Joplin, MO. – Two brothers, born seven days apart on opposite sides of the world, were introduced to the public as local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at Freeman Health System 2025 Champions Thursday morning.

In a “passing of the torch” moment, 2024’s CMN Champion Vincent Wilkowski presented gold medals to Rusk and Sutter Wurdeman during a ceremony held at the Freeman Development Office.

Over the next 12 months, the two siblings will be prominently featured at several CMN-sponsored public events, including the 33rd Annual Tournament of Miracles Golf Scramble at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club in June.

“It’s just an incredible honor to be able to highlight our two little boys and their remarkable journey and to also highlight Children’s Miracle Network and all the incredible blessings they provide for the disabled community and for kids,” said Brice Wurdeman, the two boys’ father. “To know that Rusk and Sutter will raise awareness for CMN and for all the kiddos out there with disabilities, it’s just an incredible honor. We are very thankful for that.”

Rusk, the Carl Junction family’s sixth child, was born on April 16, 2020, with Down syndrome. When the boy, who turns 5 next month, refused to smile or acknowledge his parents, doctors discovered congenital cataracts in both eyes were causing complete blindness. Successful emergency surgery removed both cataracts. Though Rusk’s vision has improved dramatically, he still struggles with walking and balancing issues.

As Brice and wife Amanda learned more about babies born with Down syndrome – including how many are aborted or neglected or even abandoned throughout the world – they chose to adopt Rusk a baby brother with Down syndrome. This took them on a journey that ended half the world away, in Serbia. There, they fell in love with a tiny baby named Sutter.

Born in 2020, and just seven days younger than Rusk, Sutter spent the first two years of his life inside a state-sponsored institution after having been abandoned at birth. He was critically delayed developmentally – sleeping 20 hours a day. He weighed less than 20 pounds at the age of 2, an age at which the average weight for a boy is 28 pounds.

Following a lengthy process, Brice and Amanda adopted Sutter on July 15, 2022, making him their seventh child.

“We were just so tremendously blessed to have been able to step in and provide a safe and loving home for Sutter,” Brice said.

At the time of his adoption, due to years of neglect, Sutter was at an 8-month-old cognitive level. Through much love and devotion, Sutter has since learned to sit, crawl, play with toys, smile, drink from a cup, feed himself, and give out high-fives. He now receives regular physical, speech, occupational, music, and feeding therapies twice a week.

Today, the two boys are nearly inseparable.

“Only the lord could have brought these two boys together, and we are so thankful for that,” Brice said. “They both have brought incredible joy and light to our family.”

Freeman Health System, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, has been able to help the family and the two boys’ needs by providing expensive Safety Sleeper beds, leg-strengthening exercise wraps for Sutter, and travel expenses for neurological therapy treatment sessions in Michigan.

“Every time I read it, every time I get to tell somebody about it, I just get goosebumps,” said Brandy Miller-Turner, Freeman Development and Children’s Miracle Network Director. “We are proud that Rusk and Sutter will represent CMN in our community, because your whole family encompasses everything that we do and that we’re passionate about.”

Children’s Miracle Network Hospital at Freeman Health System raises funds for local children and families, receiving assistance for those with medical needs, such as prescriptions, medical equipment, and specialty care. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at Freeman Health System offers several different assistance programs to support local children. Through Direct Family Assistance, families can obtain specialty equipment, travel assistance and other medically necessary items. The Miracle Service Dog program awards two specially trained service dogs to meet the needs of the child and family. Every child that comes to Freeman Health System for care receives a comfort pack from the Higgins Heroes. These packs make staying in the hospital a little easier.

For additional information, call 417.347.6639.