For Shanelle Beachy, the two-hour roundtrip drive to Akron Children’s Hospital has become a familiar route. Three times a week, she makes the trip from her family’s home in Sugarcreek, determined to give her son Reid, age 2 ½, the best possible care. Reid, a happy and thriving toddler, had his world turned upside down […]
Julien creates his own superheroes to help him stay strong against kidney disease
Fourteen-year-old Julien Ford believes that every child fighting kidney disease is a superhero who deserves their own action figure. Through art therapy at Akron Children’s, he’s created action figures who defeat the autoantibodies that attack the kidneys. An 8th grader at Ontario Middle School, Julien has benefitted from all aspects of Akron Children’s expressive therapy […]
Evan Wooldredge cooks up his next stage of life after beating rare genetic disease
Evan Wooldredge, age 18, is the kind of person who is always up for a challenge. Whether he’s creating a new menu item at work, learning to golf or managing a rare disease that affected his kidneys, Evan doesn’t let restrictions hold him back. One of Evan’s biggest challenges happened when he turned 10. After […]