Burn patients have powerful stories to share. Some have endured painful surgeries, dressing changes and therapies to heal their wounds. They’ve overcome obstacles that affected them mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually and psychosocially. Only their scars remain as reminders of what they went through. Akron Children’s Paul and Carol David Foundation Burn Institute is changing that […]
Thanks to cutting-edge cardioneuroablation procedure, twins are on pace to live life without pacemakers
The year they turned 6, life took quite the turn for Gabe and Drew Wherley, identical twins from New Philadelphia, Ohio. The twins were in kindergarten. One day, Gabe had a seizure while at recess on his school’s playground. “Seizures were frequent for me,” said Gabe, “but this one was different. I was out […]
VP Beth Smith, keeper of the Akron Children’s brand, will soon re-brand herself ‘retiree’
In 2007, Beth Smith was director of Institutional Marketing at the University of Akron when she heard Carol Wallace was retiring as director of Public Relations for Akron Children’s. She remembered Akron Children’s as a favorite client in her early career days working for public relations and advertising agencies such as Malone Advertising and Wirtz […]
8 tips for safe backpack use
Backpacks are a great way for kids to carry all the essential items they need for a busy school day. But between books, homework, gym clothes and lunch, the load can get heavy pretty quickly. Many parents have questions about backpack safety and often wonder whether carrying a heavy backpack can lead to spinal problems, […]
Funding allows Palliative Care to offer adaptive footwear at no cost to Akron Children’s patients
Six-year-old Evelyn Horsfall has lived in northeast Ohio all her life but has never been able to play in the snow. This winter was different. For the first time, Evelyn played with her siblings in the snow in a pair of winter boots that stayed on securely. Evelyn, who has spastic cerebral palsy, wears leg […]
Julien creates his own superheroes to help him stay strong against kidney disease
Fourteen-year-old Julien Ford believes that every child fighting kidney disease is a superhero who deserves their own action figure. Through art therapy at Akron Children’s, he’s created action figures who defeat the autoantibodies that attack the kidneys. An 8th grader at Ontario Middle School, Julien has benefitted from all aspects of Akron Children’s expressive therapy […]