Diane Bueker, pediatric cardiac sonographer, wanted 2 things as a teenager: to work in the medical field and volunteer with the Peace Corps. At age 16, Diane achieved her first goal when she began working for a private practice surgeon. But being part of a service opportunity that changed lives took a lot longer to […]
Retired nurses return to work at Akron Children’s amid pandemic
After nearly 36 years of working as a nurse in Akron Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Lisa Palmer, RN, retired in April 2021, eager to spend more time with her family, particularly her 2 young granddaughters. But a few months later in October 2021, the hospital sent out a request to recent retirees asking […]
Dr. Laura Jackson is her patient families’ biggest cheerleader
The opportunity to witness the miracle of birth every day is what attracted Laura Jackson, MD, to neonatology. But now serving in the role, she’s discovered another favorite part: cheering a family on as they are discharged from the hospital after a NICU stay. Whether it’s a few days or a few months, nothing brings […]
Inclusion is key to Piper’s legacy
Some people spend years trying to find their mission in life. For sweet Piper Grace Hoefler, it took just 27 days. Piper passed away from the effects of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 0, but her legacy lives on in books about inclusion donated by her family’s charitable organization, Piper’s Key. “I didn’t want to […]
New role as NICU provider is destiny for CNP Amy Jackson
Amy Jackson has been taking care of babies ever since she can remember. For her, playtime was work time, nursing her baby dolls back to health and covering their “boo-boos” head-to-toe with Band-Aids. She remembers proudly announcing to family, friends and even strangers at the grocery store that she wanted to be a doctor — […]
Mommy blogger reflects on 10 years of being a mom
Ten years ago, having made it through fertility treatments and a threatened miscarriage, I was finally allowing myself to be excited that we were a little over halfway to our anticipated due date. We didn’t want to know if we were having a boy or a girl so, when I went into premature labor at […]