Walk into the Tom and Jill Zidian Family Autism Center, and you can “feel” the soothing and safe environment. The new facility helps the care team work together better and give special support to kids with autism and their families. About the new center Clinicians, patient families and the design team worked together to turn […]
Jack Weber’s compassion for kids isn’t bound by borders
Jack discovered his love for working with kids when he was in graduate school to become a speech language pathologist, also called a speech therapist. Now, he helps patients in both Akron and the Dominican Republic. His skills and dedication recently earned him a More childhood, please.™ Akron Children’s Caregiver Award. The Akron Children’s Caregiver […]
More childhood, please.™ Awards celebrate those who positively impact children’s lives
More than 200 people gathered Oct. 1 to celebrate our community’s brightest stars. The inaugural More childhood, please. Awards honored community members and Akron Children’s employees who improve kids’ lives throughout northeast Ohio. Welcome and entertainment Chris Gessner, Akron Children’s president and CEO, greeted the event attendees. “When I look around this room, I am […]
Twin boys are thriving 1 year after their emergency birth
When Alison Speelman learned she was pregnant in the fall 2023, it was a total surprise. But a bigger surprise was yet to come. “I had my first ultrasound at 7 weeks, and that’s when we found out we were having twins,” she said. “My husband, Josh, and I didn’t speak on the ride home […]
Ashland baby is Akron Children’s first NICU 22-week preemie to survive in 14 years
Megan Wolbert works at Wooster Community Hospital as a sonographer. When she started having contractions in March at 22 weeks of her pregnancy, she was glad to be at work surrounded by medical caregivers and resources. When an initial exam showed she was already in active labor, she knew enough to assume she and her […]
Mom’s CMV infection during pregnancy led to newborn’s hearing loss
When Caitlyn Idoine was pregnant with her daughter Riley in 2021, she had never heard of an infection called cytomegalovirus (CMV) which pregnant women can carry and pass onto to their babies. “CMV is the leading cause of nongenetic hearing loss and can also cause other neurological deficits and vision loss,” said Caitlyn. “A typical […]
