Bolton’s Bravery
With specialized, comprehensive care in hospitals tailored to the unique needs of pediatric patients, children’s hospitals help children and teens like Bolton defy the odds.
Joe Cascio
Our Stories
Every day, children’s hospitals help make moments possible. From providing access to the comprehensive care that children need to grow up to supporting children, teens, and their families with specialized treatment for some of the most complex illnesses. Discover more about the moments made possible by children’s hospital through patient stories from around the country.
Video Stories
Isaac’s Impact
Children’s hospitals provide advanced care for the most complex conditions in environments specially designed for pediatric patients, allowing children like Isaac to thrive.
Cami’s Courage
The specialized multidisciplinary teams at children’s hospitals ensure that children and teens – like Cami – can beat multiple complex conditions like cancer and heart failure.
Joseph’s Journey
The advanced, specialized care that children’s hospitals provide make moments – like Joseph beating pediatric brain cancer – possible.
Daniella’s Drive
With care delivered by specially trained pediatric clinicians, in environments designed just for children, children’s hospitals help children and teens – like Daniella – navigate complex medical conditions.
Featured Story
One-time gene therapy transforms Sriansh’s future
When Sriansh was just three months old, his family grew concerned as he slept most of the day, arched his back, and could not control his eye movement. His parents brought him to Cincinnati Children’s, where he was diagnosed with AADC deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that disrupts dopamine and serotonin production in the brain. Sriansh’s family was told he might never walk, talk, or lift his head. But thanks to an experimental gene therapy clinical trial, his story took a groundbreaking turn. At just 16 months old, Sriansh became the youngest child in the world to receive a one-time gene therapy treatment, delivered directly into the brain through a minimally invasive surgical technique. His care team inserted an engineered virus carrying the missing gene, allowing his brain to begin producing the essential chemicals it lacked. Today, Sriansh is walking, running, and thriving because of this innovative clinical trial. This pioneering work helped lead to the first-ever FDA-approved gene therapy administered directly to the brain, offering hope for patients with rare genetic diseases once thought untreatable.
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Lillie’s life-saving care
When Lillie’s mom was pregnant, she had a rare condition that caused frequent trips to the ER, and she was told that her daughter may not survive the pregnancy. Defying the odds, Lillie was born at 25 weeks at Maimonides Children’s Hospital, but that was just the start of her journey. Since Lillie was born prematurely, she spent her first few months of life in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She had serious chronic lung disease and received a tracheostomy in her neck to provide positive oxygen and pressure. As her breathing gradually improved, a pediatric pulmonologist stepped in to help prepare Lillie to go home. This specialized doctor worked with Lillie to help her learn to eat and breathe independently, eventually taking her off an oxygen tank. While these first few months of Lillie’s life were some of the scariest, her mother felt loved and supported by the hospital staff through it all. Because of the life-saving care she received, Lillie is now an independent and active ten-year-old! She’s in elementary school and is running, playing, and thriving!
Care team helps Jonathan’s journey with Cerebral Palsy
16-year-old Jonathan has been visiting Children’s Specialized Hospital since he was a baby. Jonathan was born with Right Hemiparesis Cerebral Palsy, weakening the entire right side of the body. Diagnosed at 15–months old, Jonathan’s care team shared a blueprint of physical and occupational therapy to pave the best path forward. Throughout his childhood, Jonathan has endured nine separate surgeries and consistently attends physical therapy to increase his mobility. His nurses and therapists are like a second family to Jonathan, always supporting him and helping him grow stronger. Thanks to the care he receives and his willingness to challenge himself, Jonathan has been able to pursue his passions—he’s in his high school’s marching band and plays the trumpet and bass. Jonathan has additional surgeries down the road and will continue occupational and physical therapy to help him live life to the fullest.
How Hewitt overcame cancer
Hewitt is a social butterfly and a star student, so when he asked to skip school, his parents knew something was unusual. His main symptom, reoccurring headaches, prompted an MRI at Arkansas Children’s that revealed a baseball-sized tumor near the base of his skull. Hewitt’s treatment began swiftly, with a five-hour craniotomy to remove the tumor. Tumor tissue samples were sent to a lab, ultimately discovering that Hewitt’s cancer was rare, malignant, and fast-growing. Because certain forms of radiation can impact a child’s growth, doctors landed on a combination of both chemotherapy and proton beam therapy, a new radiation that causes less tissue damage. Through all six months of treatment, the nurses and child life specialists at Arkansas Children’s became a pivotal support system for Hewitt. With every new phase of treatment, the team explained the process so Hewitt could easily understand. He responded well to the treatment, and on March 13, 2024, Hewitt rang the bell, symbolizing being cancer-free! Today, he’s in remission and back to doing what he loves most – hanging with friends, being a great big brother, and excelling in school.
Back to cheer and track after scoliosis surgery
When Alyssa was in middle school, she was diagnosed with scoliosis and received a customized back brace in hopes of halting the growing curve and avoiding surgery. But the curve continued to worsen, and after Alyssa’s freshman year, it was time for surgery. Alyssa and her family traveled to Dwaine and Cynthia Willett Children’s Hospital of Savannah Memorial Health, where she received a spinal fusion to straighten the curve. Throughout the six-hour surgery, the nurses comforted Mackenzie’s family, ensuring they understood each step. The procedure was successful, and within one week of the surgery, Alyssa had already “grown” one inch from her straightened spine! As a spirit cheerleader and sprinter for her track team, she worried how the surgery might affect her active lifestyle. But within six weeks of recovering, Alyssa was able to participate in cheer camp. While she has some restraints in stretching, she continues to cheer and run on her track team.
Mackenzie’s miraculous heart
Mackenzie was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a condition that causes the left ventricle to be severely underdeveloped. Her heart defect was first discovered during her mom’s 16-week ultrasound, and at first, her doctors were unsure if she’d survive. But Mackenzie was a fighter. Before she was even born, her heart developed two major arteries on the right side, which alleviated the failing left ventricle, ultimately protecting her aorta and avoiding serious surgery that most HLHS patients require. After birth, Mackenzie received specialized care at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, getting her first pacemaker at five months. At 15–months, she underwent open-heart surgery to reroute her circulation, allowing her heart to thrive with only one ventricle. Since the surgery went so well, she currently has no future surgeries planned. Mackenzie’s family is grateful for their attentive and helpful medical team and looks forward to their continued support through her childhood.
Harrison thrives with game-changing gene therapy
A few years ago, foster parents Pam and Bobby received a call about a 6-month-old, Harrison, who needed an adoptive family. Harrison wasn’t like most other babies – he had a rare genetic condition called Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD) that limits mobility and weakens pivotal muscles. Touched by his story, Pam and Bobby decided to give Harrison a forever home. After welcoming Harrison into their family, they met with Children’s Medical Center Dallas experts to discuss treatment options. Kaitlin Batley, M.D., Pediatric Neurologist and Director of the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Program at Children’s Health, outlined a new gene therapy that slows down DMD, helping children maintain the muscles needed to grow and thrive. Harrison received this innovative one-time treatment, and since then, he’s gotten better and grown stronger – walking, running, climbing, and even jumping a little! The family continues to visit Children’s Health to monitor his progress and discuss future treatments, and Pam and Bobby feel incredibly grateful for their dedicated care team as they navigate their first child with complex medical needs.
