Harper has been on life support – twice – had 4 open heart surgeries, 5 eye surgeries, countless therapy sessions and even more needle pokes, but not once has she let anything get the best of her. She’s overcome every obstacle in her own time. At birth, Harper’s parents were surprised to learn she had Down syndrome, but it was her heart defect, atrioventricular canal defect, that caused them worry. The hole in […]
Down syndrome awareness month reminds us we have more in common than not
Akron Children’s prides itself on inclusion – at the hospital and in our communities – so it should come as no surprise that we love to celebrate and raise awareness for our patients. We first introduced you to Gino Russ in 2018 to celebrate his accomplishments during World Down Syndrome Day. Today, like all of […]
Home Health nurse delivers shot of courage
It was the happiest Jeremiah Skaggs-Bradley has ever been after getting a blood draw. And the 5-year-old from Warren has had his share of anxiety-ridden needle experiences. “It’s so bad. It’s horrible. It breaks my heart and sometimes I have to leave the room,” his mother, Melinda Skaggs, said about her son’s typical blood draw […]
Wren Patterson like “a whole new baby” after heart repair
The day after Wren Patterson was born in October, doctors were concerned about a heart murmur and her low blood oxygenation. An echocardiogram at Aultman Hospital in Canton showed the reason. Wren had a congenital heart defect called tetralogy of Fallot, characterized by 4 malformations that robbed her of adequate blood flow to the lungs […]
