Growing up in Elyria, Ohio, Laurie Fortune, staff nurse in Akron Children’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), participated in elite gymnastics, a sport that relies just as much on mental focus, discipline and dedication as athleticism to excel. These skills have been invaluable to Laurie as she cared for northeast Ohio’s littlest and most vulnerable […]
Hunter graduates from craniosynostosis treatment after 275 days in helmets
Hunter Metzgar sits proudly next to the 3 helmets he wore over the past 9 months. At 1 year adjusted (age of a premature baby based on their due date, not birthdate), Hunter has officially finished treatment for craniosynostosis, a premature fusion of bones in the skull. Hunter is no stranger to overcoming obstacles and […]
Children’s Champion spotlight: Tim Campbell
September 28 is a big day for Tim Campbell this year. The day he takes on the Blue Line for the 16th time is also the day his twin children, Tim Jr. and Hollen, turn 28. Born via emergency C-section at 3:30 a.m., the twins were almost 8-weeks premature and were immediately transported to the […]
Family celebrates health and happiness as twins turn 1
When Katie Koblenzer Orendorf woke up on July 26, 2016 with sharp pains, she thought she had pulled her back golfing the day before. Luckily she went to Cleveland Clinic Akron General because, at 26 weeks pregnant with twins, she was going into labor. A hospital resident told her they were going to administer a […]
Growing by Leaps and Bounds
In just a matter of minutes, the Spicocchi family expanded its ranks from 4 to 9. Amie and Vince Spicocchi became the proud parents of quintuplets: 4 girls and a boy, all weighing less than 2 lbs. Their eyes were still fused shut, they could not breathe on their own and each had to […]
