Mary Marino, director of rehabilitative services, has always focused on the big picture. Early in her career, she worked as a speech-language pathologist, coming up with ideas and solutions to help her pediatric patients overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Later, looking at the big picture meant joining a team that helped to streamline Akron Children’s separate […]
New leg braces help 10-year-old with spina bifida maintain an active life
Labor of Love is a blog started by Megs Pollock in 2011. Megs began sharing her experience as a first-time mom to son, Jordan, who was diagnosed with spina bifida before he was born. It’s been 4 years since we last got an update from the Pollock family, so we thought it was time to […]
Hannah takes it all in stride
At 2 days old, Hannah Jabbour had surgery to close the half dollar-sized opening in the base of her spine, but only time would tell how her spina bifida would impact her everyday life. “While in the NICU, Hannah also needed a shunt placed to drain the spinal fluid from her skull due to her hydrocephalus,” […]
West Akron teenager gains confidence and independence, one step at a time
Like most teenagers, Serenity Smolen is constantly learning, exploring and discovering what she does and doesn’t like. Some of the time, she encounters a learning curve. When it comes to conquering new undertakings, Serenity, 13, is a pro. It’s something she’s done all her life. Serenity, who was born with congenital limb differences that affect […]
Annie’s Super Strength
With her larger-than-life personality, Annie, 6, has always had an unbreakable spirit despite her medical conditions. At her mom’s 5-month ultra sound, Annie’s arms and legs were measuring smaller than a typical baby. Specialists thought she may have achondroplasia (dwarfism), but genetic testing and additional scans revealed more concerns. Doctors detected healing breaks in her […]
Brotherly bond
The Venner boys share a similar diagnosis – autism – but, just as no 2 kids are alike, neither is their disorder. “As we listened to our friends talk about their children the same age, we began to realize Oscar was very different,” said Jason, the boys’ dad. “He wasn’t socializing with kids his age, and often found repetitive and routine things much more a necessity than comforting. His pediatrician suggested that we test him for autism.” As Oscar struggled with fine motor […]
