died just shy of her fourth birthday.
While her father has left his mark on the theater community, the young girl has left her mark on the special needs community with the help of donations the family is raising.
"What I do know is there is no way I could ever repay this town for what it gave me and my family," Miguel said.
Miguel, Kelly and Jackson Cervantes are now navigating a new life in New Jersey, but their hearts are still in Chicago, especially with the doctors, nurses and families who occupy the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Rush University Medical Center.
"We thought that a really amazing way that we could help the hospital, that we could help those families, was by raising money to update those facilities," Kelly said.
The PICU Lounge serves as a home-away-from-home for families of children who need around-the-clock care. It is also the same lounge where Miguel would visit Adelaide between shows and where Kelly often slept to be closer to her daughter.
"You know, I would come and see my daughter hooked up to all kinds of machines," Miguel recalled.
"The facilities need some love," Kelly added. "It's an old building."
The family has a $50,000 goal and is about three-quarters of the way there as of the beginning of August.
"To be able to upgrade that so that a parent can have a comfortable, relaxing shower; to be able to have that time with other family members in a place where you have a comfy chair and a warm inviting room, I think it can help so much with that horrible time in their life," Kelly said.
The Cervantes say the gift is just as much for the hospital and its families as it is for themselves. The renovated lounge will be renamed in Adelaide's honor.
"It would be great to be able to leave a legacy for her here in the town that gave us so much," Miguel tearfully said.
If you'd like to help the PICU at Rush, the family is asking for donations at www.rush.edu/adelaide.