Ace Graham soon will celebrate his second birthday, an accomplishment that most families take for granted. But for his parents, T.J. and Allie Graham, and his extended family, each day is a blessing, and nothing is taken for granted. Ace was born March 22, 2018, and everything appeared fine. He was healthy, and within a…
When your child comes down with strep throat, you may be inclined to think, “Who’s next?” That doesn’t have to be the case. While this illness can be passed easily from one person to another, there are ways to prevent strep throat from spreading. The bacteria that cause strep throat are in the nose and…
The newly opened Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Norton Children’s Hospital was made possible by gifts to the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation and is specifically for cardiac patients. It provides an opportunity to reflect on how far heart care at Norton Children’s Hospital has come. Kentucky’s first pediatric open heart surgery was…
An innovative surgery using 3D printing technology is alleviating pain for some of the most critical and complicated cases. A 13-year-old girl from Clarksville, Indiana is one of those cases. Haley Kessinger was born with achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism, as well as a deformity in her spine. As Haley got older, the curve…
Luke Coward was born with Ebstein anomaly of the tricuspid valve, an extremely rare congenital heart condition that accounts for less than 1% of all congenital heart conditions. From the time he was diagnosed at 18 months old, he never felt limited by the condition. He was an active, healthy, happy child who just happened…
Barbara Bernard is a regular volunteer in the child life and expressive therapies department at Norton Children’s Hospital, helping with kids’ playtime, supporting parents and helping others any way she can. She has been an active volunteer with Norton Children’s Hospital for over 11 years. “Over her decade of service, Barbara has donated thousands of…
Brent Duncan, M.D., was eager to return to West Louisville, a calling for him to improve the lives of families in the medically underserved area. Dr. Duncan, family medicine physician, will provide comprehensive primary care to patients across the lifespan at Norton Community Medical Group – West Broadway, which opened in December. The practice is…
As a two-time cancer survivor, Aiden Johnson is no stranger to the hospital. Over the course of 6 1/2 years, he spent countless days as a patient in the Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center at Norton Children’s Hospital. This summer he returned to the cancer unit, but in a very different role. He served…
Since she was a child, Jenni Haynes wanted to adopt a baby girl from overseas. That dream recently became reality. In April 2018, Jenni and her husband adopted a 2-year-old girl from China who had survived cancer as an infant. The girl’s right arm was amputated when she was 5 months old after she was…
Walter L. Sobczyk, M.D., pediatric cardiologist with Norton Children’s Heart Institute has treated hundreds of children born with life-threatening heart abnormalities. Thanks to advances in surgery and treatment over the last decades, most of these children are now living into adulthood. “Some of these heart conditions are very serious, and for a long time these…
Seven years ago, my younger sister, Samantha, was diagnosed with epilepsy. Who would have thought that fluttering her eyes was actually a seizure? Sam didn’t seem herself, and so our pediatrician ordered a sleep-deprived electroencephalogram (EEG). This is a test that looks at how the brain works when it’s tired. At first, Sam thought it…
How babies develop, before and after birth, is nothing short of a miracle. But what happens when they are born prematurely, before they are ready for the sights, sounds and touches of the outside world? The answer may be in music. Music therapists specially trained to work in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are stepping…