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 […]
No one expects their child to start out with a broken heart
My daughter, Meredith Grace, was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot when she was 4 days old. Dr. Bockoven told us that we were now a part of the Akron Children’s Family. I remember telling him I’m sure that was wonderful, but it was also the last thing I wanted to hear.
A mission with heart: Day 3 in Haiti
A group of Akron Children’s doctors, nurses and staff travel regularly to Haiti to help care for the sick children at St. Damien Pediatric Hospital. This post is the last of a 3-part series by Dr. Grace Smith, who gives a first-person account of her most recent medical mission trip there. Read Part 1 and […]
Tears of joy after seeing our son pink for the first time after open heart surgery
One year ago around 8 a.m. we handed our son Jonathan at 10 months old, over to his heart surgeon for his second open heart surgery. When the surgeon came to talk to us about the surgery, they told us our son was pink. Tears came falling down, tears of relief.
Haitian toddler had angels in Akron this holiday season
We often hear words like “joy,” “blessing” and “good will” during the holidays. They are in our greeting cards and the songs of the season, but sometimes they become more than just words.
Helping Haiti: ‘We’ve done really some good work’
Since making his first trip to Haiti in 2010, following that country’s devastating earthquake, Dr. Jeff Kempf has been humbled by the progress made by his Akron Children’s Hospital team and a larger coalition that now includes five other U.S. children’s hospitals.
