Neurosciences, Spina Bifida

On Day 2 of Life, a 7-Hour Spine Surgery Gave Lucinda a Chance at Life

When 1-year-old Lucinda Owens claps her hands, waves hello, and sits up to play with her books, her parents see a miracle. The toddler from Jeffersonville, Indiana, who was born with the most severe form of spina bifida, is now reaching milestones once thought impossible, thanks to a groundbreaking surgery and multidisciplinary care at Norton…

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Heart, Patient Stories

Nurse finds compassionate care after her baby was born with a rare heart condition

Cheyenne Copeland, R.N., has always trusted her instincts. As a registered nurse at Norton King’s Daughter’s Health, she pays attention to every minor detail for the patients she cares for at the hospital in Madison, Indiana. So when her inner voice kept nagging her that something might be off during her pregnancy, she took note…

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Cancer, Leukemia, Patient Stories

Elaina rings the bell

There once was a girl named Elaina who had just turned 3 and was getting ready for big-girl school. She was nervous, but excited. Her mom noticed she was starting to walk on her tiptoes, but she thought it was just anxiety. She was also very pale, even though she called herself an “outy-outy girl”…

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Cancer, Patient Stories

After beating childhood cancer, former patient inspired to ‘give back’ and become a nurse

​“I always remember running through the hallways. My mom would say she would always stand behind me with an IV pole because I was on 10 all the time.” – Sydney Wilson, patient care associate, Norton Children’s Hospital, and previous Norton Children’s patient treated for childhood cancer​​ Some of Sydney Wilson’s earlies​t memories take place…

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Heart, Open Heart Surgery, Patient Stories

Newborn survives undiagnosed transposition of the great arteries with care team that didn’t give up

Ashlie Paulin and her family were expecting a joyful Christmas in Louisville when her son Booker was born on Dec. 23, 2021. Instead, they had to hope for a Christmas miracle that their baby boy would survive. Doctors discovered baby Booker had a serious heart condition that went undetected during Ashlie’s pregnancy. Suddenly, it was…

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Heart, NICU, Patient Stories

Complex congenital heart disease

Hattie Etling’s heart journey began before she was born, with a diagnosis so complex it required advanced planning, innovative imaging and a highly specialized heart team. Hattie was diagnosed before birth with heterotaxy syndrome and complex congenital heart disease. Her care team at Norton Children’s Heart Institute knew her untypical anatomy would present extraordinary challenges….

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Epilepsy, Neurosciences

How to help family, friends be prepared when a child has a seizure

If you’re a parent of a child with epilepsy, you know the fear: wondering if your child will have a seizure when you’re not around, and worrying whether those around them will know what to do. Create a personalized seizure action plan Work closely with your child’s neurologist to develop a detailed seizure action plan….

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Heart

Frankfort, Kentucky, boy’s high blood pressure reveals hidden heart condition

Reviewed by Mary T. Killian, M.D., and Bahaaldin Alsoufi, M.D. Written by Courtney Hirz, a Frankfort, Kentucky, resident and mom to Noah, a young boy with a heart condition  It started like any other childhood illness. In November 2024, my 5-year-old son Noah came home from school feeling sick. We assumed it was just another…

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NICU, Patient Stories

Born way too early, baby celebrates a homecoming  just in time for 1st holiday outside the hospital

On a seemingly normal July day, Charles and Samantha Rockwell never imagined their lives were about to change forever. Samantha, who was not even four months pregnant, had just finished a long, 15-hour workday when she began feeling stomach pains. “I thought maybe it was nothing,” she recalled. “But two hours later, we were holding…

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Patient Stories, Pulmonology

Eva’s journey: Breathing easier, thanks to Norton Children’s

When Eva Orlanka Taylor arrived in Kentucky from Haiti at just six years old, she brought with her more than a new name and a new home. She carried an illness no one had fully explained, one that had shaped her early childhood. At Norton Children’s, her family finally began to uncover the answers, and…

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Neurosciences, News, NICU, Patient Stories

From micropreemie to football fan: Madden Baechle’s journey with hydrocephalus

Madden Baechle was born at just 25 weeks’ gestation, weighing 1 pound, 10 ounces. He spent 152 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Norton Children’s Hospital, facing life-threatening complications and undergoing 13 surgeries. Today, those NICU struggles feel like a distant memory, as 11-year-old Madden recently stepped onto the field at Western…

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Cancer, Childrens Hospital Foundation, News

Norton Children’s dedicates new cancer resource center

Norton Children’s, alongside state leaders, patients, families and the community, dedicated Norton Children’s Cancer Institute Resource Center, a new space designed to support children with cancer and their families through every phase of the cancer journey. Located on the eighth floor of Novak Center for Children’s Health, the resource center brings together a wide range…

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