Our top “In the Moment” photos from November 2017

Hope and joy was shining through in our November “In the Moment” photos … just in time for the holidays! We invite you to take a glance at those you may have missed, or a second peek at those you’ve already enjoyed.

1. At just 2 pounds, baby Ava made Ryan & Sara Heckert’s dreams come true. For 3 years, they prepared for “the call” to adopt a child with Down syndrome.

2. 1 in 9 babies are born premature in Ohio. In honor of this issue, we met 10 brave families who were battling the effects of prematurity in our Akron NICU.

3. In just 3-4 days’ time, numbness and tingling went to complete paralysis for Pheinix Eitle. A diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been tough for his family, but our Director & Chief of Public Safety Jerome Klue has been in their shoes.

4. Volunteers spent  2 days setting up 165 trees and more for the annual Holiday Tree Festival.

5. An umbilical cord injury at birth resulting in cerebral palsy has left Colton with a daily fight. The brave 2 year old just started sitting independently and walking thanks to extra motivation from his faithful furry friends, Daisy and Rosie.

6.  Imagine meeting the stranger who saved your son’s life. Parents of 4-year-old Deegan Scott of Salem had the privilege to do just that during a Be The Match event.

7. Although Sophia lost her 2 front teeth in oral surgery, she gained a new friend in recovery nurse Erin Baranek and a few bucks from the Tooth Fairy.

8. 17-year-old Brooke Vipperman had a “super” idea for her senior project with other students at Willard High School: cut capes for hospitalized children. She brought 21 capes they sewed and presented to Debby Rowland, the founder of Kids Capes of Courage who outfits many of our patients.

9. Alyssa Portwood shared her story to combat gestational diabetes and to deliver this healthy, full-term baby girl named Sara.

10. 8-year-old daughter Zoe Ruby manages Type 1 Diabetes by wearing an insulin pump and a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) that reads her blood sugar every 5 minutes.