While March is recognized nationally as Child Life Month, Akron Children’s celebrates the important work our child life specialists do every day to make a difference in the lives of our patients and their families. “We play an integral role on the health care team helping families navigate any part of the health care experience, whether that’s […]
Advancing cancer care: Scott and Gail Wilkes support Akron Children’s in memory of their daughter, Shannon
Trust. Confidence. Accessibility. These are the words that come to mind when Scott and Gail Wilkes reflect on their experience at Akron Children’s Hospital after their daughter, Shannon, was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer called metastatic osteosarcoma. Today, they’re helping to instill those same feelings in others – by expanding treatment and […]
Pano is seeing cancer care from a new perspective
Five summers ago, Pano Tsarouhas (18) came to the Shower’s Family Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders as a patient. He’s back at Akron Children’s this summer, but now he’s learning what it’s like to sit across from patients as a provider. “I wanted to shadow Dr. Hord to help me evaluate different paths […]
Jackie’s journey: From cancer patient to survivor
As an athlete, patient or coach, Jackie Custer believes in the mantra there is no ‘I’ in team. Growing up, Jackie learned how to win games with her teammates. As she faced her own battle with cancer, she relied on her Akron Children’s care team to get her to the finish line. Today, at 24, […]
Narrative medicine lets Cerriana share her story
After a year of managing a brain cancer diagnosis, dozens of surgeries and relentless medical treatments, Cerriana (14) of Alliance was hopeful the worst was behind her. When she learned her cancer was back, she didn’t know if she had the strength to do it all again, but she knew she had something to say […]
10 out of 10: Siblings are a perfect match for bone marrow transplant
A typical day for Wyatt Brown is spent ‘doing jobs’ around his house like picking up frogs, digging in dirt and learning how to fix things. But last year, just a day after his 4th birthday, Wyatt’s days were anything but typical as he started testing and treatment at the Showers Family Center for Childhood […]
