Heart, Patient Stories

Fighting for a brave heart

Dynamic and vivacious, 11-year-old twin sisters Lauren and Madison are every bit as charming as they are spirited. However, while the girls are matched in character, they differ in physical development. Older by 30 minutes, Lauren is noticeably taller than Madison, who was born with a congenital heart defect. Halfway through her pregnancy, their mother,…

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Employee stories - Norton Childrens, Heart, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, NICU, Patient Stories

Doctor, ‘miracle baby’ form special bond

An approaching birth is normally a joyful event, but for Jodie and James Campbell of Louisville it was fraught with anxiety. In 2013, their unborn child had become severely anemic from a viral infection, parvovirus, Jodie had developed. At 24 weeks of pregnancy, the child’s survival depended entirely on a timely blood transfusion into the…

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Childrens Hospital Foundation, Heart, Patient Stories, TAPVR

Riding the heart surgery roller coaster

Photo credit: sweetlilpics by Ashley Cari and Kyle Whalen were ready for their standard anatomy ultrasound around the 24th week of Cari’s pregnancy. They knew they were having a girl, so this was to be a routine check of the baby’s brain, spine, abdomen and heart. But the result was anything but routine. “The ultrasound…

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Heart, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, NICU, Norton Womens & Childrens Hospital, Patient Stories

3 unexpected blessings

Looking ahead to their daughter’s third birthday in April 2016, last summer Jenna and Brian Richie began thinking about a second baby. A little brother for Madelynn would be nice, they thought. Little did they know their spunky, red-headed toddler would soon have three sisters. On Feb. 17, 2016, the Richies welcomed the arrival of…

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Heart, Patient Stories, Tetralogy of Fallot

To the physicians who saved my son

I’ve thought about writing this letter about a million times since March. Now that things have settled down and Miles is thriving, I feel like I can finally gather my thoughts and attempt to put into words just how much two physicians have impacted mine and my family’s life. A week before Miles’ open heart…

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Limb Lengthening, Orthopedics, Patient Stories

Graduating from 12 years of surgeries

Shearice Harrison cheered just like any other mom as her son, Jerren, walked across the New Albany High School stage to get his diploma. But she wasn’t just celebrating his academic achievements; she reveled in the fact that her son was alive to see this day. “I held my baby, who was just a few…

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Cancer, Childrens Hospital Foundation, Patient Stories

A grandfather’s gift

Willie Sequeira was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013 just weeks after celebrating his fourth birthday. As his treatment proceeded, he began spending more time in the Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center at Norton Children’s Hospital. “The emotions around a cancer diagnosis for anyone are huge, especially when it involves a child,” said Mark Haney,…

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Patient Stories, Teens

MLB Player Thanks Surgeon for Career

Adam Duvall received care from a Norton Leatherman Spine surgeon as a teen and went on to fulfill a dream of winning a World Series. Adam Duvall was a gifted baseball player at Butler High School in Louisville when he first saw Rolando Puno, M.D., surgeon with Norton Leatherman Spine Center, for low back pain….

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Heart, Patient Stories

Good at Heart

No one watching Ethan Byler play on the swing set with his sister, Emily, would point to the toddler and say, “He had a heart transplant.” They wouldn’t know that earlier this year Ethan became the first child in Kentucky to get a Berlin Heart. They’d never guess this external mechanical pump kept Ethan alive…

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