Blood and Marrow Transplant, Cancer, Hematology, News, Patient Stories

Haploidentical blood marrow transplant patient reaches milestones, celebrates turning 18

On Valentine’s Day, 2020, Angel Florian received a 6-foot-tall plush rose from her boyfriend. It was a substitute for the real flowers he wanted to give her but couldn’t because her weakened immune system made it too risky. It was a year earlier, just after her 17th birthday, that Angel received a diagnosis of myelodysplastic…

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Cancer, Patient Stories, Sarcoma

Teen’s ‘got this’ after bone cancer surgery

Jennifer Pascual, like most teens, has many interests. The 13-year-old, who lives in Southern Indiana, enjoys spending time with her large family. She loves animals and has many pets. She likes to draw and paint, play music and sing. “I’m learning to play the ukulele,” she said. “It’s really fun.” Unlike most teens, however, Jennifer…

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Cancer, Childrens Hospital Foundation, Foundation, Leukemia, Patient Stories

Friends and neighbors find themselves on pediatric cancer journey together

Kelsie Cooksey was devastated by the news from Katlyn Claywell, her friend, co-worker and Burkesville, Kentucky, neighbor, that Katlyn’s 19-month-old daughter Kamryn had been diagnosed with leukemia and needed prayers. Kelsie had a boy around the same age and felt her friend’s anguish. Days before, Katlyn had noticed a rash on her little girl with…

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Fontan Procedure, Heart, Patient Stories, Single Ventricle Defects, Transport Team

Child with single ventricle defect thriving after surgeries, catheterizations

Avery Conover says she wants to drag race someday, just like her father, Ricky Conover. According to her mother, Kayla Conover, Avery is very independent and doesn’t give up. Kayla says that fighting spirit is how Avery has weathered surgeries and care of a single ventricle congenital heart defect. Kayla was surprised at her 20-week…

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Neurosciences, Patient Stories, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

New gene therapy treatments offer relief and hope for family with two children with SMA

Alex and Aaron Haas had heard of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — a former neighbor of Aaron’s had a grandchild who died from it — but didn’t know much about it when 3-month-old Riley seemed less active than a family friend’s baby of the same age. A small knot in the back of Riley’s neck…

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Patient Stories, Pulmonology, Research

Child with SMARD1 thriving with 5-in-1 home ventilator

The day before Thanksgiving 2018, the Howell family was traveling from Louisville to Frankfort to visit relatives. During the drive, 4-week-old Brooks started crying. It was the beginning of the family’s journey with the rare disease spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress, Type 1 (SMARD1). “It was a very different cry,” said Jessica Howell, Brooks’…

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Maternal-Fetal Medicine, NICU, Patient Stories

Child thrives after retinopathy of prematurity and NICU stay

Lindsay Rogers and her husband, David, tried for 16 months to get pregnant, including three cycles of fertility medications. As she considered whether seeing a fertility specialist might be the next step, she became pregnant with their son, Liam, in March 2018. Lindsay describes the pregnancy up to 20 weeks as completely normal. After hitting…

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Patient Stories, Pulmonology, Transport Team

After 31 days in a coma, Owensboro teen returns home in time for Christmas

Two years ago, 16-year-old Grant Oller had a slight cough the morning after attending a dance with friends. The cough got worse, and after he felt exhausted and developed a sore throat, he went to his pediatrician. His oxygen levels were so low that his pediatrician admitted him to a local hospital in Owensboro. The…

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Gastroenterology, NICU, Patient Stories

From 1 pound, 10 ounces to a thriving kindergartner

When Dana’s daughter, LeAnn, was born at 25 weeks, she weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces. Born more than three months early, LeAnn was so fragile she couldn’t be held or even taken out of the incubator for a week, and her skin looked almost see-through, her mother recalled. LeAnn would spend months overcoming one health…

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Neurosciences, Patient Stories

Professionalism, compassion and popsicles for Owensboro girl with dangerous vascular condition

When Molly Knott was 2, the toddler took a spill in the kitchen and her mother reflexively scooped her up, grasping her under her arms. That’s when she first noticed a lump under Molly’s left armpit. Molly said it hurt. A bug bite probably, right? As it got a little bigger, it still wasn’t clear…

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Autism, Developmental-behavioral Pediatrics and Genetics, Neurosciences, Norton Childrens Hospital, Patient Stories, Rett Syndrome

Bardstown girl living with Rett syndrome, a rare autism-like condition

Grace Hatfield seemed to be developing like a normal toddler. She was walking, talking and interacting with family. But as she approached 15 months, her development seemed to start going in reverse. “Grace began losing words,” said Kim Hatfield, Grace’s mom. “Then, while talking to her, she’d start to zone out — just staring at…

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Cancer, Leukemia, Patient Stories

Childhood leukemia patient returns to the hospital as a staff member

Heather Kays was a 12-year-old girl newly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was a cancer patient at Norton Children’s Hospital. Now, as a 23-year-old healthy woman, she is on the staff as a patient care associate in the hospital’s Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center. As she cares for children undergoing treatment with…

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