Find a Story Alyssa Keen Alyssa came to Children’s Hospital in June of 2009 where she was treated for subglottic stenosis. A graft was done with a piece of cartilage from her ribs. Unfortunately it did not take and Aly ended up with a tracheotomy. Through all of this Aly remained strong and happy. She was a fighter. Considering she spent the first six months of her life in the NICU at other hospitals from being born premature. She never gave up. During her one month stay with Children’s she showed her strengths. She would enter the nurses’ station being pulled in her wagon and the nurses would all say "the queen has arrived." She would greet them with her wonderful smile and bright blue eyes. Although Aly was only 17 months old she showed more courage and a fighting spirit to survive that I have ever witnessed before. We lost Aly in August 2009... Amber K. Our daughter weighed only nine pounds at age 9 months. She ate, but couldn't keep it down. She had seizures. After several stays at hospitals in Dothan, we were transferred to Children’s Hospital for diagnosis. After many tests, she was diagnosed as “failure to thrive” due to developmental delay. Today she is 25 and attends Vivian B. Adams School for the handicapped in Ozark. She has made great progress, can read, write, works both in the school's greenhouse and as a school greeter. She goes bowling and rides horses. The staff at Children's was just fantastic. They treated us with such compassion and really listened to us. During our stay, there was a lot of renovation going on, and things were a little wild, but the staff was constant in their devotion and dedication! Gordan Today is a beautiful day in May. The warm rays of the sun and butterflies that welcome the early summer fill me with a deep sorrow. A light breeze brings whispers to the trees and seem to carry the lovely voice of my son, who died some years ago of acute lymphocytic leukemia. He was just seven years old. It was a Sunday night, while nature was showing off her colorful dress and life was felt everywhere. Peets My grandson would pass out when he cried. We were sent to Children's Hospital and spent three days there. I still can't believe how wonderful everyone was to us. from the doctors down to the house keeping people. The Doctors and the nurses took the time to explain everything to us in detail. They were so encouraging about his future and how he would grow out of it. Whtiney My name is Whitney and I’m 11 years old and here is my story about how I became a patient at Children’s. It was April 15, 2009, and I was doing a back handspring and broke both forearms. I was rushed to Marshall Medical South (MMS) where they had to put both my arms back in place. Then I had to spend the night there when the next week I had a follow-up appointment (APPT). When I went to my follow-up appointment I was referred to Children’s Hospital North in Birmingham to see Dr.Gilbert. On April 23, 2009 I had surgery on my right forearm; they had to insert a metal plate and 4 screws in my arm also. I had appointments monthly. On August 12, in one of my x-rays Dr.Gilbert noticed that the metal plate was broken. Two weeks later on August 28, 2009, I had another metal... Marie Elizabeth McCormick Marie was 5yrs old when it all began. She got her 5yr booster shots and everything started to go wrong. She was tired and couldn't stay awake for long. She started to bruise and stayed sick. We went to the doctor several times and nobody knew what was wrong. This went on till August 7th. She started kindergarten and would come home and pass out for the night till morning. Then Aug 24th she woke up and had a bad cough and couldn't breathe. We took her to the ER and they did a CBC and found her platelet count was 17000. She was then taken to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Al. There she went through testing to see what was wrong. September 28, 2007 she was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia. She went through drug treatment for 6 months. Then we looked for a donor for a bone marrow... Shayne and Payne Alexander Shayne and Payne are twins born at only 24 weeks gestation on October 4, 2000 in Dothan. They stayed in the hospital for four months, gaining weight and getting stronger each day. They were both on ventilators but would aspirate every time they would cry. Their mom and dad, Michelle and Doyle, wondered when they would ever get to take them home. They did get strong enough to breathe on their own and both were released from the hospital in early February 2001, just days apart. Michelle said once they got them home they could barely suck their bottles. They were only home a few days before they were back in the hospital. They found that both boys had severe hernias, which made them cry all the time from the excruciating pain. Jeffrey and Linda Allen One afternoon in 1972, Linda Allen found herself back where she had spent much of her childhood – only this time her son was the patient. Cash Stanfield Anderson "History Does Repeat Itself" Grayson Anderson Brain Tumor Survival Story Tinsley Andrews My daughter Tinsley Andrews was born on Dec.8,2004 in Ft.Payne, Alabama. She was born with a bi-lateral cleft palate. We were transferred to Huntsville Hospital for a week and a half because of the difficulties she was having with breathing and feeding. We were then transferred to Children’s for Drs. Boyle, Georgeson, and Grant to work their magic. On January 2, Dr. Boyle and Dr. Georgeson performed Fondoplication and placed a feeding tube into Tinley's stomach. This was the first step toward a healthy childhood for Tinsley. We then would meet Dr. Grant and his nurse Dana. They were great. We had several long days and long nights during the two and a half weeks we were there. We were on the 3rd floor for several days and then were moved to the 5th floor. That was where Tinley and I met our "Nurse Angel" by the name of Courtney... Jada Ayala I was pregnant with my 5th child and was 4 months along when I went in for a regular ultrasound to find out what it was going to be. The tech told me that she was a girl but she thought that she needed the head tech to come in and look at something on the screen. She told me that they couldn’t get a good picture of her belly button and that they really needed it, so they would be calling me back in for another check. I have four previous children and never had I had to go back and have something go wrong but I knew when I left that day that something just wasn’t right. I got the phone call about 3 days later with the nurse telling me that there was something wrong with my baby. And that they were sending me to UAB... Rachel Badgett When I was 2 weeks old, I began projectile vomiting. Over the next few days, I could not keep any food down at all. I began to lose weight and cried constantly. My parents took me to doctor after doctor and were told that I just had virus. Thankfully, my parents knew something else was going on. They finally took me to the local emergency room where the pediatrician on call diagnosed my condition as pyloric Stenosis. Pyloric Stenosis is most common in first-born boys, but even then is pretty rare. And here I was a girl but sure enough, I had it. I was transferred to Children's Hospital in Birmingham where the doctors performed the surgery to correct my condition; if they had waited 24 more hours to do my surgery I would have died. I was in the hospital for several weeks but came home healthy. If it... Carol Grace Bailey Carol Grace, the daughter of Hope and Chad Bailey of Tuscaloosa, was diagnosed with spina bifida while in utero. Hope’s obstetrician arranged for her to have her baby at University Hospital in Birmingham. Levi Bailey My grandson, Levi was diagnosed with cancer, neuroblastoma February 2, 2002 in stage 4. He was given chemo to shrink the tumor, then he had surgery to remove the tumor, then a stem cell transplant and radiation on his lungs; (the cancer was in his lungs, not in his bone marrow as all other children's have been). No cancer could be found in May 2003 but he relapsed in August 2003. Chemo was started again then Dr. Eric Gratias referred him to Sloan-Kettering in New York for 3F8 treatment. There he had several 3F8 IV treatments which are very painful, and 10 more radiation treatments. They performed bone marrows, scans and other tests during his several visits there. He has been clear of cancer since late 2004 and we are very grateful for God's graciousness in giving the doctors at Children's Hospital and at Sloan-Kettering know how to treat Levi.... Khalika D. Bankhead She had open heart surgery at 4 months old. As she got older she wasn't gaining weight. A gastronomy tube was put in to feed her. Ella Brooke Barefield Ella Brooke's Story Elliot Barfield On April 7, 1994, due to complications, Elliott was born at 26 weeks gestation weighing only 1 lb 11 1/2 ounces and was only 13 inches long. He was born at UAB in Birmingham and struggled being on life support for 29 days and continuing to need oxygen following that. After five months he had not made considerable progress. He was still dependent on oxygen and was transferred to Children's Hospital for surgery to correct a hiatal hernia and to receive a gastrostomy for feeding. He came through the surgery with great success and started to make improvements. He was finally able to go home at the age of eight months weighing eight pounds with a feeding tube, 24 hour oxygen, and too many medications to list. He struggled but was such a joy to have. He grew at a slow pace and after 6 years he was able... Shannon Barnes January 22, 2003, is a day that Shannon Barnes of Gardendale, Alabama, and her family will never forget. Shannon and her younger sister, Tabitha, never imagined that on their drive home from school that day, their lives would change forever. Along the way home, Shannon, 16, pulled up to a red light and stopped, waiting for the light to turn green. When the light finally turned, Shannon paused and looked both ways to make sure that the road was clear before she proceeded home. Just seconds after she put her foot on the pedal, an 18-wheeler came barreling down the hill towards Shannon’s car. Walker Barnett Being first time parents we did not know what to expect when we had our first born son Walker. We knew early in the pregnancy that he had fluid on his kidneys. They discovered it while doing an ultrasound around 19 weeks into the pregnancy. The doctor's had told us it could mean several different things, and they needed to monitor it every few weeks until Walker was born. Before we knew it, it was time to welcome Walker into the world. Less than 12 hours after he was born we got a phone call from his doctor telling us we needed to take Walker straight to Children's Hospital in Birmingham, that Dr. Herndon would be waiting on us to see Walker immediately. You can't imagine the horror that we had as new parents not knowing what was wrong. As soon as we arrived at Children's and got checked in,... Kimberly Parrish Baxley When I was four years old I started falling a lot. Then it got to where I could not get off of the floor by myself. My parents brought me to Children's Hospital. They ran tests and they found a tumor on my spine. My parents started a prayer chain. The next morning the doctor prepared to do surgery. He did one last X-ray and the tumor was gone. To me that is a miracle. Toby Baxley At a very awkward time and place in my life, Children's taught me that it wasn't so bad to have to take shots several times a day, and that I wasn't any different than any other kid in my class--that along with a lot of smiling and friendly faces, made my disease seem like it wasn't that big of a monster after all. Joshua Bishop Joshua was born a healthy little boy. When he was 2 months old I noticed a lump on his arm. Our pediatrician sent us to a surgeon to possibly have it removed. At 3 months it was removed and 3 days later we learned that he had neuroblastoma. After several scans and tests it was found that Joshua had a primary neuroblastoma tumor in his abdomen on top of his adrenal gland. He was diagnosed with stage 4s neuroblastoma because it had spread from the original site and he was under age 1. Thankfully with this stage often times the cancer can be closely watched. Joshua has been closely watched with many scans, needle sticks and urine tests but has had no chemotherapy or radiation or additional surgery and the tumor continues to shrink. Joshua is now about to turn 2 years... Justin Blackmon My son Justin was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when he was 8 years old (2005). He had a large lump on his neck. We brought him to our family doctor and he thought Justin just had swollen glands from a sore throat since he had no other symptoms. This went on for about three months. When the lump didn’t go away he sent us to a pediatrician about an hour away from where we live. They did blood tests and diagnosed him with chronic anemia because his blood counts were low. We went back to the pediatrician for a follow up about a month later and he still had the lump but it was bigger, he was having unexplained fevers and night sweats. The pediatrician brought a colleague in and they decided to send him to Children’s Hospital just to make sure there wasn’t something going on that they weren’t... Justin Blackmon My son Justin was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when he was 8 years old (2005). He had a large lump on his neck. We brought him to our family doctor and he thought he just had swollen glands from a sore throat, at the time Justin had no other symptoms. This went on for about three months. When the lump didn’t go away he sent us to a pediatrician about an hour away from where we live. They did blood tests and diagnosed him with chronic anemia because his blood counts were low. We went back to the pediatrician for a follow up about a month later and he still had the lump but it was bigger, he was having unexplained fevers and night sweats. The pediatrician brought a colleague in and they decided to send him to Children’s Hospital just to make sure there wasn’t something going on... Gage and Brook Blakely The Blakely Journey Tiffany Starr Blakely The Children’s Hospital was like my home in the first years of my life. Landon Boothe My son Landon Tyler Boothe was born on June 27, 2007, at UAB Hospital. He was taken by C-section at 39 weeks due to several birth defects that we knew that he had. The doctors told me at 21 weeks after an amnio that he had less than a 10 percent chance of survival after birth, and gave me the option to abort. Of course I refused and put it in God's hands. He was born with an Omphalocele, which exposed his liver and intestines, a diaphragmatic hernia, and multiple heart defects that were called Tetralogy of Fallot-consisting of four heart defects. The evening after his birth he was immediately transported to Children's Hospital in Birmingham to be evaluated for surgery by Drs. Georgeson and Barnhardt to repair the opening in his abdomen and begin the process of putting his organs back in and also repair his diaphragm. His first... Bobby Bowden Sickened with rheumatic fever at age 13, Bobby Bowden, the beloved, long-time coach of the Florida State Seminoles, spent a year in bed recovering. True to the custom of the era, young Bobby was treated at home during house calls made by Children’s Hospital’s Dr. Mehaffy. Coach Bowden says his parents took comfort in knowing Children’s Hospital was there for their son if he ever needed hospitalization. Tucker Bradford I was induced on August 25, 2005 at 6am. By 4pm that afternoon and 3 1/2 hrs of pushing the Dr. suggests forceps. After a lot of questions and against my better judgment I agreed. This attempt was short lived and I was rushed to the OR for a C-section. Finally he was here, and taken to the NICU. I wasn't allowed much time with him that night and when he was brought to me the next day he was began to have a seizure. Again he was rushed away. He was taken by ambulance to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, and diagnosed with a Subdural and Epidural Hematoma. Those were scary words for my husband and I but the next two words were the worst...."brain surgery". Over the next couple of days he seemed to stop loosing blood and the Hematomas were healing on there own. During the whole ordeal... Caleb Brady My beautiful son, Joseph Caleb Brady was born on a beautiful day in September in the year 1999. The 2nd day of the month, in fact. It is a day I will never forget. His father was actually in Bradford for drug rehab and I was there for the family weekend when to my surprise, my water broke, at 38 weeks. I was terrified. Being from Montgomery, I was 80 plus miles from home and on top of that, my water, when it broke was discolored. Come to find out, my little man had a bowel movement inside of me. Well, I was rushed to Baptist Montclair in the back of an ambulance. Not fun being big around as a barrel and lying on this stretcher that is maybe 3 feet wide. Well, after arriving at the hospital at 8 am and laboring all day and not dilating anymore than... Robyn Tillis Brandt When I was born at the medical center in Dothan, Alabama everything appeared to be perfectly normal. It was not until the nurses were giving me my first bath that they discovered that I had soft cleft palate and I stopped breathing. I was then intubated and flown to Children’s Hospital. Ben Brewbaker When my mom found out she was going to have a fourth boy from an ultra-sound she was a little less than enthusiastic at first. A conference with her doctor quickly changed her mind and heart, when she was told that the little baby she was carrying would probably be born with spina bifida. Samuel Brewer What started out as simple problems with his right leg and knee, Samuel Brewer was later diagnosed at Children’s Hospital with a slipped epiphysis; a hip disorder that is common in adolescents. Emilee Broadway My baby girl was born on August 19, 1993 and it was supposed to be the most exciting day, but it turned into the most scary day. I thought my baby girl was not going to make it. It took awhile for anybody to know what she had; they had never seen anything like it. She was born at Athens Limestone Hospital and then sent to Children's Hospital. As soon as my doctor released me, I was on my way to be with her. She was four days old when her little body had to go through and eight hour surgery! Dr. Pain removed the tumor, Dr. Joseph was there to help put her little organs back where they belonged. Soon after the surgery we found out that the tumor was malignant and she needed chemo. Dr. Hilliard has been with us since day one! Three months of chemo was... Kara Rasberry Brooks As a seven year old child I was transferred to Children's Hospital after experiencing weeks of painful stomach cramps in the summer of 1989. The local hospital in my town could not determine the source of my discomfort. However, the staff at Children's immediately found the source of my pain and planned for surgery. A few days after admittance, Dr. Crane removed my gallbladder after several gallstones were found. I remember worrying relentlessly about the pain that I would endure after the surgery, yet the staff kindly diverted my attention elsewhere. The kindness and thoroughness of the staff was exceptional! What stands out about my experience at Children's was the one time the staff spent with me trying to lift my spirits and allowing me to be a child through art, crafts, and coloring. Interestingly enough I am now 28 years old and employed as a counselor who attempts to... Kailin Lana Lacey Brown Two years ago my husband and I found out we were going to have our third child. I had gone for a routine check-up at my doctor's office. After an unusually long ultrasound I was waiting in the exam room for my doctor to come in. When he came in he told me that the ultrasound had showed that my baby had too much fluid on her brain. I was shocked, and upset to say the least. I was sent to Birmingham to the Kirklin Clinic where the doctor there said the same thing. I had to continue seeing both my doctor’s. My regular doctor in Alexander City and the doctor at the Kirklin Clinic. On November 27, 2006 my Lana Bell came into this world by c-section. She had to be put the NICU unit at UAB until she was transported to Children's Hospital to the NICU unit there,... Kara Nicole Brown I am from Southeast Alabama, and was sent to UAB to deliver my baby that was coming two months early. I had her at UAB, and she was taken over to Children's Hospital soon after. My daughter was born the day I turned 7 months. She weighed 3 lbs. 1 oz. She actually dropped down to 2 lbs. 14 oz. I had to leave her at Children's Hospital and go home to Dothan, which is where I was living at the time. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. When I was able to come back to visit her, I learned that she was cared for just as if the staff were her parents. I'll never forget seeing her in a beautiful, new outfit that one of the nurses bought her, and even combed her hair. She bought a stuffed bear for her that was bigger than... Keionha Brown Keionha Brown has been a Child of Children’s Hospital since she was two months old. Her mother, Candy, will never forget what it felt like that day in the car. Little Keionha began to vomit – not just spit up like babies do – and then her eyes rolled back and her tiny body went limp. Candy was terrified. Randy Brown By Kristine Gresh Hannah, Dee and Heaven Brundidge Holley Brundidge is the proud mother of five. Having five kids is a miracle and a challenge all rolled into one, but her journey of miracles and challenges have been one that many of us can only imagine. Three of her five kids have had major health experiences at Children’s Hospital. Lenzie Nicole Butland On New Year's Eve 2004 our baby girl, Lenzie, woke up and couldn't do anything. She was limp and her little body was shaking. She couldn't sit up, crawl, stand, walk or talk—all things that she once could do. Lenzie was a healthy one year old little girl until New Year's Eve. My husband and I rushed Lenzie to the local ER that morning. They called in a Pediatric Neurologist to examine Lenzie. They also performed a CT scan and gave her fluids through an IV. The Neurologist diagnosed Lenzie with Acute Cerebellar Ataxia. He pretty much said there was nothing we could do and Lenzie would eventually get better. It could take a few weeks, months or a year. My husband and I were not pleased. I knew that something was terribly wrong and I didn't except that this was what was wrong with our daughter and nothing could... Mary Evelyn Butler Mary Evelyn Butler was born on June 16, 2007 and is fourteen months old now. She is a good-natured, happy baby. She has brought us so much joy. When she was eight months old we noticed a large growth forming under the skin on her back. Mary Evelyn endured a series of tests before the doctors finally diagnosed her as having Infantile Fibromatosis. It is a benign tumor that has infected the latissimus dorsi muscle on her back. It is growing and the doctors want to stop the progression and ultimately shrink it. The tumor can be life threatening if it is not stopped. Because the tumor is very involved in the muscle tissue, it would be impossible to remove it without removing the whole muscle. Therefore, Mary Evelyn will have to undergo chemotherapy. We will be taking her to Children's Hospital once a week for the next six months... Jacob Byrd The Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast was dessimated after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 leaving many medical care providers stretched thin to cover the coast from Mississippi to Florida. Jacob had become noticeably ill with weight loss, bruising, fever, chills, and often, pain. We waited three months in our hometown to see a doctor only to find out that we did not have the "referral" we needed while sitting in the specialist's office that day. Our pediatrician sent Jacob to see Dr. Stephen King and Carey Cavendar in Birmingham and subsequently underwent immediate diagnostic care for leukemia, surgery and treatment at Children's Hospital. A delay in his care could have been a matter of life and death if not for these caring physicians and staff and the proper referrals to get him the care he required. Jacob underwent 83 chemo treatments, surgery, and ongoing infusion... Charles Campbell My name is Charles Campbell I am 34 years old. I was diagnosed with Rye Syndrome in 1985 at Riverview Regional Hospital. I stayed in the Emergency room for nine hours. I was 12 years old. In 1985 I was transferred to Children’s Hospital. My mother told me it was very cold that day. The wind was blowing hard; the ambulance could hardly stay on the road. She also said that was the longest ride she had ever been on, from Gadsden, AL to Birmingham, AL. Dalton Causey Dalton was a healthy little 4-year-old we thought!! On December 13th 2005 we noticed that he had a swollen spot on the left side of his jaw. So I took him to the dentist as soon as I could get in which was the following Monday and he said that Dalton had two teeth that were abscessed and needed to come out. He went home on 10 days of antibiotics. Well it was time for them to end and Dalton's jaw kept getting bigger and bigger so I called back to the dentist office and they just wanted to call him in some more antibiotics and that’s when I got a little aggravated and said if 10 days hasn't worked why would 17? So I said no we are not doing that, we will take him to our family doctor. So, we did and he said “OH MY... Peri Chapman On May 3, 2007, I played in one of my softball games making a double play to end the game. The next day, I was scheduled to have a cat scan because I was having really bad headaches. Dr. Ramsey, at Dothan Pediatrics, ordered the test at Flowers Hospital just to make sure nothing was wrong. The test was at 11:30 a.m. and by 8:30 p.m. that night of May 4, 2007 my mama, my Aunt and me were checking into Children's Hospital. I had been diagnosed with a Craniopharyngioma, a type of brain tumor very common in children. It was partially removed on May 8, 2007 along with my pituitary gland. I was scared but my family and my faith in God saw me through this time in my life. I would like to thank everyone at Children’s and my family and friends for everything they have done for... Jackson Chard On Friday, September 13, 2002 our son Jackson, 16 months old, pulled a crock pot off the counter top in our kitchen, spilling hot liquid on his tiny body. Luckily we lived only blocks from Children's Hospital at the time, and he was rushed there. Within an hour of the accident, he was in the Children's Burn Unit undergoing hydro-therapy. It was determined that he had deep and superficial second degree burns on 22% of his body. Dr. Hardin told us to expect him to be at Children's for at least 22 days. But Jackson was a super healthy toddler prior to the accident and was a very cooperative little patient. He ate very well in the hospital to get the huge amount of calories needed to heal burns, and after only three days Dr. Hardin told us we could take him home. We were instructed on the complicated dressing... Christopher Cherry As parents of two normal, healthy teenagers, we never expected to ever see the inside of Children's Hospital. However, our son, Christopher, was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 14. When he was 17, it was decided he needed a spinal fusion and the insertion of two metal rods to correct the curvature of his spine. All this would be done at Children's Hospital. Needless to say, we were all a bit nervous. But the morning of his procedure, the staff and everyone that was to be a part in the operating room came in and talked to us and explained everything and made sure we understood. We were free to ask questions if anything was unclear. They were very assuring and compassionate. The procedure went well and Chris went from the recovery room to spend 24 hours in the Intensive Care Unit where the nurses were amazing. After our time... Phillip Andrew Clements Andrew started getting sick at the age of five weeks. He had pneumonia five times. He has 19 surgeries. Surgeries include ear drum replacement on both ears, tonsils and adnoids removed, five port placements/removals, along with many more. Andrew still doesn't complain. His fevers have been as high as 105.7 for days. He has had ruptured ear drums, stayed at Children's for sometimes a month at a time; still never complaining. He gets an IV every 28 days (for his immune system) to help him stay as well as possible. He is now 15 and never complains. Michael Adams Cohan By Shelby Cohan Carol Colburn Cashi Colley Cashi was 12 years old when his mother along with him and his two brothers were involved in a near fatal car accident. His brothers, Raymond and Johnathan were airlifted to Children’s Hospital of Alabama. Cashi was not airlifted because he was older. Hoowever, he was later transported to Children’s. Cashi had an operation on his spine to repair the damage. He was diagnosed with complete paralysis. He has been in PT for 3 1/2 years now. Today he can walk with a cane. He is slow but it is a miracle how far he has come. While his mother was injured the staff at Children’s took on these three boys as their own. They went way beyond their duties. Cashi's favorite nurse was Mrs. Brenda. Raymond and Johnathan loved Ms. Molly. I am sure there were others but these are the names I constantly heard from the boys.... Johnathan Colley Johnathan’s Mom remembers: On May 18, 2006 my entire family was involved in a near fatal car accident. Johnathan was thrown from the vehicle. His little body was broken and his face had to be repaired because the laceration to the left side was so deep. Doctor's had to operate inside his head. When he was finally released from Children’s Hospital, which was around the end of June, he was on a feeding tube. Johnathan couldn't talk, walk or even hold himself up and he had no control of his bowel. It was an emotional time. When he began PT from home my faith was weak but I still prayed. I was released from Baptist Hospital in Montgomery the second week of July. I would just look at my child and sob. I would constantly think, would he ever get out of this hospital bed. When PT started it was... Lance Cook June, 2007. School was out and summer fun had just begun when 15-year-old Lance Cook fell ill. First diagnosed with a sinus infection, Lance grew sicker and sicker. Within days, the big, strong, healthy Ashford High School student lost control of his lower body and the ability to walk. His parents took him to the emergency room of the local hospital, where physicians immediately prepared him for transport to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. Steven Cornelius From the time Kade started preschool at age 2, we knew there was something different about him. He hit all his milestones at an early age but when it came time to be with other children, he showed no interest. By the time he had turned 3 and was advancing into a new classroom, the teachers had called me in to talk about his apparent disabilities. In her words, "He's different." I was shocked, in denial, scared and worried about my child all at the same time. They recommended a preschool for children with behavioral/social issues and with hesitation I accepted hoping that is was the best thing for him. After spending 2 weeks at the center, his behaviors had worsened at school, at home and even daily living was becoming difficult. He was defiant and challenged his dad and I in every way. I immediately pulled him out and... Jamoson Max Crews Max was born on March 31, 2006, at UAB, 12 weeks earlier than expected. He weighed 1 lb. 15 oz. He stayed in the hospital for 91 days, six of those days on a ventilator. After being released from UAB, we returned to Birmingham two weeks later for hernia repair surgery at Children's. I was a little nervous about having him put to sleep. He was only a little over five pounds. Dr. Saito was great. The surgery went fine, and you can barely see a scar now. He was also under Dr. David Lazono's care until Dec. 2006 because of BPD, which was due in part to being on a ventilator. Dr. Lazono and his staff were great. Thankfully we no longer need the services of Children's. Max is now 19 months old and is in perfect health. He has shown no signs of asthma. Thanks, Children's Hospital!... David Crow David's Story Susan Benson Crow Susan Benson Crow was just three years old when her parents received devastating news Susan had liver cancer. Courtney Culley Courtney is a brave young lady. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was three years old. We were sent to Children’s at that time and are still using them today. Courtney had been doing really well until 2005 when we found out her tumor had tripled in size and needed to be removed. Where Courtney’s tumor is located they are not able to remove it all. They can only get what grows outside the brain stem. We had to return in August of that year to have another surgery and again in 2008. We have just come home from her third surgery. This time Courtney will have to undergo chemo or radiation that will have to be done in Birmingham. Her doctor and nurse, Mrs. Nadine Bradley, are super and are always their when we need them. Courtney is recovering from surgery at home... Breanna Daniels Breanna was born on July 28, 1993. She immediately quit breathing and had to be put on a respirator. After about an hour, we were told that she would have to go to Children's Hospital. After a few slight problems with the jet because of weather, she finally flew to Birmingham. This is when we found out she had persistent fetal circulation. Because of her breathing problems, we could not hold her until she was twelve days old. We stayed in ICU for three and a half weeks, and then in a room for one and a half weeks. The doctors, nurses, and all of the staff were wonderful. If it were not for God guiding their hands, Breanna would not be alive. She has a mild case of Cerebral Palsy, but is not limited on any activities. She is now 14 years old. We still see Dr. Killian for... Christopher Davis Christopher was born September 12, 1992 at a local hospital in Montgomery, Alabama. Three months later, thanks to a local physician named Bob Beshear, he was rushed to Children's Hospital in Birmingham with malnutrition and an enlarged liver. Unknown to us, Christopher was suffering from a chronic lung disease known as Cystic Fibrosis which is due to a glue-like substance in the lungs that causes lung problems, gastro problems, and major sinus problems. Dr. Lyrene and Sandy Mann were the first two people we saw. I will never forget asking Sandy "Is he going to die?" Sandy replied calmly, "Yes." We were told shortly afterwards that we would only have Chris in our lives for 17 years. Coltyn Dearen Coltyn's Mom remembers. While I was in my last month of pregnancy with my son the ultra sound tech noticed his bladder was enlarged. As you could imagine that I was scared because this was my first baby. Coltyn's pediatrician recommended we see Dr. Joseph at Children's, so off we went when he was 1 month old. While there they catherdrized my son, which was awful, and diagnosed him with a stage 5 Vesiocouteral Reflux (reflux between the kidney and the bladder). The doctor tells me my child will need to stay on antibiotics and possibly have surgery. All of this happened when my little boy was 18 months old and he had his ureters reimplanted into his bladder. While my son has had no serious complications from his diagnosis it has been a scary situation. While worried about my son and entering those doors for the first time at... Mickelluh Denis Mickelluh has always shown signs of being sick in some sort of way. And when I, as his mom, was diagnosed with FAP when he was 5 months old, began worrying that he also had the same disease. My husband and I tried for six years to get someone to listen to us that Micke may possibly also be inflicted with FAP, but NO ONE would listen to us. He's too young everyone always told us, until we went to Children’s Hospital and finally someone did listen to us. That doctor was Dr. Saeed! He arranged for Micke to have a colonoscopy, and sure enough, our baby had polyps and those polyps had signs of adenomas. He then sent us to Dr. Barnhart who agreed that our son was going to need surgery and scheduled it for July 5, 2007. We went through months of complications but finally came... Kelsey Dollar On Christmas day, 1995 my daughter Kelsey, at the age of 16 months, had the first of many seizures, with no warning whatsoever. Over the next several years, we went through a number of tests and in the end were the first client to undergo surgery for Epilepsy at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. It took a couple of procedures to finally remove excessive tissue, but thanks to what we think are the greatest physicians and nurses in the world, Kelsey has been seizure free for almost a year now. Kelsey had gotten to where she was having seizures on a weekly basis, so indeed, we feel that she is indeed a walking miracle!! We can never thank Children's Hospital enough for the professional services they have provided. We have made many friends and are always willing to do all that we can for the Children's Hospital!! Ingram Duggar As a former member of the nursing staff at the Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UAB, I thought I new everything about having a new baby. However, when Ingram was 13 days old she felt warm and indeed she had temperature. We took her to the children's ED and we were told our newborn baby had meningitis. Crushed, I found faith I never had. After 48 hours we were told it was viral and we were discharged. At 6-8 weeks old she became sick again, and after hospitalization we were told our child had vesicoureteral reflux. After 6 months of endurance with a wonderful relationship with Dr.Richard Stone, Ingram underwent re-implantation of her ureters. When our child went to the operating room with my college roomate, whom happen to be a nurse at the TCH, I realized I could not control everything, and our God was indeed in control... Salem Dutton For about four weeks, our eight year old daughter Salem had been having a series of unexplained fevers that would go as quickly as they came. It was like taking your car to the mechanic for repairs and the mechanic not being able to find a problem because the car was running fine. Nothing would show up when we carried Salem to her pediatrician, who did a complete set of blood tests (more than once). Salem's dad brought her home from softball practice early on Thursday before Good Friday in 2004. Salem had become frustrated at practice and exclaimed, "I can't see the ball!". Between school work and it being close to Easter, we thought she was just overly tired. Her dad and I discussed it that night and decided it would be a good idea to make an appointment to have her eyes checked, "just to be safe". On... Janice Marie Edwards In 1960 when I was seven months old I was diagnosed with polio. In 1968 I came to Birmingham to Children’s Hospital and had a muscle transplant. I also got to have my picture in the newspaper. I had to undergo several months of physical therapy; my parents couldn’t afford to go back and forth so I had to stay at the hospital. I got an award for helping out with others while I stayed there. You couldn’t have asked for nicer people. My heart and thanks go out to them. Stephanie Eiland Hello, I'm Stephanie Eiland. I was diagnosed with Scoliosis the summer before I was to start 4th grade. My parents noticed that when I walked one of my shoulders was noticeably shorter than the other one and were a bit concerned. So, they carried me to my local doctor, where he took X-rays and told me I had a right degree curve in my back, and he would just check up on it every couple of months. My parents felt something was still wrong. My mother got on the computer and started looking up doctors and facts about Scoliosis. She found Dr. Killian at Children's Hospital and we immediately made an appointment to see him. Dr. Killian had me have an MRI which showed him my curve was not a right degree curve, but a left degree curve. Dr. Killian referred us to Dr. Oakes soon after. Dr. Oakes informed... Shirley Engle Shirley Engle Avery Ernsberger Avery Ernsberger was born December 14, 2002. His mom, Deanna, was overjoyed, to say the least; however, she noticed that Avery spit up a lot. She knew babies spit up, but Avery was different. His was extreme. “I could tell something wasn’t right. I was afraid he would choke in his sleep.” Coy Face Coy Face is a first grader from Trinity, Alabama, a small community near Decatur. Coy was just three years old when his mom, April, discovered the lump in his side. It was a Saturday morning, October 15, 2005. The pediatrician told April to bring Coy in on Monday. They were immediately sent to a local hospital, where a surgeon told them he was “pretty sure” that Coy had Wilm’s tumor, a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children. Syble Farr Syble Farr Lloyd Finks Lloyd Finks Story John Fisher John Fisher’s first memory is of going to Colbert County Hospital when he was just two years old. It was 1930. His mother was making an extraordinary effort to seek help for John’s talipes condition. Nicholas Fiveash Nicholas Fiveash is one of the Fiveash triplets born three months premature. All three babies required world class medical care, unfortunately Nicholas needed it most. On April 25th, 2001 Nicholas, Jacob, and Hannah Fiveash were welcomed into the world. Nicholas weighing just one pound fifteen ounces suffered a brain bleed on his second day of life. On May 17th, Nicholas started having problems with his bowel and was transferred to Children's Hospital where he underwent surgery. Four days later the attending physician informed our family that Nicholas was on 100% of oxygen and that there was nothing more they could do to help him survive, so we went ahead and baptized him and about a half hour later the doctor came and told our family that Nicholas had made a turn around, and that it was truly a miracle, but our joy was short lived. Within a week Nicholas suffered... Mary Kathryn Fletcher Most teens enjoy beach trips, outdoor activities and sleeping late during summer break, but for Mary Kathryn Fletcher, a 14 year old of Oak Mountain High School, the summer before she entered high school was memorable in a much different way. Her summer held an experience that many of her classmates will not deal with for years to come. In early July 2007 Mary Kathryn, “MK” to her family, developed symptoms her parents thought was mononucleosis. Upon seeing her normal family physician MK tested negative for mono and returned home. Her condition worsened over the next week or so and she was very weak, losing weight quickly, and had become nauseated all the time. MK was also exceptionally weak on the right side of her body. After a few more days of this she returned to her family physician who then thought they needed to take a step toward looking... Michael Florence Michael Florence Elijah Ford On August 4, 2009, Eli was seriously burned. We had been cooking with grease for over an hour at 450 degrees. Eli is a 5 year old little boy who is extremely active. As he passed through the kitchen he bumped into the pan. The grease fell down his little body melting the flesh. He had burns on his head, ear, neck, shoulder and down his arm. As the smell of burning flesh filled the air the most bone chilling scream traveled through the house! Eli was taken to a local hospital for treatment then sent to the burn unit at Children’s Hospital of AL. The medical staff was above and beyond wonderful!! His nurse was a wonderful man and a gentle giant to Eli. They were understanding with his fear and patient with his pain. With weeks of treatment and trips to the unit he has healed with two... Braley and Brianna Foust My twin girls are 10 months old and both were born with cleft lip/palate. We have been traveling back and forth to Birmingham since they were two months old. They will have numerous surgeries throughout life. They had their first surgery in February 2008 (which was two procedures by two different doctors). It was their lip surgery and ear tubes. We stayed overnight at Children’s. Raymond Franklin Raymond was 10 years old when his family was involved in a near fatal car accident. He was not wearing his seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle. Both of his arms were broken. Numerous surgeries were done in hope to save his leg but he ended up having a amputation above the knee. So much blood was lost and his leg was damaged beyond repair. Losing his leg at an early age has not stopped him from playing basketball or football. He nearly bleed to death and we almost lost him but the many prayers have brought him through and made him a stronger child. Carolyn Franks My name is Carolyn Franks, I am 61 years old. My mom and dad’s name was Jack and Ruby Nichols. My right hand is enlarged to twice the size of my left. I was born with it. My parents took me to Children’s Hospital when I was a toddler. I think I may have started going in 1950 or 1951. [I went until I was 18 years old. As you can tell, it’s my right hand because I don’t write to good]. When I was eight or nine the doctors did a biopsy. It’s not cancer they called it Limfamgoma. Robert and Cole Gamble Robert was born in Selma, Alabama with an underdeveloped left side of the body, called Polin Syndrome. In 1976 doctors did not know what to say to Robert’s parents. His family took him to Children’s Hospital. At 6 months old he endured his first surgery and then again at 12 months old. Robert learned to crawl and walk with a cast which was a challenge. Over the course of 10 years of Robert’s life he followed up with visits to Children’s. Robert remembers having a great experience at Children’s, “The physicians were great and as a kid growing up it was a very comforting environment to be in having to go back to the doctor and of course at the time Birmingham was a big city too. It was just an overall great experience” Kaitlyn Gillis On March 17, 2005 my daughter Katie was admitted to Flowers Hospital in Dothan, Alabama. For two weeks prior to this Katie had been treated for what was believed to be a bladder infection. Katie had been having severe back pain and on this day she had become dehydrated and could not walk. An MRI and a CT scan was ran and it was determined that she had a pocket around her L3 vertebrae. This was believed to be a tumor, possibly cancer. Dr. Benak immediately transferred Katie to Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Katie was admitted on the oncology floor and Dr. Hillard was her primary physician. Many tests were run and after about eight days it was determined that it was not cancer, but some type of infection at this point she was put in the care of Dr. Pass. Dr. Pass diagnosed Katie with Salmonella in her L3... Noah Golden Noah was born on a hot morning in August. He was a month early but seemed to be in good health. Everything went according to plan. Then, after he had been placed in my arms for about 5 minutes, the nurse noticed that he had a blue tinge to his lips. She took him to the nursery to watch him. Not long after, they wheeled him into my room in an incubator and told me he was going to the NICU and would more than likely be released a few days after I went home. My daughters barely even had time to see him before they took him. We were able to get a few pictures with him and then he was gone to NICU. This was the beginning of a long road. I was discharged from the hospital without him.... Fuller Goldsmith Monday, April 30, 2007 started as any other day. I knew Fuller had not been feeling well or acting like himself, but I had valid reasons behind all of his behavior. However, Leukemia had crossed my mind several times in the last few weeks, and I of course had looked up the symptoms on the internet, so I knew what I knew but didn't want to know it. Jeron Goodwin Jeron Goodwin came into the world on December 30, 2000 with a very wide smile. A smile that was much wider than it should have been. Jeron was born with a wide complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. Jeron's parents David and Shannon Goodwin found out about Jeron's condition before he was born due to a routine ultrasound performed at Shannon's OB/GYN. Jeron made his first trip to Children's Hospital on January 11, 2001. He was just 12 days old. It was at cleft Clinic that Jeron was introduced to his cleft team headed by Dr. John Grant and to Ms. Fran, an occupational therapist that changed Jeron's bottles he was using because he was losing a lot of weight. Jeron made several trips to Children's in his first three months planning for his first cleft surgery that would repair his lip and nose. When he came back from... Pat Gordan Pat Gordon would not have been considered a child to most when he was first referred to Children’s Hospital. It was just after the thanksgiving holidays that the 27 year old went to the doctor and a form of cancer was discovered in his hip. Doctors were unsure of what type of cancer Pat was suffering from so he was sent to the Mayo Clinic. It was here that Pat was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma and then referred to Dr. Jim Dearth at Children’s. Doctors told Pat that if he didn’t mind going to a children’s hospital, Dr. Dearth was his best bet. AJ Gossen Adam Jeffrey Gossen (A.J.) was born July 12, 1995 to Rochelle and Jeff Gossen. Rochelle had a normal pregnancy and expected a normal delivery; however, immediately after A.J. was born the doctors placed him in an incubator. His skin was blue due to poor circulation and they didn’t know what was causing him to have difficulty breathing. They also realized that bones were missing from his arms. He was diagnosed with TAR Syndrome, a genetic disorder which stands for thrombocytopenia-absent radius, which means he is missing the radius in his left arm and the radius and humorus in his right arm. Within seven hours of his birth he was transferred via ambulance to Children’s Hospital’s NICU. Melissa Graham Melissa Graham Zachary Grice When Zachary Grice was born with Down Syndrome, his parents were determined not let his condition limit his life. When he was diagnosed with cancer, his parents turned to the Children’s Hospital staff for support and comfort. Nine years later, Zach is competing in Special Olympics. Jackson Griggs Jackson Griggs travels around the world to visit Children’s Hospital of Alabama Alfred Guarisco After receiving the diagnosis of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia at 36 weeks gestation, we were sent from the Mobile/Daphne area to Birmingham to deliver at UAB. Alfred (Al) was born in the worst of shape and sent immediately to Children's Hospital and placed on ECMO. He fought against all the odds, coming off ECMO after two weeks, through surgery to place a synthetic diaphragm, off the ventilator at six weeks, through more surgery and ventilator time while two months old, then finally home at 3 1/2 months; although still on oxygen, monitors, and a feeding tube. He remained very fragile for several years and was readmitted several times for more surgery and illness; but slowly got stronger and came off his oxygen and began taking some food orally. Maranda (Randi) Hall Submitted by Beth Hall Brett Ham "Side Ache" Jessica Handley When I was 4 years old I was a very sick child. I had severe asthma and an ear infection. My parents and doctors did not know that I was also dehydrated. All the medication that I was taking was building up in my system and led me to an overdose at the beginning of the 1980 year. I had a gran-mal seizure while in my mom's arms at home. I quit breathing and my dad had to do CPR on me twice before the paramedics arrived. I was rushed to Children's where they did all they could and told my parents that all there was to do was wait and see if my heart could hold up. A little over a week later, I was much better and it was going to be my fifth birthday. The nurses planned a huge party. I ended up going home one day... Kelsey Harris When I was born I was diagnosed with extrophy of the bladder. Dr. Joseph treated me from day one. Now I am a healthy 13 year old girl. He is awesome. Without him I don't know what my life would be like today but he always knew what to do and when to do it. They were a blessing to me and my family. Nicole Helms Nicole was born with cerebral palsy. She had a stroke while in-utero. Her diagnosis wasn't until she was about 15 months old. We were lucky, hers is very mild. BUT, was put into PT and OT immediately and has been ever since. With each growth spurt we had been able to stretch her muscles and tendons to work but this last growth spurt over the summer of 2007 we just could not do it this time. She developed Cavus Foot and would require surgery; her first ever. Dr. Killian and his team had to lengthen her heel cord and three of her tendons in her foot and then re-align her ankle bone. Surgery went as expected and all was done. She came out with a pink and green striped cast! The nurses at Children's were wonderful to her and us. Nicole does not handle pain very well but with the... Taylor Hendrix Taylor was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at 11 years old in Sept 2006. She had complained of her right arm hurting on and off over the summer, but was on the swim team and we thought it was from daily swimming. We were very blessed to find out that Taylor's cancer was located to just one area. Taylor began her chemo in Sept of 2006 and had treatment until Dec 5, 2006 when she had her reconstructive surgery. After her surgery she again had six months of chemo to assure all cancer cells were killed. Taylor was so very sick during treatment that she lost a great deal of weight and had to have a feeding tube placed. Taylor remained very strong during her entire chemo treatment and kept everyone else strong. She also was, and is, very inspiring to others going through the same thing. Taylor has had regular six... Webster Heritage Webster Heritage Elijah Hester Elijah was born in 2002 and was growing up quickly just like any other healthy little boy. But unknown to his parents, his skull sutures (growth joints between the bones) had prematurely fused during his early development. The abnormal growth this caused soon became noticeable, and at age four, Elijah was referred by his pediatrician to the Craniofacial Center at Children’s Hospital of Alabama. There he met Dr. Grant and Dr. Blount and was diagnosed with Sagittal Craniosynostosis. Brandon Hicks Brandon Hicks pounded up and down the basketball court, playing one of his best games ever that hot day, even though the match on June 10, 2008, between his visiting Ragland High School team and Moody High was only a practice game. But then the 15-year-old began feeling strange, so he took a break. When the half-time buzzer rang, the boy tried to rise but his 6’5”, 250-pound body refused. Dominic and Joshua Hillman My Two Angels Frances Grace Hirs Frances Grace Hirs, a very brave little girl from Baldwin County is an expert on cancer, chemo, and leukemia. She was referred to Children's Hospital by her local pediatrician in August of 2003. There, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), which is a serious type of blood cancer. She endured chemo and all of its side effects. She suffered a fractured back in five places and had to have a feeding tube. She lost all of her hair. Her parents, Allen and Debbie Hirs watched helplessly. But with the help of God and the staff at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, 9 year old Frances Grace is now celebrating her 5th year in remission! She is a healthy 3rd grader who likes ballet, violin, and Hannah Montana! Her parents started a golf tournament in her honor to raise money for... Aaliyah Hix Aaliyah's Story Kendall Hogan When Kendall Hogan of Hartford was six years old, her parents Judy and Jeff became concerned. She was tall for her age, was experiencing underarm odor unusual for a child her age and also had developed a dark ring around her neck. Mary Lauren Hoggle On May 3, 2007 our little girl Mary Lauren was brought to Children’s for evaluation. She was born with a rare condition called tracheal webbing. The day she was transferred she had a severe pulmonary hemorrhage and almost died. Thanks to the skill of the doctors and nurses in the NICU, Mary Lauren is now a happy one year old. The doctors and nurses were so caring and compassionate not only to our little girl but also to my husband and me. Everyday they took time to check on us and give us reassurance and a shoulder to cry on. I thank God for Children’s and their staff because without them we would not have our beautiful little girl. Children's is a place of hope. When Mary Lauren was born no one at our hospital had even heard of her condition, let alone dealt with it before. At Children's we... Greyson Holmes At six weeks of age, Greyson Holmes became very sick. He was mysteriously spiking fevers and becoming increasingly sicker as the days went by. After several visits to the local pediatrician and a week long stay in a local hospital, Greyson was rushed to Children’s Hospital. Joshua Hopkins By Cathy Hopkins Madyson Hubbard Madyson was first at Children's in May 2006 to have a g-tube placed by Dr. Georgeson. She was transferred from the NICU at Baptist South in Montgomery. It was a scary situation, but the staff made it easier to deal with through their support. We were finally able to take our little girl home on May 23, 2006. We returned to Children's in Sept 2006 because Madyson's tempature had risen to a dangerous 108 degrees. She was in the PICU this time, and the staff was just as friendly and supportive as our previous stay. The neurologist team went over Madyson's EEG and MRI in depth with us. We learned more about her illness in the short time the staff talked with us, than we had since her birth in April 2006. Although it could not be determined what caused the spike in tempature, Madyson received the best care possible. Geraldine Hunt Geraldine Hunt Eric Hurter Eric (2 lbs 3 oz) and Kaitlyn (2 lbs) were born 14 weeks early at UAB Hospital. Kaitlyn was transferred to Children's Hospital on June 2nd, 2006 due to NEC. Eric stayed at UAB but has since seen several doctors at UAB and Children's Hospital. He was diagnosed with Hydronephrosis, IVH Grade III, Grade III Reflux and a hole in his heart. He was able to come home to be with us on August 31st, 2006. His sister was in the hospital until Ocotber 18th, 2006. Today Eric is a happy and healthy 2.5 year old with no lasting effects of his prematurity. He was and still is in God's hands. We are ever so grateful to all the personnel at Children's for their compassion and involvement in our children's lives. Kaitlyn Hurter Miracle Child Brandon Ealy Jackson My son Brandon made his early arrival on February 26, 2006 at 29 weeks and four days at UAB. I noticed right away that his stomach was really swollen to the point where it looked like plastic. He was taken to the NICU immediately after his birth at UAB because he was struggling to breathe. My motherly instinct heightened because I knew there was more going on with him. There were X-rays ordered for his stomach because it kept expanding tighter and tighter along with spinal taps and other tests. Brandon weighed 3lbs 4oz. at birth and I was unable to help him. Two days later the doctors found a hole in his intestine, but they didn't know how large it was because there was a lot of air in his tummy. Danielle Johnson What a difference a summer makes: Priceville teen inspires others after Memorial Day accident Lynn Johnson By Lynn Johnson Hill and O'Day Wilson Halyn Jones In Birmingham CHARGE Syndrome is not a new condition, but in Montgomery, there isn't anyone else I know who has a young child diagnosed, so treatment here is where I teach the doctors about my child. When we were first sent to Dr. Wooley to talk to him about the Cochlear implant and to drill through bone blocking her nostrils so she could breathe through her nose, we didn't have to explain anything. He has treated several children with the syndrome. He listened to us and scheduled her for surgery immediately. Everyone at the outpatient facility was understanding and worked with us to make her as comfortable as possible. She was kept over night for observation and was scheduled for an MRI the next day to determine the exact structure of the bones in her ears. When we came back to have the tubes removed from her nose, he took... Jaamal Jones Child of Children’s – Jaamal Jones, Dothan, Alabama Krystle Jones One night when I was 4 years old my grandfather bought me some peanuts because I love peanuts. Shortly after, my stomach started hurting. My mom took me to the ER several times that night and they kept sending me home because they said it was gas. The next night she took me back because I was in pain still and another doctor was on and said that they had to get me to the Children's Hospital in Birmingham as soon as possible because I had gallstones. When I got to Children's Hospital sure enough I did have gallstones and the later found out that my intestines were growing into my liver and they were going to have to do a reconstruction of my stomach. I remember having a tube in my nose, in my side, and a catheter. I also remember the nurses telling my that I couldn’t have... Lindsey Jones Hi, I'm Lindsey Jones. I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer (rhabdomyosarcoma) one month before my fourth birthday. I started dropping things on the floor and couldn't see to pick them up. At first my parents took me to a local doctor but he said that there was nothing wrong. Within the week, I became much worse. My parents rushed me to Children's Hospital. They said that there was something wrong inside my head and admitted me to Children's. The next morning I woke up and said "mom turn on the lights; it's dark in here." Due to the cancer I lost my eyesight. I was treated at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham where I underwent radiation and chemo for a year. Out of the year I only got to go home for six weeks. I was very sick with blisters in my mouth and down my throat. I... Quinton "Eddie" Jones My Son Eddie was born 6 weeks premature with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. At birth he weighted 6lb 14oz and was 20" long. His head was 42cm at birth and they did not think he had anything but a brain stem. They thought that Eddie would not be anything but a veggie for his life but Eddie has surprised us all. He is wheelchair bound but is the sweetest most loving child I have ever seen. He has been in the Hospital many, many times over the years with quite a few different problems. He has had to have about 30 different surgeries on his shunt which regulates the fluid pressure in his brain. He has had to have 3 back surgeries to release his spinal cord from scar tissue in his back. That condition is called Tethered Cord and is something that impacts him in so many ways. Eddie... Cooper Keasler On Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007 my three year old son Cooper complained of a headache. We took him to the doctor on Sunday and they said it was just a fever virus. We went home and Cooper continued having the headache and a fever. His fever would go to 103.8 at night, but would remain low grade during the day. We went back to the doctor three more times that week, resulting in the same diagnosis. Finally, when we went on Thursday, our doctor could see that something more was wrong. Cooper could not stay awake, he was struggling to breathe and his headache was getting worse. We were sent to Flowers Hospital where they saw that he had pneumonia. We spend the night in the hospital. The next morning’s X-rays showed that the pneumonia had spread rather rapidly to his other lung. The doctors decided that we needed to... Lane Keith Lane's Story Betsy Keyton Betsy Keyton was never a patient at Children’s Hospital, but it was Children’s that inspired her to begin a nursing career that she loves. In 1989, Betsy’s niece Rachel was born with an association of birth defects called Vater’s Syndrome, which affected her heart, kidneys and esophagus. Rachel was hospitalized at Children’s for more than three months. Betsy was by her niece’s side for much of that time. Betsy says, “I fell in love with Children’s Hospital and I fell in love with how they treated the families and how they took care of the patients.” Kaydee King Submitted by Julie Renee King Sadie Knight Sadie Marie Knight was born on November 21, 2006 in Mobile, Al. My husband and I were first time parents and just over the moon with excitement when Sadie was born. She was born two months premature and gave us quite a scare. From the moment she came into this world she proved to be such a brave little girl. April Landinger It all started when I was 15 years old. I got home from school, did my work, ate, and took a shower. While showering I turned around to rinse off. All of a sudden I got really dizzy, so I leaned my head up against the wall. Then everything went black. The next thing I know I am staring up at the ceiling of my house and my mom's asking me what happened. I had passed out. We went to my pediatrician right away and blood was drawn. My thyroid levels were too high. They started me on medicines and sent me to Dr. Latif at Children's. We then did blood work and changed my medicine a lot of times over the course of a year. Then I couldn't swallow and felt a knot in my throat. Tests were run, but turned out inconclusive. Finally, we hd a choice between... Javokious Laster My name is Javokious Laster. I'm 15 years old and I was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL) on August 26, 2007. When we first learned of this at Baptist East and then at Children's Hospital in Birmingham it was very hard on our family. But with our prayers and the prayers of family and friends, also church family, I've been blessed with a longer life. I have a new lease on life and I can share it with the world and fulfill all my dreams. Megean Ledbetter Around age 11 I began to have severe joint and back pain. My mom took me to my doctor who ordered a series of X-rays. The doctor who read the X-rays said he didn't see anything wrong and that I would most likely grow out of the pain. A year later the pain in my back was worse and my mom once again took me to my doctor and demanded that I be referred to someone other than our local physicians. He referred us to an orthopedist at Children's Hospital of Birmingham. We were told to bring in the previous years X-rays. Upon arrival at the hospital, the orthopedist ordered another round of X-rays and did a series of different tests. He then left the room for a while, only to come back and ask me if I had been eating rocks. This was crazy, as I was 12 years... Kace Lightsey Imagine having a 7-year-old son with epilepsy – a son who for two years has been experiencing up to 40 seizures each day. Martez Ligon By The Grace of God Reese Lisenby When Reese Lisenby of Dothan was almost 3 years old, she developed pneumonia. X-rays showed a life-threatening accumulation of fluid around her lungs. Her parents, Judd and Nicole, were told that she needed to be transported by ambulance from the local hospital to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. Dudley Luckie Dudley Luckie’s story is one of determination, both on Dudley’s part and his parents, Terri Shaw and Warner Luckie. When Dudley’s mother, Terri Shaw, was 20 weeks pregnant with Dudley, she had an appointment with her doctor to determine the sex of her unborn child. That’s when Dudley’s parents got the news that Dudley would be born with a different set of abilities than other newborns. Dudley was diagnosed with Spina Bifida. Jaxon Marrow On June 23, 2005 our lives forever changed. Jaxon was born at approx. 1:30 pm at Decatur General Hospital. As soon as he was born, he was transferred to the nearest NICU in North Alabama. Little did we know, Jaxon was VERY special. After testing in the NICU we became aware that Jaxon was born with a rare genetic makeup. To be exact, so rare that he is only one of about 40 documented cases. He has a chromosome 10p deletion, trisomy 6. When Jaxon was just under two months old, he was transferred to Children's Hospital. My husband and I, along with our pediatrician felt that it was in his best interest to be where the BEST doctors were. The day before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, Jaxon coded in my arms. It took the doctors at Children's 35 minutes to intubate him. He was immediately transferred to the PICU.... Amanda Martin I was five and a half years old and in kindergarten when I was first diagnosed with acute lymphocyctic leukemia. For the next two and a half years Children's in Birmingham became a home away from home. I love Dr. Castleberry and all the nurses and staff members there. I am now 17 years old and a senior in high school. I love to dance --tap, jazz, and lyrical, but my favorite is pointe. I have been taking since I was three years old except for two years when I was too sick to take it. I even teach a class for little children. I'm involved in my church youth group and go on mission trips in the summer. I still love to go for my yearly check-up so that I can see all the doctors and nurses. When I was sick it was very scary, but the people at... Nick Mathis Doctors gave Nick only a few months to live, but that never stopped him from living a normal life. Nick Mathis became sick in March of 1985 with what his mother, Charlie Steward, thought was the flu. Nick went on to school that day, but when his mom called Emmanuel Christian School to check on her sick son, she was told he was pale and had an upset stomach. Oma Lavelle McCarty Oma Lavelle McCarty Harris McConnell Jones Harris was born 5/16/03 weighing 11 lbs. When he was 5 weeks old he was not eating well and not gaining weight. We saw the only Pediatric GI Specialist in Montgomery and after 2 hospitalizations to run every test we could to rule out things like Celiac Disease and Cystic Fibrosis and a NG tube, we chose to seek a GI specialist at the foremost hospital for children in the state of AL, Children's Hospital Birmingham. Lily-Rose McCord In may of 2006 our daughter spiked a temp of 106. She was admitted into the hospital and tests were run. After many tests she was found to have a uterocele and a half duplicated system (she has two ureters on one kidney and instead of the third kidney she has extra tissue that produces urine on top of one kidney). We spent a week not knowing what was going to happen. But, they told us surgery would correct it. All week fighting her infection, her temp would spike and come down...spike and come down. We spent a lot of time praying and rocking our little girl. Children's and Dr. Joseph has been a blessing from the Lord in our life. Your staff is caring and willing to do anything for you. When we thought we had no place to stay one of your staff contacted the Ronald McDonald... Audriana and Cameron McGhee Small Blessings Kati McGriff When I was 14 years old I was in the hospital in Dothan, Alabama for a very long time. I had extremely high blood pressure, and the doctors couldn’t figure out why. It got so bad that my mom finally called Birmingham. She spoke to a nurse up there and she told my mom to take me to Birmingham immediately. When we got up there they scheduled me for a kidney biopsy and in less than 24 hours they knew I had a kidney disease. To this day they still aren't sure exactly what it was, but they told us, at that time, that I would need a transplant one day, but no time soon. Well, two years later I had to have a transplant. So, in 2004 I had a transplant. It was a kidney that I had gotten from a lady my dad works with, that I had... Alayna McQuay Alayna's Story Parker McQueen Parker McQueen is a child of Children’s. His father, Dr. Mike McQueen has spent countless hours at the hospital with Parker, but his own experience with Children’s began back in 1986 with his pediatric rotation. Dr. McQueen was on call at Children’s when his twins were born and again two years later when his wife went into labor with their third son, Parker. Chris McRae Chris' Story Trinity McRae Trinity's Story Parker Ray Miller Parker was born September 14, 2005, six weeks earlier than we had planned. He was small, 4 pounds 11 ounces, and not breathing very strongly, but that was to be expected with slightly immature lungs. After a couple of days of oxygen and some time for his lungs to mature, we thought we would carry our new baby boy home to start our new adventures as a family. Unfortunately, that was not the case. At about 20 hours old, Parker had an apnea episode where he stopped breathing. The nurses got him to breathing again, but it was apparent that we might be dealing with more than just immature lungs and that Parker needed to be transferred to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to better care for him. The pediatrician informed us that it had been arranged to transfer Parker from our local hospital in Fort Payne to the nearest... Baily Mitchell Baily has been at Children's Hospital child since he was about three weeks old. He continued with vomiting and respiratory infections. We had our second surgery at Children's when he was about six weeks old, and our third by one year old. By age four he continued to stay sick despite efforts to keep him well. His team of physicians began to search for the source of his illness. His pulmonologist since infancy diagnosed him with Common Variable Immunodeficiency. A disorder that makes it very difficult for Baily to fight off infections and viruses. Baily continues to travel to Children’s sometimes monthly or every three months depending on how we are doing. He receives gamma-globulin weekly to boost his immune system and temporarily give him immunities he does not have. We love Children's hospital. They have given us hope, support, and love through some very difficult times with Baily. They... John Ross Mitchell John had not been feeling well for a couple of weeks. We had seen our local physician several times. The first visit they said it was viral and he would just have to wait it out. The second time they gave us an antibiotic, but nothing seemed to be working. He would go from the bed to the couch and was walking less and less. He had no energy and wanted to sleep all the time. When we would move him he began to act like it was very uncomfortable. Almost like it hurt to move. On Saturday April 14th, we decided to go to Children's and take John through the ER. We didn't know what else to do. I thought we would be there overnight and be back home. But God had different plans. Dr. Hope decided after a round of blood work and X-rays that... Leslie Mitchell Had to Have Special CT Scans Logan Montgomery Logan was born at thirty weeks gestation on October 7th, 1998, which is ten weeks early. He was born at St. Vincents in Birmingham. When he was delivered it was very difficult. The doctor had a strange look on his face. I was terrified. The neonatologist came in shortly after I had delivered Logan and told us some terrifying news. He told us that Logan did not have a soft spot and that all of his sutures were prematurly fused. Logan had been diagnosed with Craniosynostosis. We had never heard of this being new and young parents. The neo doctor told us he probably would not make it and with him being so premature that it didn't help. After many prayers Logan came through all of the normal premature obstacles and we were on our way. Logan was released from the NICU in December of 1998 and we then met... Ashley Moore What Jon and Debbie Moore, Ashley’s parents, had to say about Ashley’s journey. Art Morgan Art Morgan’s first visit to Children’s was in 1955. By the time he was six years old, he’d had three surgeries to repair his harelip through state-of-the-art plastic surgery procedures, which were rare at the time. While he was too young to remember the first two visits, his mother fills in the gaps as she recalls every detail as if it were yesterday. Amy Munson Shortly after moving to Alabama with the military, our then five and a half month old daughter Amy started having some unusual symptoms. Unable to find anything, our pediatrician referred us to Children's for a direct admittance. An ultrasound showed a large mass in her pelvic region. CT scans proved "concerning" and a biopsy moved us onto 4 Tower, the oncology ward with the "C" word. . .CANCER. Amy underwent several rounds of chemo before finally going to surgery to remove the tumor (and getting a colostomy). After a few more rounds of chemo, she was in remission. Several more months later, they were able to take-down the colostomy. One of her chemo drugs caused hearing impairment and she now wears hearing aides. BUT . . .today, Amy is a happy, healthy three year old active in preschool, gymnastics and dance. Thanks be to God and to Children's Hospital! Jake Nummy Five years ago our family was enjoying a normal Sunday when Jake Nummy our 13 year old was out in the field behind the house riding his four wheeler like both of our boys did all the time. Jake’s ride ended up changing our lives for ever. He flipped the four wheeler and it landed on his head. He was air lifted to Children's Hospital in Birmingham, AL. We were told that he may not make it to the Hospital with the type of head injury he sustained. The second we arrived at Children’s Hospital we were treated as if we were the only people in that Hospital. I could not believe the attention we received from the beginning to the end. Dr. Wellons did the first surgery that night. We asked if he would pray with us and it was a blessing that he accepted. After the surgery it... Ashley Otis "Ashleigh Otis" Grace Owens Grace is our beautiful 5 year old daughter. She was born three months early due to complications with my pregnancy. I was told if she was not born that day I would die. She was born at UAB weighing only 1 pound, 15 ounces. She was not doing well after birth. Her lungs were not mature and she was on the ventilator. She had IV's coming from her umbilical cord and was under the lights most of the time. When they tried to feed her through a tube her belly blew up. It turned blue and the food was not digesting. Unsure what was wrong, the doctors gave her many antibiotics and took lots of X-rays, but were unable to find the problem. After nine days at UAB she was transferred to Children’s. She had not had any food the whole time and was down to 1 pound,... Addie Faye Pace I am 65 years old now, and I have not had any problems with my sacrum since I was 15. I have felt fine for years. 1999 I had to come back to Kirklin Clinic with a cyst in my spinal column. Dr. Paramore removed it by surgery, and stopped the sciatica pain. Now, I have two cysts under my sacrum and nothing can be done about this. It is something I have to live with. I was 14 years old in Feb. 11th and in the Children's Hospital. I had my 15th birthday in the hospital. I loved the nurses and the doctors and met so many friends since some of them were my age, or close. It was something I had never done— been away from home, and I missed my twin sister. I finally had the surgery and the whole stay in Children's Hospital was... Caden Parker After a normal pregnancy, I entered Crestwood Hospital to give birth to my second child. Caden was obviously struggling to breathe, and was carried away for tests. He was then rushed to NICU at Huntsville Hospital. After further testing, we learned that Caden had a birth defect called a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Until that day, I had never heard of CDH and had no idea of how it would affect my precious new baby and our whole family. Caden was then rushed to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham; the only hospital in Alabama equipped to treat children with CDH. He had surgery at five days old to repair the hole in his diaphragm. After spending more than seven weeks in the hospital –four of them on a ventilator, we were blessed to bring him home breathing room air and drinking from a bottle. Not many families who have children with this... Linda Parker Blaxton I turned 3 years old in 1954. My birthday is June 2, 1951. In early November of 1954 my parents went to visit a neighbor whose young son had polio. Early the next week I got sick. I don't remember anything until the day I was diagnosed. My dad and mom had taken me to a small town doctor, Dr. Edwin Carpenter in Courtland, Alabama. He called ahead to Decatur Hospital and told them that dad was on his way with me. I know that dad and mom said the doctors in Decatur were busy and told them that I had nothing wrong with me but a cold. By the time my dad drove back to Dr. Carpenter's office in Courtland I wasn't doing a good job of breathing. I was taken in and an airway was inserted in his waiting room. At that time ambulances ran out of our... Caleb Parrish Caleb started seeing Dr. Brasfield in 1998. He was 2 years old. He was diagnosed with Active Airway Disease. We were told that he would not live past seven years old. He had to see Dr. Saeed in GI. Caleb was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and Irritable Bowel Sydrome. We were told last month when we took Caleb to Birmingham that there was nothing more that could be done. Caleb has outlived the original time. He is 10 years old. Caleb is a happy-go-lucky little boy. He has always fought and he says he will continue to fight for his life. Children's Hospital has helped Caleb and our family. They have never given up on him or us. Every visit the doctors have came up with new things and it is amazing just how much love and devotion they show each and every child. Anna Sue Patterson At the age of 15 I had such a speech problem that I could not even say my own name (Sue). In the first grade I chose an advanced story to read to the teacher for the first time. In front of the whole class, she advised me that she did not know if I could read because she could not understand a word that I said. In the 6th grade, my principal pointed me out in front of the entire student body and told me that I could speak better if I tried. In high school, I would hear other students say "She's not deaf. She is just dumb." What people did not know--I could have finished High School in the 11th grade. I graduated from University of Montevallo with a degree in Speech and Hearing because I wanted to give back to the world what Children's had given... Riley Ann Patterson When the audiologist told us in May 2003 that our 18-month-old daughter had never heard our voices and didn't even know her name, we were devastated, but not shocked. We had suspicions, but we were still unprepared for the news that our daughter was deaf. She was fitted with digital hearing aids, but they were not powerful enough, so we opted for a cochlear implant. Dr. Audie Woolley at Children's Hospital placed a Nucleus Contour 24 in Riley's right ear on Sept. 16, 2003. On Oct. 9, 2003, she heard our voices for the first time when her implant was activated. Riley did so well with the first CI that she received a second implant, this time in her left ear, on April 16, 2007. The improvement in her speech and understanding has been amazing. Riley will start first grade this fall. She loves playing soccer and softball, she loves... Joey Paulin By Roseanna Paulin Jackson Pavlovec In August 2003, Jackson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 9 weeks. He required multiple insulin injections each day to control his diabetes. His treatment was going well, but we knew this lifestyle would be difficult for him as he got older. Janice Pelfrey Janice Pelfrey Lee Pepper, 40 Years My parents were young University of Alabama students in 1970 when they noticed that I was beginning to have trouble standing on my own. I was only two years old and my parents took me to different specialists and got different diagnosis before finally getting to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. I’ve had to piece the experiences together from stories over the years and reading my medical records. There are no pictures or videos only a long scar and a few early memories of walking up the steps to Children’s for checkups after my surgery. Jeff and Victoria Perry Hello, my name is Jeff Perry, and both my daughter Victoria and I have been treated at Children’s Hospital. Jason Peterson About 31 years ago, when Jason Peterson was around two years old, he suffered second and third degree burns on his entire chest and back with blisters the size of softballs. I rushed Jason to the emergency room at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, AL. The doctor and nurses who treated Jason were simply awesome. They went the extra mile in Jason’s care and thoroughly instructed me on how to continue treatment of Jason’s burns to avoid infection and permanent damage. Because of the caring and meticulous doctor and nurses, Jason does not have any residual scars from his accident. Jason is now an R.N. and has worked at Children’s Hospital of Alabama since 1994. He manages critical care transport. He is passionately dedicated to his job and I cannot help but wonder if the personalized care he received during his childhood injury makes him even more enthusiastic and conscientious in... Paul Peterson Like many kids, Paul Peterson came down with the chicken pox when he was seven years old. But instead of recovering after a few weeks as most do, Paul’s body reacted to the antibodies produced in fighting the chicken pox. For the next three years, the young boy endured numerous episodes brought about by the autoimmune disease that had been triggered in his body. Each time, he was treated at Children’s Hospital. Amanda Phillips My mom and dad found out when I was a baby that there was a hole in my heart. The blood was still flowing through pretty good but the doctors said that it would weaken my heart if I ever had a baby or as I got older. My parents, either hoping for grandchildren or a long life for me, decided that I needed to have the surgery. The doctors said it was better to do when I was a little older. I was five years old when my parents took me to Children's. Cami Phillips At just a year old Cami was diagnosed with cancer. Cami’s Mom, Camille Phillips, remembers taking Cami to her well baby check-up. Their pediatrician discovered the tumor in her abdomen. Camille is so thankful that she took her child to the well baby check-up because otherwise it would have been a year later before they discovered the tumor. Cami’s tumor was diagnosed as a stage 3 tumor, meaning it covered her entire abdomen but it had not yet invaded any of her organs. Their pediatrician immediately sent the family to Children’s Hospital. Bennie Pierce III Bennie was diagnosed about two weeks after his 11th birthday and the prognosis was not good. Scans showed that he had a cancerous tumor on his left kidney, in his lung, on his liver and on his bones. Chemotherapy was started at the beginning of November 2007. I thought I would not have much time to spend with my precious son. Then, I gave it all over to the Man Above and just believed that He would oversee the healing process. After the first round of chemo his scans showed 90% shrinkage in all areas. I knew he would be okay. I had the Lord, Bennie's courage, my willpower, a wonderful doctor, a great hospital, a host of wonderful nurses and a caring staff, a great support system, and a host of prayer warriors. In January 2008 he had his left kidney removed, a piece of his lung removed and... Gracie Ann Poole Gracie's Garden of GraceAuthor's Lola Celeste Poole We knew something was wrong with Lola's head very soon after she was born. In fact, my husband said he noticed in the hospital that it appeared to be kind of lopsided, but figuring most newborns have funny-looking heads, he just brushed it off. Lola Celeste Poole Our youngest daughter Lola's cranial surgery has been scheduled for May 9, 2009 at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. That is a Wednesday. According to the doctors, we should be in the hospital five days the first of which will be in ICU. Lola has unicoronal craniosynostosis, which means one of her coronal sutures (these run from ear to ear) in her skull has fused early. Surgery is required to correct this and prevent her skull from becoming even more misshapen, keep her mid-face from twisting and allow her brain to grow evenly. We are getting more anxious about the operation because having an actual date marked on the calendar makes it so much more real. She will be just a few days shy of 11 months old when the doctors perform the operation. I know babies much younger than her have had to have surgery, but this is different because... Mason Pope Mason had a rough start to begin with. He was born 9 weeks early. We were so excited when we finally got to take him home. However, two weeks later he became very ill. After doctors admitted him they let us know he would be in the best hands at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. At a month old, he took his first ride in a plane, and us on the ride of our lives. The doctors were very sincere and upfront about what we were up against. If it wasn't for Children's, Mason may not be here today. He was very sick. He is also a strong little man! Children's Hospital means a second chance for our family. We were able to experience first-hand the love they have for their patients and the families. The doctors and nurses are one in a million and make you feel very secure... Joshua and Mei-anna Porter Kim and Shaune Porter and their children, 5-year-old Joshua and 3-year-old Mei-anna, are among the International Adoption Clinic’s success stories. The Porters, who live in Northport, came to the IAC when they adopted 22-month-old Joshua, who was born with a cleft palate. “What we needed at that point was knowledge, but they gave me a lot more,” Mrs. Porter says. The staff helped arrange for Joshua to undergo corrective surgery and to begin speech and occupational therapy --- all through the physicians and therapists at Children’s Hospital. Melissa Posey I call it My Mother's story because I have no memories of what happened to me, other than what she told me. I grew up hearing her story about how the wonderful doctors and nurses at Children's saved me with the help of God. I was 18 months old and ran a 106 degree fever. The local hospital was unable to make a diagnosis, so after 4 days, my parents asked that I be released and they drove me to Children's. After 3 days there I was diagnosed and was receiving treatment for Rheumatic Fever. I was at Children's for four weeks. Allexionna Pyatt Submitted by Mileah Lowe Pete Raper In April of 1986 I was feeling very weak and tired, not typical for your average 5-year-old. Long story short, I was diagnosed with typed A-L-L Leukemia and rushed to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, AL that same day. The doctors worked vigorously giving me medicines, chemo, radiation treatments. I was even sent to Seattle, WA to have some of my bone marrow put on storage incase I needed a transplant. Thanks to Jesus Christ, and the doctors at Children’s Hospital, I’m alive today. Ashley Trammell Rasberry “Ashley's Miracle” Parker Regan My son Parker Alan was born June 5, 2009 at UAB West in Bessemer, AL. Doctor Francois Bladeau performed the c-section delivery, not knowing the complications to come. Parker was having a very hard time breathing. At first they thought maybe he had a little fluid on his lungs, which does happen with c-section babies because the fluid is not pushed out through the birth canal, but after trying to calm his breathing the doctor ordered an X-ray of Parker's chest. Everything happened so quickly, which I am thankful for because my son's life depended on it. Next thing I know, Dr. Georgeson is in my room telling me that my son was being transported to Children's Hospital in Birmingham with what he suspected was a herniated diaphragm. Three days went by and I was finally able to leave UAB West and we went directly to Children's to see my... Baylee Rice In January 2006 my five year old daughter Baylee was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. During the Christmas holiday I had noticed that she seemed to want to eat all the time. She has always been tall for her age so I assumed that she was having another growing spurt. Next were the trips to the bathroom every 15 to 20 minutes. When she would go it would be like she hadn't been in forever. One night she wet the bed from her head to her feet. The bed was soaked. I knew that something was wrong because this had never happened before. I took her to her pediatrician in Huntsville and she was diagnosed there. We were sent straight to a diabetes doctor there and sent home with needles, insulin, pens, lancets, wipes, cartridges, etc. I remember trying to give Baylee her first insulin shot at home. I was... Claire Richardson Right after Katrina, the kids were out of school until Oct. 6, I think. Claire had off and on stomachaces/ mild nausea and fatigue for about two weeks with several episodes of diarrhea (which most of us had), and only one time of vomiting. Neil Richey I was born with spina bifida and my bladder was on the outside and my rectum wasn't formed, my hipbones were out of place, and I had one functioning kidney. Elijah Robertson Since birth, Elijah has suffered severe acid reflux. We tried for months to find out the source of the problem without any luck. After several months and several visits to his doctor, we finally were able to get in to see Dr. Prescott Adkinson in the Allergy Clinic at Children's. After Dr. Adkinson reviewed Elijah's symptoms, he realized that Elijah could have food allergies that cause the acid reflux. He immediately set us up an appointment with Dr. Janaina Nogueria at Children's. After a routine upper GI, Dr. Noguiera was able to diagnose Elijah with Eosinophilic Esophagitis. This disorder is caused by food allergies that set up "allergy cells" in the esophagus. The issue with this disorder is that no one knows what really causes it, and there is no cure. However, thanks to Dr. Noguiera and her staff, Elijah is able to take an experimental steroid that helps breakdown... John Ed Robinson Mr. John Ed Robinson knows first-hand what a special place Children’s Hospital is, since he was treated here nearly 63 years ago. Natalie Roden Wow, where to begin… I was 22 weeks and I had a little girl-- Natalie. She was doing AWESOME for the first three days then her stomach starting swelling up. This went on for about two days when UAB then said it was time to transfer her to Children’s. Well within three hours of being there they told me she had NEC and needed surgery ASAP. My little Angel ended up going through six surgeries to get her where she is today. They tell you all the horror stories of what happens to premature babies. Thank God my baby only had the NEC issue. Dr. Georgeson and the Lord saved my baby that day. I don't have room here to tell her whole story. But it was a journey we will never forget! THANK YOU TO ALL HER DOCTORS AND NURSES we had throughout our stay at Children's Hospital... Sydney Rogers When Sydney Rogers was six years old her parents noticed that she had no energy. Her mother, Kim, said Sydney had no energy to run, play, or swim in the family’s pool. “She had been swimming since she was a baby and even when her friends and cousins were around she would just lie on the couch. Her daddy had to carry her everywhere we went on our trip to Chattanooga. She was just that weak.” Bryce Romine Children’s Hospital Remembered: The Lone Ranger, Bottled Milk and Air Conditioning Lexy Rugg On a normal day in March little did I know that a Mom's worst nightmare would come true. My daughter Lexy a 2 year old is going about her normal day, playing, running and laughing when she falls on a play toy that she and her sister is playing with. When Lexy fell, little did we know that all our lives were about to change. When Lexy fell she immediately started crying as a 2 year old would, but all of a sudden she passed out and began vomiting at the same time. Her father and I freaked out and did not know what in the world was happening to our precious daughter. We immediately rushed her to our local E.R. and the local doctor did not have a clue as to what might even be wrong with Lexy. From there she was rushed to Dothan to Flowers Hospital.... Samantha Rushing I went to the Children's Hospital when I was 15. I met Dr. Pacifico (aka Dr. Magnifico!) and was told that I had to have open-heart surgery. He helped my family feel more at ease throughout the ordeal, and we are still grateful. I am 22 years old now, and have since made a full recovery. I work at Wal-Mart as a cashier. When I learned how the company was such a big supporter of the Children's Hospital, I knew that I had to get involved. I went to visit the Children's Hospital on Wal-Mart Appreciation Day and was amazed at all the good that comes out of the place. I sold 599 balloons in the CMN balloon campaign, coming in 2nd place. I also have made over $550 for CMN by keeping a jar at my register and collecting loose change. I am so proud that I am a... Katelyn Sassin Katelyn was a happy little girl, she loved running and playing with her siblings until Katelyn started to have severe pains in her joints, and she was very anemic and had no energy. Sometimes she would be in so much pain her mommy would have to help her get dressed and carry her around. Her parents were referred to childrens Hospital of Birmingham, September 11th 2008 was the day that changed the Sassin family's lives, the day Katelyn was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Katie is currently undergoing extensive chemotherapy treatments. Katelyn wants to become an animal officer when she grows up and she just may get to do that with the help of the doctors and staff at childrens. Abigail Lin Schoentrup My Miracle Camdyn Seay Camdyn My Angel Peggy Jean Self My Stay as a Child Christopher Sellers Who could know that exposure to walking pneumonia could cause Stevens-Johnson Syndrome? We had never heard of SJS until Christopher was diagnosed in May 2007. It started out with a small rash on his neck and swollen lips. After getting to the emergency room in Tuscaloosa, the rash was spreading to the rest of his body, and blisters were forming on his neck and ears. When his condition did not improve, he was transferred to Children's. That was when he was diagnosed with SJS. He was in the PICU for two days then he was transferred to a regular room. His veins had become so weak that the nurses had to try to get IVs in his feet. By now the rash was from head to foot, and the blisters were all around his neck and ears, and down his throat. He could hardly talk. He would write things... Erika Sellers My name is Erika. I was born April 1991 with Spina Bifida at Huntsville Hospital. Not even 24 hours old, I was transported to Children's where I had my first spine closure surgery. Doctors told my parents I wouldn't make it pass the age of 3, 4 or 5 but here I am at almost 19. I was at Children's until I turned 18 last April. It is a great place. Amanda Shellhouse Dr. Charles Law is my hero! Because of my CP it was very hard for my mom to give me a bath and change my clothes. Then we heard of this new thing called a "baclofen pump" and decided to call Dr. Law. We set up an appointment for a trial dose to see if it would work on me. Well, it did and I am now on my second pump. Without this pump and medicine, my mom would not be able to take as good of care of me as she does. This medicine helps to keep me from being so tight in my arms and legs and actually helps me and her both. Thank you Dr. Law and thank you Children's Hospital for all you do and continue to do. I have to go up there about every 10 weeks for a refill of my pump and they... Avery Alexus Sherman Avery was born July 10, 2009. As soon as she was born we discovered that she had a few problems. They flew her to Children’s in Birmingham AL. They discovered she had more problems than they expected her to have. They diagnosed Avery with TEF; it stands for Esophageal Atresia/Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula. TEF is a rare congenital birth defect which affects approximately 1 in 4,000 babies. With EA/TEF, a baby is unable to swallow, and may also have trouble breathing. They also found Atrial and Ventricular Septal defects which are holes in the heart. They also found out that Avery’s kidneys were very small and she didn’t have a blatter. Avery is a very strong little girl and doesn’t even know it yet. She has been at Children’s every day of her life. They have tried to correct her TEF four times and it is still not functioning. Avery has... Elizabeth Shoemaker By Elizabeth Shoemaker Speegle Rebecca Shy Thirteen years ago we came to know Children’s Hospital. We had never heard of it until we needed it. To this day it gives me chills to think of the first time Children’s came to us. We were in the ICU of our local hospital with Dr. Scott waiting for "the Children’s team" to pick up our baby. They would be flying her away from us. When they entered that hospital in their blue flight suits a team of about five or six men and women carrying all kinds of equipment—it was a surreal moment. I was terrified. With confidence they answered my questions and prepared my baby for her first flight. She was now a child of Children’s who had "earned her wings" at six weeks old. Stephanie Sims When our daughter Stephanie was just 12 days old she had a seizure. Her eyes were opening and closing and we rushed her to our local doctor in Tuscumbia. She was immediately air lifted to Children’s Hospital. As we drove down to Birmingham worried and frightened, our newborn baby girl’s entire life was about to change. Once there, she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. Janae Slade Janae, now age 7, was diagnosed with Type I diabetes on September 27, 2006 at the age of 4. It is a day that our family will never forget. Janae spent three days in a local hospital. Within 72 hours we were educated on how to manage her diabetes. It was scary, but Janae's health became our top priority. Janae was seeing an endocrinologist in Huntsville and we would have to wait four months until she could see Dr. Abullatif. We had heard so many good things about him. Finally, in February 2007, we travelled to Birmingham for Janae's first appointment. Everything was made so clear. Dr. Abullatif and his staff have made managing her diabetes so much easier. I wish we had Dr. Abullatif when she was first diagnosed. Lisa Willis Slusher "Thankful" Andrew Smith On Feb 10, 1999, our second child was born—Charles Andrew Smith II. At 8:05 a.m. a hush fell over the operating room as Dr. Reed reached in the incision and lifted our son into the world. Nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see. Andrew's head was shaped like a football. Dr. Reed leaned over to me and said my baby had hydrocephalus and a neonatologist was on his way. Dr. Godoy told my husband our son had spina bifida. Andrew was stabilized and medically evacuated from Northport DCH to Children's in Birmingham. Dr. Oaks closed his back at 2 days old and shunted him at 5 days old. 2 days later we brought him home. Much of the first year of Andrew's life was spent at Children's both as outpatient and inpatient. In October 1999 Andrew became very ill and spent much of the remainder... Ashley Smith Ashley was born at 27 weeks gestation. She weighed 2 lbs.10 oz. and was transferred to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. She suffered from a grade Four Brain Hemorrhage and a serious fungal infection that was in her blood, urine, and cerebral fluid. Ashley was diagnosed with having cerebral palsy and required a shunt in her brain. Dr Jerry Oakes has been her neurosurgeon since she was born and performed all her shunt revisions. Dr. Conklin has been another provider for surgery and braces for her legs. Ashley has constantly had a smile on her face since she was born. She has left the walker behind and now walks with one fore arm crutch. She is a seventh grader at Ashford Jr. High School. Socializing is her favorite subject. She is an avid deer hunter and is very active in Girl Scouts and youth activities at church. We are constantly... Jaylee Beth Smith When Jaylee Beth Smith was born at Helen Keller Hospital, her family did not realize that she would have anything in common with the famous namesake of her birthplace. For the first year of her life, Jaylee Beth never heard her Daddy call her name, her Mommy say “I Love You”, or her brothers sing to her. Two days after Jaylee Beth’s birth her parents were informed that she had some type of hearing loss. At six weeks old, she was sent to Children’s Hospital and was diagnosed as profoundly deaf. John Charlton Smith John Charlton Smith came to Children’s Hospital in 1943, when he was just seven years old. At that time Children’s Hospital was known as the Crippled Children’s Clinic. J.C.’s doctors diagnosed him with polio and he spent the next four years in the hospital battling the virus. A few years ago, J.C. had his hips replaced and while discussing his medical history his doctor mentioned that he may not have been suffering from Polio, but instead an uncommon disease with similar symptoms. Medical advances have come a long way since J.C. came to Children’s and they may not have really known what he suffered from, but they always took good care of him. Kelsey Smith Kelsey was the first of twins born at 32 weeks at UAB Hospital in January 1993 and when she was born she had a Cleft Palate and a Club Foot. When she was six months old Dr. Howard did surgery on her to close her palate. Since then we have been seeing Dr. Howard at Children's twice a year until about two years ago and now we see him once a year and will until she turns 18. She has to go to the Cleft Palate Clinics and they check her hearing, speech, dental and other things pertaining to her palate. Due to having the Cleft Palate she has a lot of Sinus and Ear problems she has had 13 sets of tubes put in her ears over the past 15 years. Also Kelsey had a Club Foot and Dr. Killian has done numerous surgeries on her foot over the... Megan Smith Megan Smith was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia when she was just shy of her first birthday. The years since have brought unimaginable pain to the Northview High School junior honors student—pain so intense that the slender teenager was given morphine, Demerol and other strong drugs in doses high enough for a grown man twice her size. But the pain grew worse. Shelby Smithart Shelby was born nearly eight weeks early to Stacy and Billy Smithart. Shortly after he was born, he had difficulty breathing and was placed on a monitor. As he continued to have problems, he was flown to Children’s Hospital. There, the doctors explained that Shelby’s lungs were underdeveloped and were the cause of his breathing difficulties. Stacy said the nurses were able to put things into simpler terms for them.