Just days before her 1st birthday, Emersyn Lucas was attacked by her family dog, leaving her with severe injuries. Now, at 2 years old, Emersyn has made a full recovery and recently visited the nurses who played a pivotal role in her healing process. In Dec. 29, 2023, Harley, the family dog, who had always…
As an extreme preemie born at 24 weeks, Myla Hawkins faced uncertain odds for survival. It was a long journey in the Norton Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with a care team that remained dedicated to providing lifesaving care during a series of medical emergencies. Myla overcame all these obstacles and is now…
Before Leeland Brady was born, his parents never knew if they would see their little boy thrive. Before birth, he was diagnosed with two life-threatening conditions that would require many months of critical care in the Norton Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The family, from Lebanon, Kentucky, spent nine months with Leeland in…
Mica and Samantha Baker of Bowling Green, Kentucky, are the parents of four children, all boys, with August “Auggie” Baker being the youngest. For all their children, annual well-child visits with their pediatrician are routine to make sure everyone is healthy and hitting milestones. “Auggie started out the healthiest among his siblings,” Samantha said. Life…
At age 5, Jakob Quenzer was diagnosed with ganglioglioma, a rare and slow-growing benign tumor in his brain. Thanks to a bicycle accident leading to a scan at his local urgent clinic, the tumor was found early. “Upon arrival at the local urgent clinic, we learned that a total of four boys were being seen…
Eight-year-old Skylin Williams, from New Albany, Indiana, is celebrating the new year in a way she once thought was a distant dream — at home with her family, thanks to a lifesaving heart transplant. After a difficult journey filled with uncertainty, Skylin has a story that serves as a testament to resilience, hope and the…
Everleigh Johns is a miracle baby. She has an extremely rare genetic condition, but it wasn’t an easy or clear path to reach her diagnosis. For months, her care team never stopped treating her symptoms while searching for answers — until a special genetic test would finally reveal the cause of Everleigh’s struggles. By the…
The Priar family was enjoying a summer barbecue when they noticed something was wrong with their 2-year-old son, George. “We were at a pool party, and he started staring off, just kind of went blank, so we called 911,” said Larissa Priar, George’s mother. “George was taken to our local emergency department, and we learned…
Anyone who’s met Heavenleigh falls in love with her grin. It’s been winning people over since she was an infant. Heavenleigh has an even bigger reason to smile these days. Almost three years after receiving the first specially-designed, tiny pacemaker for a premature infant, she is now officially adopted by the family who raised her….
Public service is in Gavin Ford’s blood. Gavin idolizes his grandfather, a deputy fire chief, and grew up hanging around a fire station in the Pleasure Ridge Park area of Louisville. His father is a local police officer. Gavin, 16, wants to follow in their footsteps. “I want to be a firefighter and arson investigator,”…
Norton Children’s has named a new physician to lead its gastroenterology team. James P. Franciosi, M.D., will serve as chief of Norton Children’s Gastroenterology and division chief of the University of Louisville School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. In these roles, Dr. Franciosi will lead Norton Children’s team of physicians…
Ethan Wright takes any obstacle he faces in stride. His passion for playing soccer has only continued to grow since his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, which has taught him even more about grit and determination — both on and off the soccer field. Ethan, a 15-year-old student at the J. Graham Brown School in Louisville,…