A Little Girl’s Big Step Toward Freedom
Thanks to donor generosity, the Hoyt family no longer needs to travel for treatment.
When Macie Hoyt was born, her parents knew life would be different.
She had a rare form of spina bifida. Her bladder didn’t work the way it should. She couldn’t feel when she had to go. Accidents were constant. Pull-ups were part of her daily routine. And the emotional toll was heavy — for her and her parents.
“No 9- or 10-year-old wants to wear a pull-up around their friends,” says her mom, Katie Hoyt. “She just wanted to feel like other kids her age.”
For years, the family drove from West Chazy, New York, to University of Vermont Health - UVM Medical Center in Burlington — the only place they could find the care Macie needed. Then a specialist told them about something new: an advanced ultrasound machine at University of Vermont Health Network - Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone. It could help Macie learn how to control her bladder without surgery — all without leaving the North Country.
That recommendation sparked a new chapter.
Closer to Home, Closer to Hope
The Hoyts started making the much shorter drive to Alice Hyde. At first, it was weekly. But soon, they saw something they hadn’t seen in years: progress. Appointments dropped to every other week.
The ultrasound machine gave Macie something powerful: a way to see what her body was doing. With the help of Sandra Debyah, a physical therapist assistant trained to use the machine, Hoyt learned how to do Kegel exercises — something that had always been hard to understand.
“Once Sandra showed Macie what her body looks like when she’s doing a Kegel, it really clicked,” Katie says. “She understood, ‘Oh, this is what I need to be doing.'”
That moment changed everything.
Macie went from having multiple accidents a day to barely any in a week. She started rollerblading. She wore a leotard at gymnastics. She swam without a pull-up. For the first time in nine years, she felt free.
“This summer, she didn’t wear a swimmy at all,” her dad said. “She went natural, like kids her age do.”
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Working Together for Local Care
Macie’s story isn’t just about treatment, it's about people coming together. When a Burlington specialist realized what Alice Hyde could provide, Macie was able to get the care she needed, closer to home. And because Debyah had advanced on-the-job training made possible through scholarship and workforce development support, she was ready to step in.
“We have had kids who are no longer wetting their beds at night,” explains Debyah, who has been with Alice Hyde since 2015. “It’s a lot of stress taken off parents. And there’s a financial impact too, not having to buy pull-ups or do extra laundry.”
Debyah has since trained her colleagues, expanding the machine’s impact to help both children and adults. The ultrasound machine — and the training that came with it — was made possible by the generosity of Alice Hyde’s auxiliary, local businesses and community donors. Their support didn’t just purchase technology. It empowered caregivers with the tools and education to bring advanced techniques back to the community and deliver life-changing care.
For families like the Hoyts, that generosity made all the difference. “We’re here for our community,” Debyah says. “We want to help people heal, manage their pain and live their lives right here. And this machine helps us do that.”
