On a seemingly normal July day, Charles and Samantha Rockwell never imagined their lives were about to change forever. Samantha, who was not even four months pregnant, had just finished a long, 15-hour workday when she began feeling stomach pains. “I thought maybe it was nothing,” she recalled. “But two hours later, we were holding…
When Eva Orlanka Taylor arrived in Kentucky from Haiti at just six years old, she brought with her more than a new name and a new home. She carried an illness no one had fully explained, one that had shaped her early childhood. At Norton Children’s, her family finally began to uncover the answers, and…
Madden Baechle was born at just 25 weeks’ gestation, weighing 1 pound, 10 ounces. He spent 152 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Norton Children’s Hospital, facing life-threatening complications and undergoing 13 surgeries. Today, those NICU struggles feel like a distant memory, as 11-year-old Madden recently stepped onto the field at Western…
When a baby needs specialized care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) the hospital stay can last for months, and sometimes far from home. Now, a new program at Norton Children’s offers a way for families to stay connected to their NICU babies — even from afar. AngelEye is a secure camera system installed…
As a newborn, Magnolia Lee Ford-Conway was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (TGA), a complex heart condition that requires early surgery after birth for survival. Today, the energetic 3-year-old from Bowling Green, Kentucky, loves books, dolls and playing with her older sister. Magnolia’s mom, Mekinsey Ford-Conway, clearly remembers the difficult days after her…
When Cole Wilson was a toddler, life changed in an instant. A nighttime tumble from his crib turned into something far more frightening the next morning, when he had his first seizure over breakfast. For his mom, Sabrina, the fear was instant. Living in Berea, Kentucky, at the time, Sabrina took Cole to the nearest…
There’s no end to the choices when it comes to buying a swimsuit for your child. But did you know that certain swimsuit colors are safer than others, and the right color can actually assist in spotting a child who may be drowning? Sadly, drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1…
When 12-year-old Colton Buse took the field as the Norton Children’s “Superhero of the Game” at a recent Louisville City FC match, it was about much more than soccer. For Colton and his family, it reminded them how far he’s come since his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Colton is an active teen from Santa Claus,…
Brain surgery is always a challenging journey, but for Lydia McCloskey of New Albany, Indiana, the combination of skilled surgeons, advanced technology and personalized care made it possible to overcome a life-threatening condition. Lydia’s story began before she even entered the world. Born at just 33 weeks after her mother experienced a serious pregnancy complication…
High blood pressure, once considered an adult health condition, is becoming more common in kids and teens. A new study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health found that global high blood pressure rates in children have nearly doubled this century. In 2000, about 3.4% of boys and 3% of girls had high blood…
If your child has epilepsy that doesn’t respond well to medication, you may feel like you’ve run out of options. But there’s hope in an unexpected place: the foods your child eats. Alternative epilepsy treatments for children have come a long way, and dietary therapy has emerged as a powerful tool for managing seizures, especially…
Christmas Day 2023 brought the most precious gift to Jeffrey “J.T.” Fletcher’s future parents — the news that they were expecting their first baby. They felt a whirlwind of nerves and excitement as they imagined their growing family. Everything seemed normal until a routine anatomy scan revealed something unexpected. “The ultrasound showed that the baby’s…