MADISON — Laura and Michael Bidne can still smell the cafeteria, even after 18 years.

Their twins, Julia and Thomas, were born at about 22 weeks, far too early for them to survive on their own. The Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls saved their lives.

Those harrowing days have burned themselves into the parents’ memories, but they also remember the support and care that helped bring their babies home.

Now, Thomas and Julia are thriving. And the family wanted to give back.

With their help, Madison’s Dairy Queen raised $85,886.68 on Miracle Treat Day for the hospital that saved their lives.

Dairy Queens across the nation celebrated Miracle Treat Day July 30, 2026, with a portion of each Blizzard sale going to the Children’s Miracle Network. Every dollar supports families who are going through difficult times, according to multiple Dairy Queen and Children’s Miracle Network representatives. Funds go to area families to help pay for food, lodging, travel and other costs associated with having a beloved family member in the hospital’s care.

Madison’s Dairy Queen, which has raised more funds for the Children’s Miracle Network than any other Dairy Queen, set an ambitious goal: $85,000.

The amount symbolized the cost of a Giraffe OmniBed, a device used to mimic the womb’s environment and help premature babies grow, owner DeLon Mork said.

It was a big ask from the community, Mork explained. Last year, people came out in force to help his location surpass $1,000,000 in funds raised across 20 years. Typically, two large goals aren’t set back-to-back. But Mork told the Daily Leader he believed in Madison’s people.

“This community will do it. We’ve had rain today, and we’ve had some challenges, but it’s not going to matter,” Mork said.

Despite uncooperative weather, people gathered for games, music, ice cream and a raffle — and they did it.

This year’s miracle children, Julia and Thomas, placed their tile in Dairy Queen’s ceiling the evening of July 30, the culmination of a long journey.

Last year, a representative from the Children’s Miracle Network asked if Thomas and Julia could serve as the miracle children for Dairy Queen’s Miracle Treat Day.

Normally, miracle children are in the thick of their medical journey, their mother, Laura, explained. The Bidne twins, from Jackson, Minn., are “grown up miracles.”

Julia spent 84 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Her brother stayed for 313.

“It’s a super full circle moment, and it’s special to me to be able to help other families,” Julia said.

Regardless, the experience has been unusual for the twins. With their faces on coupons and billboards, they’ve become local celebrities. It’s been great to support local children, Thomas said, and there have been other perks.

“It’s been fun to see my picture,” he said.

On July 31, the day after Miracle Treat Day, the twins turned 18 years old. Thomas has fun showing livestock for his friend at the local fair, and Julia aims to be a radiology technician in the Sanford Children’s Hospital. Their futures are bright, and for their parents, there’s no other word for it than “miracle.”

Those days in the hospital were full of stress and fear for the Bidnes. But the small things made a difference — help for meals, gas and lodging mean the world when your world is in the NICU, Michael shared.

The little things matter, and you won’t forget. Even now, he remembers the feeling of entering the cafeteria.

“I can still smell it,” he said.

“And the elevator — it has the same voice it did 18 years ago,” Laura added.

In those days, they hardly could have imagined being in a Dairy Queen 18 years later, seated at a table with their teenage children, surrounded by people eating Blizzards and celebrating.

“Days like this are a reminder you don’t have to be alone,” Laura said. “And that people love ice cream.”

When parents use the elevator or dine in the cafeteria, the world might feel impossible to navigate. But there is hope, there are people.

Miracles are real, and their family is proof.