look at me now
n’s, At Ci nc in na ti Ch ild re We m en d he ar ts .
w e fix sm ile s.
The Oster felds Maryn Osterfeld was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 9 months old and needed surgery. Just when she should have been learning to crawl or walk, she had to spend months in a spica cast, then a hip brace. Now 2 years old, those days are a distant memory. She wears a brace only when she sleeps. “She can crawl, walk, run and just learned to jump,” says her mom, Mara.
We repa ir br ains . We fig ht infe ctions . ave. We he lp fa milie s be br ro ng . We he lp ki ds gr ow st ch an ce s. We gi ve th em se co nd n th ey sa y, An d w e ce le br at e w he
“L o ok at me no w.”
Several months ago, we asked families to send in photographs from their experiences at Cincinnati Children’s so we could look back at their medical journeys. More than 100 families sent in snapshots. We invited 14 families back to tell us about how far they’ve come. These are their stories.
Th e McL an es
four months early. She 2 pounds when she arrived Lilly McL ane weighe d less than el per fora tion . Her first ati Chi ldre n’s to rep air a bow nee ded surg ery at Cin cinn r mon ths at Cin cinn ati still too big for her. Afte r fou diap ers wer e doll -sized and 3 years old. “The nurses enough to go home. She’s now Children’s, she grew strong could stay strong for our ds of encouragement so we and other staf f always had wor some of the nurses. ley, who still stays in touch with tiny girl,” says her mother, Ash
The Buffi ngton s
Jaelynn Buffington was born in 2010 with a bilateral complete cleft lip and palate. She had to be fed with a syringe for her first month of life. Specialist s at Cincinnati Children’s performed surgeries and fixed her smile. Her mother, Crysta, says it’s nothing short of “amazing.”
T h e K ro ge rs
rgery, they were ck ne eded skull su ’s nd out their son Za fou er og Kr a cin ris Cin nati Children When David and Ma me. Specialists at sa the be er ev ve lop pr op erl y. ere d if life would d eye mu sc les de scare d. They wond lp Za ck ’s sk ull an he to s rie re. rge su le care he received he pe rfo rm ed mu ltip just fine, thanks to ing do d an old ars Today, Zack is 8 ye
The Cur tis Fam ily Harrison Curtis was born on March 6, 2008. A routine ultrasound had warned that he had a heart condition. On March 9, Harrison underwent a nine-hour surgery to repair his heart. He spent a month at Cincinnati Children’s recovering. His two older brothers were not allowed in the hospita l room during his recover y, so the hospital’s Child Life specialists arrange d for them to meet their new brother via webcam. “Today, Harrison is doing great and is under the continued care of the kind people at the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s,” says his mom,
The Stout s
Peyton Stout was born two months early with such severe complications that doctors told his parents he would not survive. After three months of specialized care at Cincinnati Children’s, Peyton beat the odds. He has been diagnosed with a mild case of cerebral palsy, but he is a thriving 5-year-old. “He walks with assistance and talks non-stop,” says his mom, Katie. “Thank you to all of the wonderful doctors, nurses and therapists at Cincinnati Children’s.”
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Allisha.
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www.cincinnatichildrens.org/youngandhealthy
young and healthy |
SUMMER 2012
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