1. Baby Domingo was healthy enough to leave the hospital for his new home! Eight months earlier, his mother had rescued him from their burning house near Youngstown.
Despite a lifetime of medical needs, parents Maricela and Orlando are determined to give Domingo the best life possible.
On May 15, Zayden was on a bike ride when he was hit by a motorcycle, causing a severe brain injury as well as a broken jaw, femur, and wrist. His family was unsure if he would survive, but miraculously, Zayden showed everyone how strong he is.
3. For a child with hearing loss, I world full of masks can present challenges … but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Dr. Maria Leno (right) models a mask with a clear window worn by speech and audiology staff so their patients can read their lips and see their facial expressions.
4. There was a BIG congrats to 5-year-old Lexi and her family for finishing active treatment for B-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Although Lexi’s end-of-treatment celebration was smaller and socially distant, it didn’t lack for magic!
5. MichaelAngello was making great strides with his speech and occupational therapy until the pandemic hit. But he returned to the hospital this past month, ready to work harder than ever.
MichaelAngello was ready for his first day of Pre-K. His parents also breathed a little easier sending him off to school thanks to his progress in therapies as well as advice from his medical team.
6. For Bereaved Parents Awareness Month, we shared the story of Sawyer Carpenter, who passed after battling Joubert Syndrome his entire life.
Sawyer’s mom, Kat, has been working with the hospital’s Narrative Medicine Coordinator Nicole Robinson to use writing as a tool to assist her journey through bereavement. We were honored to share her essay offering tips and advice to anyone who has had a child pass.
7. When COVID-19 came to Ohio, our clinical staff jumped into action to prepare to support area hospitals caring for adults.
In one week, 244 of our pediatric providers were credentialed to treat adults. Our simulation center played a key role in making this possible.
8. 13-year-old Cole Phillips, of Sebring, is known for his love of the outdoors. But, an overnight campout at a friend’s house turned sour when a go-cart crash landed him at the hospital with a list of injuries.
Cole worked hard in therapy and is now back to doing the many outdoor activities he enjoys.
9. Cameron Ware, 9, eagerly awaited the arrival by mail of “GameStop” gift cards he had earned through his participation in our nationally-recognized Comprehensive Behavioral Interventions for Tics (CBIT) program. This made Cameron wonder, how does the mail work at Akron Children’s?
Thanks to help from Akron Children’s staff, including our mailroom employees, Dr. Katrina Lindsay and department secretary Katie Elliot, Cameron was able to tour the mailroom and see it all in action.
10. When a game of Simon Says ended with Dana Griffith falling wrong while flipping on the trampoline, her family wondered if it was safe and necessary to get her arm checked out by the emergency room during a pandemic.
After talking to Dana’s pediatrician, they did indeed make their way to the ER, discovering she had broken her arm in several places.
