Hand Surgery, Norton Childrens Hospital, Norton Specialists, Patient Stories, Teens

Doctor uses toe to replace teen’s thumb

It was September 2015 when a night with friends ended in an explosion that left Gabriel Rock without much of his left hand. “He lost his thumb, index finger and long finger; there was a big gaping hole in his palm,” said Amit Gupta, M.D., hand surgeon with Louisville Arm & Hand. Dr. Gupta remembers…

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Fetal Care, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Norton Childrens Hospital, Patient Stories

When babies need care before birth

With a baby on the way, Ni’Eshia Andrews and her family were overjoyed. The family planned to welcome a baby girl, joining her big brother in summer 2017. Everything was going as planned until they hit a bump in the road. During a 28-week fetal ultrasound, Andrews’ obstetrician discovered she had too much amniotic fluid…

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Heart, Heart Transplant, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Patient Stories

Remembering Baby Calvin

In 1986, Robbie Cardin became Norton Children’s and Kentucky’s first pediatric heart transplant patient. As you can imagine, his plight was covered by the media. Robbie was referred to as “Baby Calvin” to protect his family’s privacy. Robbie was born by cesarean section at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Doctors knew right away something…

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Heart, Patient Stories

Heart surgery gives a boy his bounce back

Vibrant and bouncing, Wells Whitaker is a ball of energy. The 2-year-old bundle of long golden curls and bright laughter seems to have an endless supply of energy. His parents, Leslee and Matt, remember just months before, Wells was a very different toddler. “He has two older siblings,” Matt said. “He would try to keep…

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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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