Blog | Page 4 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

Gene therapy for hearing loss: Tag-teaming from the lab to the clinic

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: gene therapy, otolaryngology, precision medicine

Two-year-old Miles is one of the first patients with hereditary hearing loss to receive gene therapy at Boston Children’s Hospital — to striking effect. In May 2025, Miles received an injection delivering a healthy copy of a gene called OTOF into the cochlea of his inner ear. Now, Miles is thriving. He’s had no adverse ... Read More

Tagged: gene therapy, otolaryngology, precision medicine

A rare injury, a more determined player: Adrian’s knee dislocation

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: acl, orthopedics, sports injury

Adrian can barely remember a time when he didn’t play football. Now 16, he grew up watching games with his father, Antron, who’d played for a top-tier college and practiced with the NFL. In addition to televised games, the two often traveled to Tennessee for football weekends with his father’s former teammates. “Football is a ... Read More

Tagged: acl, orthopedics, sports injury

A reunion of the heart: Grace and Amy bond through HLHS

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: cardiac surgery, fetal cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal surgery, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs, single ventricle defects

At first glance, Grace and Amy have a pretty typical friendship: they joke around, cheer each other on, and keep in touch mostly through texts and FaceTime. But look a little deeper and there’s something extraordinary about their bond, or more specifically, how and where it began. Grace, 22, and Amy, 21, were both born ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac surgery, fetal cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal surgery, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs, single ventricle defects

First-of-its-kind pressurization test could improve Ross procedure outcomes

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Albert McKeon | Clinical, Research

Tags: aortic valve, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, heart, heart center

The Ross procedure is a preferred surgery to treat severe aortic valve disease. The procedure replaces the failing valve with a patient’s own pulmonary valve. It’s an effective treatment option, but some patients have had complications. After surgery, the root of their aortic valve — where the valve connects with the heart — enlarges and causes ... Read More

Tagged: aortic valve, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, heart, heart center

How a meniscal transplant made me a Boston sports fan

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Ashley Meyer | Patient Stories

Tags: orthopedics, surgery

I was in kindergarten when my knee started popping and cracking. My parents and I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d been born with discoid meniscus. The cartilage in my knee that was supposed to protect my shinbone and thighbone from rubbing together was misshapen and throwing my knee out of alignment.I had ... Read More

Tagged: orthopedics, surgery

Finding the right team for achondroplasia: Jeremy’s story

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: skeletal dysplasia, Skeletal Health Center

As an “older” mom, Erica Johnson was used to undergoing more frequent screenings while pregnant with her second child, Jeremy. But when an ultrasound at 30 weeks revealed that his head appeared to be much larger than his legs, she raised a flag with her local obstetrics team. “They assured me that he’d catch up,” ... Read More

Tagged: skeletal dysplasia, Skeletal Health Center

Hard and beautiful at the same time: Five lessons of raising a medically complex child

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: colorectal and pelvic malformations, hip preservation, oeis, orthopedics, surgery, urology

When they learned they were expecting a baby, Michelle and Stephen Strickland were delighted. The South Carolina couple looked forward to their child’s first words, first steps, and first family vacation. “You have this vision of a perfect life,” says Stephen. But when Aubree was born with a rare and complex condition, the couple entered ... Read More

Tagged: colorectal and pelvic malformations, hip preservation, oeis, orthopedics, surgery, urology

The ‘Trach Chapter’: Isabella’s journey with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Linsey Covino-Deaso | Patient Stories

Tags: atrial septal defect, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, g tube, newborn medicine, prematurity, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary vein stenosis

Isabella’s life has been anything but ordinary. Born at just 27 weeks gestation and weighing only 1 pound, 4 ounces, Isabella has faced uncertainty from the very start. But as her parents, Hrach and Kimberly, will tell you, she’s conquered every challenge life has thrown her way. And in spite of her bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) ... Read More

Tagged: atrial septal defect, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, g tube, newborn medicine, prematurity, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary vein stenosis

‘Challenge accepted’: Sophia takes on a brain tumor

Posted on November 20, 2025 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: brain tumor, second opinion, surgery

In 2023, Sophia Mordini landed the role of a lifetime. A competitive dancer, the 12-year-old would play Clara in her company’s production of “The Nutcracker.” But the performance was bittersweet: Just two weeks after the curtain fell that December, she underwent surgery to remove a very large and complex brain tumor. ‘We knew something was ... Read More

Tagged: brain tumor, second opinion, surgery

3D imaging could become standard practice in orthopedics. Here’s how.

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Joanne Barker | Data Science, Research

Tags: hip preservation, orthopedics, sports medicine

It took a trained eye to see the abnormality on the patient’s X-ray. There, hidden behind the acetabulum was the shadow of a small bone spur. “At first glance, this looks like a normal, healthy hip,” says Young-Jo Kim, MD, PhD, director of the Child and Young Adult Hip Preservation Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. ... Read More

Tagged: hip preservation, orthopedics, sports medicine