Baby elephant’s name to be unveiled by toddler with a new heart
In Eli Alexander’s 23 months of life, he has overcome a congenital heart defect with the help of a heart transplant. His family has taken to comparing his strength and bravery to an elephant’s. It only made sense that he should help unveil the name of the Louisville Zoo’s baby elephant. In a naming contest…
Read Full StoryCourageous Clay gets his heart transplant follow-up visits closer to home in Bowling Green
Nicole Pendino has a courageous son. In fact, his nickname is “Courageous Clay.” Many members of his hometown community in Bowling Green, Kentucky, have rallied around him over the past 12 years. In 2017 when Clay’s heart condition worsened and he was added to the heart transplant list, he was literally fighting for his life…
Read Full StoryFamily follows journey their son’s heart took to transplant in 8-year-old
A day of tragedy in Charles City, Iowa, has led to lasting friendship and love for two families connected through one heartbeat. After Lenny and Wendy Luft’s 15-year-old son was injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident, his condition worsened. As it became clear he wouldn’t survive, they decided to donate his organs. “It was a…
Read Full StoryFamily’s journey with child’s neuroblastoma goes from shock to hope
Andrea and Barry Smith will never forget April 25, 2018. That’s the day their 18-month-old daughter, Emaleigh, had a computed tomography (CT) scan that threw the family into a tailspin. The Smiths had barely gotten home from the test when the doctor called. Emaleigh had a solid tumor in her chest, near vertebrae — hugging…
Read Full StoryWoman’s own cancer journey reassures grandson with osteosarcoma
Symptoms of osteosarcoma in kids Pain and swelling are common signs of osteosarcoma. It is not unusual for active children and teenagers to experience limb pain as they grow, but any pain that lingers beyond two weeks should be checked by a medical provider, especially if it involves swelling. According to the American Cancer Society,…
Read Full StorySchielar 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…
Read Full StoryA 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…
Read Full StoryFamily 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…
Read Full StorySplash ‘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…
Read Full StoryLouisville 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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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…
Read Full StoryNicView 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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