When a child has a rare disease, it affects the whole family. Dr. Dawn-Marie Gotkiewicz, pediatrician at Akron Children’s Urgent Care, knows what it’s like. She lost both of her younger brothers, Kenny and Kevin, to a rare genetic disorder called Hunter syndrome. Becoming a big sister “Kenny arrived when I was 2 and a […]
Responsive neurostimulator (RNS) technology changes Conner’s life
Conner Butler of Jeromesville, Ohio is a trailblazer. He’s the first Akron Children’s patient to have an RNS device implanted to reduce seizures caused by epilepsy. He’s gone from missing school and constantly worrying about seizures to being back in class and hanging out with his friends. Diagnosis and daily struggles As a child, Conner […]
Siblings with rare genetic disorder exceed expectations
Paul and Becky Lee’s son, Jack, entered the world 8 weeks early. It wasn’t apparent until the next day that something was wrong, other than his prematurity. Jack didn’t move, and doctors suspected a neurological condition. Jack spent 10 weeks in the Akron Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and then another 15 weeks in […]
Through extensive research, Dr. Cohen is advancing treatment in mitochondrial medicine to treat patients at home and around the globe
In 2011, Bruce Cohen, MD, joined Akron Children’s to open a program and pursue work in clinical trials to advance mitochondrial medicine at a time when funding for this research was in its infancy. “Frankly, a lot of the large institutions weren’t interested in studying these diseases,” he said. “It wasn’t because it wasn’t important, […]
Leading by example: Mom helps daughter find her way with a career at Akron Children’s
Two years ago, Lily Heath, psychometrist in Akron Children’s Neurobehavioral Health, found herself at a crossroads. As she prepared to graduate from The University of Akron with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and criminology, she realized the career she had chosen was not right for her. “I thought I wanted to become a police […]
Despite his physical challenges, 19-year-old is fulfilling his dream of harvesting America’s vast farmlands
Cooper Meshew has certainly had his ups and downs in his 19 years but, right now, he is up – way up in the seat of a John Deere row crop tractor in Valentine, Nebraska. Cooper, who was diagnosed at age 10 with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), a degenerative nerve disease, checked off a “bucket list” item […]
