Blalock-Taussig (BT) Shunt, Fontan Procedure, Glenn Procedure, Heart, Open Heart Surgery, Patient Stories

Schielar Skaggs almost didn’t make it – but he fought

Before he was born, Schielar Skaggs’ parents, Terry and Melissa, worried about the life their son would have. Would he survive childbirth? If he did, would his life be short and filled with suffering and surgeries? Tests during Melissa’s pregnancy showed Schielar had a complex congenital heart condition known as hypoplastic right heart syndrome with…

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Cancer, Hematology, Leukemia, Patient Stories

A team approach to tackling a 4-year-old’s leukemia

For many families, Christmas is a time for treasured memories. For the Walsh family, the Christmas of 2018 will always be unforgettable, but not for the usual reasons. That was when 4-year-old Seth was diagnosed with leukemia. Michelle Walsh said the news of Seth’s cancer threw the entire family into shock. “It all happened so…

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Brain Tumor, Endocrinology, Neurosciences, Patient Stories, Radiology

Family discovers child’s brain tumor after routine eye checkup

Three-year-old Apphia Rosenthal started a regular day last summer eating eggs and chatting with her parents. She was excited about what color glasses she would choose if she needed them (she was thinking something in pink). What her parents weren’t expecting was for Apphia to go from the ophthalmologist, to then have a magnetic resonance…

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Norton Childrens Hospital, Patient Stories, Splash N Dash, Teens

Splash ‘n’ Dash event honors local teen

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the passing of Max Gilpin, a local high school football player who suffered a heat stroke during a team practice. The community remembers Max’s legacy through the annual Norton Children’s Hospital Splash ‘n’ Dash Walk/Run, which was started in his honor five years ago. Splash ‘n’ Dash raises…

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Legislation, Patient Stories

Louisville second-grader heads to U.S. Capitol to advocate for kids’ health

Hey there! My name is Eleanor and I’m 8 years old. I love drawing and art. I also really like to play with Legos with my little sister. I’m in the second grade, and the classes that I enjoy the most are science and reading. Pasta is my most favorite food. I have a lot…

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Endocrinology, Patient Stories

Child diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes? 5 things all parents should know

I remember very clearly the day that my son Cooper was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I was sitting with my husband and Cooper in the emergency department waiting to see the endocrinologist. As we were waiting, the nurse checked his one-hour blood sugar from his glucose test, read me that result plus what his…

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NICU, Norton Childrens Hospital, Norton Womens & Childrens Hospital, Patient Stories

NicView live streaming cameras keep NICU babies and families close

Lindsay and David Rogers know what it feels like to leave a piece of their hearts in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) every time they had to say goodbye to their baby, Liam. Born 16 weeks early, Liam spent the first three months of his life in the Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital NICU….

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Infectious Disease, Norton Childrens Hospital, Norton Childrens Medical Group, Patient Stories, Pulmonology

RSV — respiratory syncytial virus — almost killed my baby

Alex McCoy shares her story about RSV in babies … This time last year, my husband and I were sitting in the Norton Children’s Hospital ”Just for Kids” Critical Care Center — decorated for Christmas — praying for our daughter’s life. Isla Mae was only 7 weeks old and relying on a ventilator to breathe….

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Heart, NICU, Norton Childrens Hospital, Norton Womens & Childrens Hospital, Patient Stories

41 hours in the life of a little girl who received a heart transplant

Surviving everything Stella Paul has been through in her one year of life is nothing short of a miracle. But her biggest miracle came on July 23, 2018, when a family made the difficult decision to donate their child’s heart. Norton Children’s Heart Institute Learn more about Norton Children’s Heart Institute or schedule an appointment….

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Norton Childrens Hospital, Patient Stories, Radiothon, Teens

Remembering Max Gilpin 10 years after fatal heat stroke during football practice

On Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008, a hot and humid day, Max Gilpin’s mother, Michele Crockett, received a phone call just as she was leaving work to pick him up from football practice. The caller said her 15-year-old had passed out on the field and was not moving. “I was not prepared for what I saw…

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Neurosciences, Norton Childrens Hospital, Patient Stories

A year ago, this boy slept for 11 days — here’s how he’s doing now

Last October, Wyatt Shaw fell asleep. He didn’t wake up for nearly two weeks. Then 7 years old, Wyatt served as a ring bearer at a wedding in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. He spent the evening making jokes and dancing with the girls in the bridal party. But 48 hours later, he was unable to stay awake….

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Heart, Patient Stories, Ventricular Septal Defect

Ugandan girl to return home happy and healthy after Louisville surgeons repair her heart

Two-year-old Gift Mbwali and her mother traveled more than 7,600 miles from their home in Uganda to Norton Children’s Heart Institute where surgeons repaired a heart defect she has lived with since birth. Her family was well aware of the high stakes. Her older brother, Patrick, made the same journey in 2017 to have a…

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