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 […]
Mending tiny hearts: Surgery for congenital heart defect gives 6-year-old a healthy future
Leonardo Velazquez Miller is an active, healthy 6-year-old who loves to swim and play soccer in his hometown of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Looking at him now you wouldn’t suspect he was born with Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries or d-TGA, a congenital heart defect (CHD) where the 2 main arteries carrying blood out of […]
Diane Bueker plans a retirement full of travel, music and fun
Diane Bueker, pediatric cardiac sonographer, wanted 2 things as a teenager: to work in the medical field and volunteer with the Peace Corps. At age 16, Diane achieved her first goal when she began working for a private practice surgeon. But being part of a service opportunity that changed lives took a lot longer to […]
Akron Children’s work in Haiti is showcased in ‘Open Hearts,’ a CIFF documentary
Akron Children’s work with St. Damien Hospital in Haiti takes center stage in a new film being shown at the 2021 Cleveland International Film Festival. The 59-minute film, called “Open Hearts,” can be streamed for $10 from April 8 to 20. Of that, a $1 donation goes to the nonprofit MedWish. You can watch a […]
Surgery to repair leaky valve mends 4-year-old’s “broken” heart
Addisyn Piekarski and her mom, Kristen, had just the right outfit in mind for Addisyn’s Jan. 13 follow-up appointment with her heart surgeon, Dr. Robert Stewart. Sporting a shirt covered in small hearts, with a large, sequin heart in the center, seemed fitting to meet with the man who just 8 days earlier had repaired […]
Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley continues the mission of Touched by Nathan
A Struthers couple is living up to the mission they began nearly 2 decades ago: support families who struggle with caring for a medically fragile child. Ken and Vicki Pavalko started the Touched by Nathan Foundation in honor of their late son, Nathan Charles Pavalko. He passed away 40 days after he was born with […]
