Sleep disorders are on the increase, especially in children. In fact, the American Academy of Family Physicians estimates that up to 50% of children will experience a sleep problem. At Akron Children’s, finding the causes of sleep disorders involves a team of sleep specialists, including polysomnography technicians, who are an indispensable part of the pediatric […]
Connie Stout is ready to take a deep breath and blast off into retirement
Connie Stout, pulmonary function technician, knows when it’s time to get loud. She’s good at it, especially while coaching her patients to exhale and empty their lungs during their pulmonary function tests (PFTs). “I tell patients to really blast it out,” Connie said. “But sometimes I get so loud that my officemates make sure I […]
Fresh Air Camp offers summer fun for kids with respiratory technology needs
Campfire sing-alongs, gooey s’mores and cabin games are summer camp traditions that create lasting childhood memories. For kids with tracheostomies and other respiratory needs, these magical moments of summer are all made possible at Fresh Air Camp. The camp serves children, ages 6-18, with tracheostomies, ventilator-dependency and other respiratory technology needs. It’s a collaboration between […]
Mommy blogger reflects on 10 years of being a mom
Ten years ago, having made it through fertility treatments and a threatened miscarriage, I was finally allowing myself to be excited that we were a little over halfway to our anticipated due date. We didn’t want to know if we were having a boy or a girl so, when I went into premature labor at […]
Meet Ryland: A MIS-C survivor
As of today, 4,400 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). While numbers help us gauge the spread and severity of COVID-19, they don’t tell the whole story of how this virus impacts patients, especially the most vulnerable. After suffering a severe brain injury at birth, Ryland […]
Living with cystic fibrosis just part of life for 17-year-old
When Megan Carey was pregnant with her son, Josh, an amniocentesis revealed he carried the mutation for cystic fibrosis (CF), a progressive, genetic disorder that causes frequent lung infections and can impair breathing. Questioned by her doctors about whether she wanted to continue the pregnancy, Megan says there was never a doubt. “I had half-sisters […]
