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On the evening of May 2, nearly 800 people gathered at Signia by Hilton La Cantera Resort & Spa with one purpose: to make a difference. By the time the night was over, they had raised a record-breaking $927,000 to expand cardiovascular care for the people of South Texas.
A 20-year tradition
The Medical Miracles Gala has never been a typical fundraising event. Since its founding in 2006, the University Health Foundation has hosted this signature gathering each year to celebrate something most of us rarely get to witness: the moment when skilled hands, advanced technology, and compassionate care converge to give a patient their life back.
The 2026 edition — the Gala’s 21st — carried on that tradition with a sold-out crowd that drew together sponsors, board members, community leaders, clinicians, and friends of the Foundation for a springtime evening at Signia by Hilton La Cantera Resort & Spa.
Malea’s story: the heart of the evening
Every year, the Gala centers on a medical miracle — a real patient whose journey embodies the power of philanthropy and exceptional care. This year, that story belonged to Malea Potter.
Malea was born with a congenital heart condition she had lived with her whole life. When she decided she wanted to start a family, she consulted a cardiologist who ran some tests and cleared her to proceed. But when she was referred to University Health cardiologist Dr. Ildiko Agoston as an extra precaution, Dr. Agoston saw numbers she didn’t like and kept looking. Further testing revealed that Malea needed a valve replacement before attempting pregnancy — a finding that, as Malea later said, “likely saved my life as well as any child that could have come.”
With University Health’s cardiovascular team beside her, Malea went on to give birth to a healthy boy in 2018 and a girl in 2020, both without complications. Today she wears a small heart necklace as a daily reminder of the journey that brought her here. Her story moved the room — and moved the community to give.
Stories like Malea’s are exactly why the Medical Miracles Gala exists. They remind us that philanthropy means something concrete — the difference between what is possible and what actually happens for a specific person, in a specific moment, in a specific city — our city.
Record-breaking results
The 2026 Gala was a landmark evening. Guests and sponsors raised nearly $927,000 —surpassing the $900,000 goal and setting a new record for the event, with contributions continuing to arrive after the event closed. Every dollar goes directly to patients: one hundred percent of Gala proceeds benefit patients of University Health.
Those funds will support the expansion of University Health’s cardiovascular services — including the Women’s Heart Center, which opened in May 2025 and serves women managing heart conditions during pregnancy and beyond. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States, and Texas carries an above-average maternal mortality rate. Programs like this are often the only reason a patient gets care at all. At University Health, which serves every patient regardless of ability to pay, that is exactly the point of philanthropy.
A community that shows up
The dollar amount tells part of the story. The rest of it is the breadth of community that produced it — businesses, healthcare partners, and Foundation board members who believe this work matters and show up accordingly. That conviction is contagious. When one person steps up, the ripple effect extends far beyond any single pledge.
Gratitude and looking ahead
To everyone who attended, sponsored, volunteered, or gave — thank you. You showed up for a patient you will likely never meet, who will one day receive care at University Health because of what you chose to do on a Saturday evening in May.
My thanks to the University Health Foundation team and the Gala Committee members whose dedication made the evening possible.
The Medical Miracles Gala is one of San Antonio’s most meaningful evenings of the year because it is one of the few moments when our entire community comes together— not to celebrate itself — but to give. That is the spirit University Health was built on, and the reason the Foundation exists.
If Saturday, May 2 reminded you why this work matters, we hope you will stay connected to it. The 2027 Medical Miracles Gala is already in the making, and there are meaningful ways to be involved well before then — whether that means a sponsorship, a gift, or simply sharing Malea’s story with someone who needs to hear it.
To learn more or to make a gift, visit universityhealth.com/foundation or reach the Foundation team directly at Gala@uhtx.com.
