When Melissa Baker talks about her son, her voice fills with both love and a deep understanding of kids who see the world differently. Melissa is mom to 11-year-old Korbin, who has autism. She has worked at Akron Children’s Hospital for nearly 2 decades – 15 years as a child life specialist in the pediatric […]
Medical staff joins the excitement of Akron Marathon race participants
The leaves changing color from green to golden hues signals the excitement of fall and the return of one of Akron’s favorite seasonal traditions, the First Energy Akron Marathon. Five provider teams, sponsored by medical staff services, joined nearly 14,000 First Energy Akron Marathon participants on Sept. 27 in the relay team event. This is […]
Akron mom is a fierce advocate, cheerleader for 2 young children with special needs
Sharmba Varner begins her workday at 4:30 a.m. and, for this mom of four, including two children with special needs, life rarely pauses for one minute until her early evening bedtime. That’s fine with Sharmba. Even though having a daughter on the autism spectrum and a son with Down syndrome means days filled with extra […]
Seize the golden opportunity that summer presents and delve into a good book
Worries about pandemic-related academic progress will persist but … Seize the golden opportunity that summer presents and delve into a good book With heavier days of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, this summer looks a lot brighter than the last. We are reuniting with family, planning trips and slowly finding our way back to restaurants, […]











