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A young woman squats on the shoreline of a beach at sunset.

‘What I want you to know about endometriosis’: Iva’s story

Patient Stories
Growing up, I heard stories about how everyone’s first period is usually no big deal. The cramps, the fatigue, the cravings—just uncomfortable to most. But my first period at age 11 brought excruciating pain that caused me to double over and wonder if I was the only one who experienced this. I had “the talk” ... Read More about ‘What I want you to know about endometriosis’: Iva’s story
Tagged: endometriosis, gynecology, pain
A happy, smiling five-year-old girl, holding her teddy bear, peeks playfully around a corner.

‘They never stopped trying to figure out what was happening’: RyennAnne’s encephalitis journey

Patient Stories
When 5-year-old RyennAnne Hurst developed a bad sore throat last summer, her doctor thought she might have strep and prescribed her antibiotics. But two weeks later, she wasn’t feeling any better. In fact, she was lethargic and her head hurt. “She told us it felt like something was smashing into the right side of her ... Read More about ‘They never stopped trying to figure out what was happening’: RyennAnne’s encephalitis journey
Tagged: autoimmune disease, encephalitis, infectious diseases, neuroinflammation
2-year-old boy who had brachial plexus birth injury peers out of a curtain in a medical exam room.

Pirate puzzles and peekaboo: Beckett’s brachial plexus birth injury story

Patient Stories
Beckett Stone-Lyman is an adorable, fun 2-year-old who loves to run, sprint, and climb. If he’s not charging around the playground, he’s probably doing a pirate puzzle. Or maybe he’s staring at his fingers as he wiggles them, amazed that his right hand can now do many of the same things as his left. Thanks ... Read More about Pirate puzzles and peekaboo: Beckett’s brachial plexus birth injury story
Tagged: brachial plexus, hand and upper extremity, nerve injury, orthopedics, surgery
Charlotte shows off her double digits tour birthday T-shirt.

A fall from a swing uncovers a rare cervical spine condition: Charlotte’s story

Patient Stories
If it were any other year, Charlotte Gillis would have celebrated her 10th birthday in mid-July with a big party. But in June 2024, a fall from a swing had left her temporarily paralyzed. Though her mobility returned within a few hours, she was still in a neck brace, still wobbly on her feet, and ... Read More about A fall from a swing uncovers a rare cervical spine condition: Charlotte’s story
Tagged: complex cervical spine, neurosurgery, orthopedics, spinal fusion surgery, spine division
Dotted lines connect photos of five patients with aspects of an illustrated heart.

Every heart has a story. See how we care for them all.

Patient Stories
It’s easy to think of the heart as a common denominator — everyone has one — but no two hearts are alike. Every heart is different. Every heart has a story. For many children and adults, that story includes coming to Boston Children’s for specialized heart care. Some were born with complex congenital heart defects, while ... Read More about Every heart has a story. See how we care for them all.
Tagged: aortic valve, av canal, biventricular repair, cardiac surgery, cardiology, cardiomyopathy, heart, heart patient, heterotaxy syndrome, hlhs
Jacob smiles while spinning a basketball on his finger like a pro.

Unstoppable: Flatfoot correction helps Jacob take control

Patient Stories
The first time Dr. Susan Mahan examined Jacob’s feet, she pressed on a tender spot near one of his arches. “You see that?” Jacob’s mother, Lucie, remembers her saying. “That bone isn’t supposed to be there.” Jacob was 13 and had spent a frustrating year trying to figure out why basketball, his greatest source of ... Read More about Unstoppable: Flatfoot correction helps Jacob take control
Tagged: flatfoot, lower extremity, orthopedics
Two babies doing tummy time on a blanket.

My son is a NICU GraD: Here’s what I’ve learned

Health and Parenting, Patient Stories
My husband and I aren’t first-time parents, but when our twins were born nine weeks early a year ago, everything we thought we knew went out the window. The thing is, it wasn’t Cal and Theo’s early arrival that was the biggest shock; it was the challenges that came afterward. Life with newborns and a ... Read More about My son is a NICU GraD: Here’s what I’ve learned
Tagged: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, lung disease, newborn medicine, nicu, prematurity
Kathryn poses with her painted tile, which reads, “You can’t cross the ocean by standing there and staring at it.”

Crossing the ocean: Kathryn learns how to manage chronic pain

Patient Stories
When Kathryn Chechile, 11, “graduated” from Boston Children’s Pediatric Pain and Rehabilitation Center (PPRC) last year, she painted a tile to hang on the wall of the Center’s space. It’s a fun ritual for patients who complete the intensive day program aimed at helping kids manage chronic pain. Kathryn’s design features a girl looking out ... Read More about Crossing the ocean: Kathryn learns how to manage chronic pain
Tagged: pain
Everly looks up at heart-shaped balloons in front of a red backdrop.

From swallowing troubles to doughnuts: How vascular ring treatment helped Everly

Patient Stories
By the time she was a year old, Everly Parisee was frequently wheezing. Then she had trouble swallowing foods. Her parents sought help from local pediatricians and specialists, who, in turn, couldn’t pinpoint a diagnosis. It turns out Everly had a type of vascular ring — a rare congenital defect that can constrict critical parts of the ... Read More about From swallowing troubles to doughnuts: How vascular ring treatment helped Everly
Tagged: aerodigestive, heart center, vascular rings
Ramie hugs his knees and looks into the distance

Faced with a rare type of liver cancer, Ramie focuses on the positive

Patient Stories
When Ramie Darling learned that his liver cancer had recurred, he thought for a while and then simply said, “OK.” Asked by his parents if he understood the situation, he replied, “I know I need more treatment. But whenever there’s a ‘down’ in life, I just think of the ‘ups.’” It’s an attitude that has ... Read More about Faced with a rare type of liver cancer, Ramie focuses on the positive
Tagged: liver cancer, transplant

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