AHN Saint Vincent Hospital is celebrating two special milestones this year: 40 years as a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and the third birthday of 2026 Miracle Child Asher Lightner.
Hospital staff, Children’s Miracle Network leaders, supporters and the Lightner family gathered for a festive celebration recognizing four decades of community support that has transformed infant and pediatric care at the Erie hospital.
Over the past 40 years, Children’s Miracle Network has helped raise more than $6 million for AHN Saint Vincent through Erie News Now telethons, generous sponsors and donors, and more recently Happi 92.7’s annual Radiothon. Those donations have funded lifesaving equipment for the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and pediatric department.
Lanette Erdman, Nursing Director of the Maternal Child Health Division, said Children’s Miracle Network has played a vital role in helping the hospital keep pace with advances in pediatric medicine.
“Technology has changed over the years, for both our NICU and our pediatric units and CMN has always been there to support us in our needs for our babies and our kids here at Saint Vincent,” Erdman said.
She noted that donations have helped purchase advanced isolettes for premature infants, allowing caregivers to precisely control humidity, temperature and even noise levels to give newborns the best possible start.
“We have very high-tech isolettes for the babies now that when they’re born we can control humidity, and temperature and the noise levels and that’s all been because of CMN,” Erdman said.
The celebration also doubled as a birthday party for 3-year-old Asher Lightner, this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Child. Asher arrived dressed as Buzz Lightyear, while his family embraced the Toy Story theme for the festivities.
Asher’s father, Jeremy Lightner, said his son was born prematurely and depended on specialized equipment funded through Children’s Miracle Network donations.
“He was premature, and his lungs weren’t really there yet, but the machines that were provided—as you can see he’s very rambunctious—but without the donations to this program, the machines that kept him alive wouldn’t have been bought, so we’re so thankful,” Lightner said.
Emily Vommaro, Director of Children’s Miracle Network at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital, said the community continues to play a critical role in supporting local children through fundraising events and business partnerships.
In addition to the Happi 92.7 Radiothon each December, she highlighted Erie Gives, the organization’s annual golf outing, and partnerships with Walmart, Sam’s Club, Tops, Dairy Queen and Ace Hardware as just some of the many ways people can contribute.
The 40th anniversary celebration served as both a look back at decades of lifesaving care made possible through community generosity and a reminder that every donation helps provide the equipment and technology needed to care for the region’s youngest patients.