Jonathan Williams, age 16, was one of two sophomores who made his high school varsity baseball team last year. When his coach called a last-minute Sunday afternoon practice, Jonathan, now a junior at Marion L. Steele High School, drove to the field. Jonathan, who plays second base, had a good practice until an infield grounder […]
Lorain baby benefits from Akron Children’s expert cleft and craniofacial care team
When Stephen Bodnar was born at Mercy Health – Lorain Hospital in November 2021, his mother, Megan Friend, assumed she would be bringing her newborn son home for Thanksgiving. But Stephen’s birth was unlike those Megan had with her older children. “I delivered my older two without any problems,” Megan said. “When Stephen was born, […]
Hirschbecks deliver holiday magic to Palliative Care families
Any positive break from the routine is welcomed for Traci Fraelich. The single mother from Newton Falls has been the primary caregiver for daughter Ella Marquette, 10, since she was born with a structural abnormality in her brain. “When you’re at home and isolated and doing complex medical care for your child 24/7, you feel […]
Dr. Ananth Murthy, patient Elijah Bell talk advancements in ear reconstruction
Elijah Bell was born without outer ears, but thanks to Dr. Ananth Murthy, director of pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery and medical director for the Craniofacial Center and Speech Resonance Clinic at Akron Children’s, Elijah has ears crafted from his own rib cage cartilage. Now, 4 years later, Dr. Murthy and his team at The Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute […]
Tissue engineering: A sound solution for kids born with ear abnormalities
Hear this: Of the roughly 4 million babies born in the United States each year, an estimated 15% of them have an ear abnormality affecting the structure and appearance of part of or the entire ear, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Microtia, the most severe ear abnormality, occurs when the entire external ear […]
Max’s cleft palate journey continues with success
My son, Max, was born in the middle of a November blizzard in 2008 with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Rewind to our 20 week ultrasound, where we were excited to find out his gender but were surprised to instead learn that he had a cleft. The tech was certain about his lip but […]