For as long as Elena Rossi, MD, medical director for special projects, can remember, she has had a vision to guide her. Growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, she recalled sitting beside her older brother’s, Danny, hospital bed while he received blood transfusions to treat anemia. It sparked a desire to go into medicine and help […]
John and Karen Mayer make legacy gift of life insurance to support Akron Children’s NICU
There’s a particular feeling that John and Karen Mayer get every time they visit Akron Children’s. “When we come for a meeting or take a tour, we watch families with their kids,” said John, who’s a member of the hospital’s board of directors. “To think about how the hospital makes such a large impact on […]
Hannah takes it all in stride
At 2 days old, Hannah Jabbour had surgery to close the half dollar-sized opening in the base of her spine, but only time would tell how spina bifida would impact her everyday life. “While in the NICU, Hannah also needed a shunt placed to drain the spinal fluid from her skull due to her hydrocephalus,” said Hilary, […]
Wall of Hope shows light at end of NICU tunnel
No foot is too small to leave an imprint on this world. That’s the Wall of Hope message that greets patient families as they enter the Akron Children’s NICU at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital. The artful display of 10 uplifting patient family success stories and photos was recently installed in the family waiting area just […]
Wardle twins revisited: Now 3 and medical equipment free
One piece of advice that resonated with Barry and Rachel Wardle when their premature-born twins first arrived in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was to constantly let them know of your presence. “Talk to them, touch them, read to them, let them hear your voice. They’ll fight harder if they know you’re here,” Barry […]
The ‘girl who lived’ thrives with occupational therapy
Who says miracles and magic aren’t real? Just ask 2-year-old “wizard” Riley Osborn and her parents. From the day she was born – at 23 weeks, 6 days and weighing just a pound and a half – Riley has been proving her doubters wrong at every step – literally. Riley spent the first 130 days […]
