It’s a special time for 18-year-old Ian Cadwallader. He recently graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School and will start college in the fall at The Ohio State University Mansfield Campus. While he’s focused on the future, he’s also taking time to look back on his life. That includes care he’s received from before birth at […]
Sam smiles and sings, despite Marfan syndrome challenges
Sam Jimenez was born prematurely at 32 weeks’ gestation, weighing 6 pounds and 12 ounces. He grew significantly, and at age 6, his pediatrician referred him to an orthopedic specialist for bone problems often connected to Marfan syndrome. The genetic disorder affects the body’s connective tissue, which holds cells, tissues and organs together – and […]
Wyatt’s journey through three open-heart surgeries
Wyatt Miller of Newcomerstown was a rambunctious toddler. There were no signs of a serious, congenital heart defect that would change his life forever. At a checkup when he was 20 months old, Wyatt’s doctor detected a heart murmur. A week later, Wyatt returned to the doctor’s office because of an ear infection, and a […]
From operating room to viral stardom: 10-year-old gains a following on TikTok
Aubree Blake, age 10, is a bit of a TikTok star thanks to her candid videos sharing her experiences as a young lady living with a heart condition. At 8 days old, Aubree was diagnosed with a coarctation of the aorta, a birth defect where a portion of the aorta is narrower than usual causing […]
Mending tiny hearts: Surgery for congenital heart defect gives 6-year-old a healthy future
Leonardo Velazquez Miller is an active, healthy 6-year-old who loves to swim and play soccer in his hometown of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Looking at him now you wouldn’t suspect he was born with Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries or d-TGA, a congenital heart defect (CHD) where the 2 main arteries carrying blood out of […]
Surgery to repair leaky valve mends 4-year-old’s “broken” heart
Addisyn Piekarski and her mom, Kristen, had just the right outfit in mind for Addisyn’s Jan. 13 follow-up appointment with her heart surgeon, Dr. Robert Stewart. Sporting a shirt covered in small hearts, with a large, sequin heart in the center, seemed fitting to meet with the man who just 8 days earlier had repaired […]