October is National Audiology Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about hearing health and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. For 17-year-old Gunner Cronin, of Hammondsville, that awareness hits close to home. A senior at Edison High School in Richmond, Gunner is active both in and out of the classroom. He plays golf, […]
Generations of care: Phadrea Hickman retires after 28 years
Phadrea Hickman’s career at Akron Children’s began with family ties and, as she transitions into retirement, her family will remain firmly at the center of her life. When Phadrea joined the Akron Children’s team in 1997, she followed in the footsteps of her mother, who worked in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and her […]
What parents need to know about newborn hearing loss
Hearing loss is the most common sensory problem in newborns. If you’re pregnant, you can take steps to lower the chances of your baby being born with hearing loss. If your newborn has hearing loss, it’s important to get help right away. Newborn hearing tests “Newborn hearing loss is very common, affecting 2-4% of all […]
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 […]
More Than a Job: Emily Cihon celebrates National Speech-Language-Hearing Month
As a child, Emily Cihon always thought teaching would be her professional calling. “I always wanted to be a teacher or work with kids, I even got an overhead projector as a birthday gift as a preteen so I could pretend to teach in my basement,” she says. “However, I also wanted to work in […]
Orthopedic surgery corrects musculoskeletal issues for teen with cerebral palsy
Going to an indoor water park was on Alexis Walsh’s birthday bucket list. Alexis, who turned 14 in October, 2023, thought it would be fun, especially riding rafts down the slides with her family. During Christmas break, Alexis fulfilled her wish and enjoyed a mini family vacation to a local water park. The outing was […]












