From the Editor | August & September 2025
The summer is coming to an end and school is nearly back in session. It’s hard to believe that fall is just around the corner. Before we get to fall fun, we have to deal with back-to-school woes — academic stress, change in schedules, financial issues and, of course, sickness. Every parent with school-aged children knows the tale — back-to-school also means back-to-back illnesses. Yes, just when one child is finally over a dreaded cold, flu, stomach bug, pink eye — whatever it may be — the next child is infected. That’s why this issue serves as a dual back-to-school and health care focused issue.
Featured on the cover are two extraordinary teens who beat the odds and are now enjoying their teen years playing soccer.
Brigg Delukie, featured here, is a 13-year-old boy who was seriously injured in an ATV accident last year. The surgeons at McLane Children’s Medical Center saved his life and his foot, which they initially thought they would have to amputate.
McKenzie Covert is a 13-year-old girl who was diagnosed with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a form of blood cancer affecting the white blood cells made in bone marrow when she was only 3. Read McKenzie’s extraordinary story here, and find out how she’s making a difference in the world today.
Also in this issue, you will read about the Wound Healing Center at Seton Medical Center in Harker Heights. Since opening last year, the center has helped heal more than 200 people, some who have lived with wounds for decades. Read all about the great work they’re doing here.
Baylor Scott & White Health has expanded its virtual care and is helping new moms dealing with postpartum concerns. With the click of a button, new moms can ask questions about their baby’s health and development, as well as their own physical and mental health, on the new Virtual Postpartum Care program. Read about the new app here.
Tonya caught up with Belton High School Registered Nurse Regina Cox to find out what it takes to keep more than 1,700 students and staff healthy throughout a school year. In this story, Regina reveals the important role nurses play in a school.
Students in Temple High School’s Construction Technology Education Center program are changing lives, one tiny house at a time, with their House on Wheels Project. Here, read about how these high school students are building homes from the ground up and helping those in need at the same time.
Award-winning author Sarah Doran, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot, shares the inspiration behind her three children’s books, here. The Army veteran combines her own blend of adventure and imagination with military history, to give children a unique look at the military.
As the summer concludes, I would like to ask you all to continue praying for the families whose lives were ripped apart during the devastation in Kerr County. Losing a child is unbearably difficult, so as you prepare your children for school this year, be grateful for what you have and pray for those who have lost everything.
Brandy Cruz
Tex Appeal editor
editor@texappealmag.com