Lexi Kormanec is a 15-year-old sophomore at Nordonia High School. She loves roller coasters, singing and talking with her friends. To see her, you wouldn’t know she had a heart defect that required major surgery when she was 13 years old. Early detection of a heart issue Recommendations from family members led Lexi’s parents, Elizabeth […]
Maze rebounds after open-heart surgery
Maze Crooks of Bay Village was born with a heart defect called a “secundum atrial septal defect (ASD).” This is a hole in the middle of the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart. Maze’s aunt and uncle, Amy and Ray Cebulis, began caring for him around age 2. They became Maze’s legal […]
Garrett bursts with energy after two open-heart surgeries
Liz Balizet of Navarre, Ohio didn’t realize the great pediatric care that’s available in northeast Ohio until her first child was diagnosed with a complex heart condition. Liz’s 20-week ultrasound showed problems with her baby boy’s heart. She and her husband, Jake, received a referral to the Akron Children’s Heart Center. “We went out to […]
Cleveland Magazine’s “Best Doctors” include 24 Akron Children’s providers
Every year, Cleveland Magazine publishes a list of the best doctors in northeast Ohio. Doctors complete a survey to evaluate and nominate their peers for this recognition. Congratulations to these Akron Children’s providers who made the 2025 Best Doctors list: Scott Boulanger, MD – Pediatric General Surgeon Jessica Castonguay, DO, MPH – Adolescent Medicine Specialist […]
Wyatt’s journey through three open-heart surgeries
Wyatt Miller of Newcomerstown was a rambunctious toddler. There were no signs of a serious, congenital heart defect that would change his life forever. At a checkup when he was 20 months old, Wyatt’s doctor detected a heart murmur. A week later, Wyatt returned to the doctor’s office because of an ear infection, and a […]
From operating room to viral stardom: 10-year-old gains a following on TikTok
Aubree Blake, age 10, is a bit of a TikTok star thanks to her candid videos sharing her experiences as a young lady living with a heart condition. At 8 days old, Aubree was diagnosed with a coarctation of the aorta, a birth defect where a portion of the aorta is narrower than usual causing […]
