Patient Stories

Seven UW Children's Hospital patients can attest to the importance of a world-class pediatric care facility. Narrated by Olympic speedskater Casey Fitzrandolph, listen to the kids' stories and learn how they dream big as they get healthy.

The No Finer Gift Campaign: Why Should I Give?

 

World-class pediatric care right in your backyard is only one benefit of the new American Family Children's Hospital. One of the main points of emphais is family-centric care and creating an enviroment where children and patients feel at home.

 

In August 2003, Kristin Huotari was at Meriter Hospital in Madison, having given birth to her third child. At that same time, Kristin’s husband was at UW Children’s Hospital with daughter Amelia, who was undergoing one of many hospitalizations for partial blockage of her intestine. 

 

When their little girl's heart would inexplicably race, Dan and Mary Monson knew something was wrong with eight-year-old Anna. Unable to pinpoint the problem, the Monsons came to UW Children's Hospital, where physicians in the new Pediatric Electrophysiology program discovered and treated Anna's heart arrhythmia. 

 

Emily Wall of Windsor, Wisconsin has been a frequent hospital patient since being diagnosed at age 1 with hydrocephalus, a life-threatening condition in which excess cerebral spinal fluid builds up in the brain. 

 

Hudson's mother was driving him to see the doctor to care for a fractured leg. After the checkup she received a blast of news she wasn't expecting. Hudson was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 

 

Hunter Jungling was born with a complicated birth defect called cloacal exstrophy. Hunter's mother, Joleen, learned about Dennis Lund, MD, one of the very few pediatric surgeons in the world who specialize in Hunter's medical problem. 

 

Jay Haraldson may have only been 5 years old when cancer entered his life, but he was quite certain of one thing: his tumor might visit, but it would not stay. 

 

One of more than 400 patients who attends the UW Health Pediatric Fitness Clinic on Madison's West Side, Josselin illustrates how much progress a child can make toward achieving a healthier lifestyle. 

 

A week before his seventh birthday, Kade's life hung in the balance after being gravely injured in a horrible car crash along with his sister, Karsen, and their dad, Dave. 

 

In some ways, Kaitlin and Kylie Drechsel are just like typical 3-year-old girls. And, like any pair of siblings, they can occasionally be a handful for their mom and dad, Lynn and Jim. What makes the Drechsel's handful overflow at times, however, is that their identical twin girls have cancer. Both of them. 

 Kate's Story | Read Kate's Story

 

Born with a 40-degree curvature in her spine, Kate Rueckert had a muscle condition and associated scoliosis that presented a huge challenge for parents, Jack and Lynn Rueckert. UW Health's Kenneth Noonan, MD, suggested a surgical procedure that only a handful of medical centers have used. 

 

When Lucy Heuring-Blank was born, she weighed only 14 ounces. Her mother, Jane Heuring, was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, a serious illness in which a mother's life is threatened by her pregnancy. For mother or child to survive, Lucy had to be delivered after just 25 weeks of gestation. 

 

Diagnosed at age 6 with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Samantha has not been able to walk for the past six years. She has no time for what others might view as obstacles. 

 

Tyler Hall overcame odds that were heavily stacked against his survival. Tyler was ultimately diagnosed with life-threatening heart failure resulting from a very rare condition known as MCAD deficiency, a genetic disorder that substantially inhibits the body's ability to use fat as a fuel.