Family first: Nolan and Uncle Jon’s living donor kidney transplant
Nolan and his uncle Jon are both tall and blonde, but they now have something more in common: The two have an unbreakable bond, thanks to a selfless —and lucky — gift that changed Nolan’s life forever. The first year after Nolan was born, his primary care physician ran some blood work to try to ... Read More about Family first: Nolan and Uncle Jon’s living donor kidney transplant
All eyes on retinoblastoma: How Lyla and her mom are helping change lives
Meghan Landry firmly believes that art saved her daughter Lyla’s life. Now, she hopes to leverage the power of creativity to help support other kids like Lyla, who was diagnosed with retinoblastoma at 18 months old. Meghan, who lived in Florida at the time, was waiting with Lyla for a routine pediatrician appointment when she ... Read More about All eyes on retinoblastoma: How Lyla and her mom are helping change lives
‘Life is so much better now’: Ethan finds treatment for mixed germ cell brain tumor
Ethan Winchenbach was playing with his dogs when he first noticed that something was off. “My vision changed, but only when I looked down,” he remembers. “It was really disorienting.” His mother, Becky, who is a nurse, knew immediately that something wasn’t right. When the symptoms didn’t improve, she made him an appointment with his ... Read More about ‘Life is so much better now’: Ethan finds treatment for mixed germ cell brain tumor
Emmie’s journey with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease
Emmie knows more about her own medical history than most children her age. Her journey to finding answers started when she was just 4 years old. She woke up one day looking “like I ate a bunch of blueberries or blackberries — my lips were turning blue,” explains Emmie, now 7. Her mom, Amanda, wasted ... Read More about Emmie’s journey with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease
DADA2: Working together to unpack a rare mystery illness
When Vanessa was a few months old, a mysterious red, bumpy rash appeared on her arms and legs. It would go away when she was sick with a virus, then come back. Although the rash disappeared for good just before she turned 2, Vanessa became anemic and increasingly fatigued. “She was fading away, losing weight, ... Read More about DADA2: Working together to unpack a rare mystery illness
Breaking records and setting goals: Grant charts his own course with Bockenheimer syndrome
Grant Pierce has his sights on premed when he arrives at the University of Illinois this fall. He hopes to become a reconstructive surgeon and help people with injured or ill limbs enhance their mobility. Grant’s field of study is a personal one, as he’s spent his life in and out of the hospital receiving ... Read More about Breaking records and setting goals: Grant charts his own course with Bockenheimer syndrome
How Josie’s bad day turned into a campaign to help kids with scoliosis
Josephine DeFilippi (Josie) describes the day of her scoliosis diagnosis as the hardest day of her life. Right when she was looking forward to middle school, ten-year-old Josie was shocked to learn she had a condition she’d never even heard of before. On that same day, however, an unexpected gift from someone she’d never met ... Read More about How Josie’s bad day turned into a campaign to help kids with scoliosis
Not just another patient: Care for midaortic syndrome that’s ‘handcrafted’ for Iris
This past July, Iris Huot, her older sister, Audrey, and their parents, Jessica and Austin, gathered around their dining room table. To an outsider, it might seem like an ordinary dinner, but for the Huots, it was a moment of perspective — and gratitude. “It was the first time in eight weeks that we had ... Read More about Not just another patient: Care for midaortic syndrome that’s ‘handcrafted’ for Iris
From medical first to marathon finisher: Corey’s ACL story
Corey Peak’s role as a “medical first” began on a ski slope in 2015 when he tore his anterior collateral ligament (ACL). He remembers falling and hearing two pops. “One side was my binding releasing. The other side, I later realized, was my ACL tearing.” Thirty days after his accident, Corey would become the first ... Read More about From medical first to marathon finisher: Corey’s ACL story
Thinking – and operating – outside the box: Bypassing Saoirse’s aneurysm
Saoirse just turned 3. There was a big to-do for her birthday, complete with family flying to Massachusetts from Ireland for the occasion. The celebration was big because Saoirse has a lot to celebrate. About six months ago, doctors discovered an unstable aneurysm in her brain, and within days she underwent surgery to treat the ... Read More about Thinking – and operating – outside the box: Bypassing Saoirse’s aneurysm