When Grace Wakulchik was a Cuyahoga Falls High School student considering a career in health care, a friend’s mother introduced her to a nurse who had earned her master’s degree. At the time, most nurses were trained in hospital-based schools and not colleges. But Grace took her advice and enrolled at Case Western Reserve University. “She suggested that I get a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then a master’s, and that was a big influence in […]
Archives for October 2021
CNP Marlene Thompson doesn’t shy away from a challenge, especially when it comes to kids
Marlene Thompson is not afraid of a challenge — and, apparently, not of her life-size skeleton and roommate, Mortimer, either. After working as a nurse in Akron Children’s PICU for 13 years, she was ready to push herself to face a new challenge head-on and feel the thrill of change once again. Today, she is […]
Local family is glad Akron Children’s emergency and spine care is so close
Childhood is a time of exploring, climbing, jumping and living carefree. When things don’t go quite right, the Ehrhart family of New Middletown is thankful there’s Akron Children’s ER. “We’ve been to the Akron Children’s ER about once a month for the past 18 months for one thing or another,” said Joni Ehrhart, mom […]
Hearing-impaired high school drummer ‘feels the beat,’ finds band a ‘creative & therapeutic outlet’
If you saw Elijah “Eli” Golden out on the football field marching with the McKinley High School Marching Band, you wouldn’t know he is hearing impaired. The sophomore drummer is keeping the beat by feeling the sound vibrations all around him. “If he can’t hear the music going on, that’s fine because he can feel […]
10 out of 10: Siblings are a perfect match for bone marrow transplant
A typical day for Wyatt Brown is spent ‘doing jobs’ around his house like picking up frogs, digging in dirt and learning how to fix things. But last year, just a day after his 4th birthday, Wyatt’s days were anything but typical as he started testing and treatment at the Showers Family Center for Childhood […]
Women in philanthropy: Virginia “Gina” Drosos
For years, Virginia “Gina” C. Drosos, CEO of Signet Jewelers, has helped spearhead the organization’s partnership with Akron Children’s. We spoke to Gina about the relationship between our organizations, and how Signet’s commitment to our hospital reinforces the company’s deeply held belief in supporting the communities in which its employees live and work. Signet Jewelers […]