When Elizabeth Hayne saw her triplets, she was in love and also acutely aware of the development her babies still needed in the NICU at Akron Children’s. Born at nearly 32 weeks old, the babies relied on support from family and medical staff, as well as nourishment from mom. “I never thought about not breastfeeding them because […]
Kaphila’s gastroschisis care is going according to plan
With each prenatal care visit, new parents, Cali and Zreston, grew more excited to meet their baby. At a 20-week ultrasound visit, their excitement turned to concern when they learned their baby girl had gastroschisis, a birth defect that would require immediate medical attention after delivery. In need of a plan, they turned to staff […]
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 […]
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 […]
Married employees use tuition reimbursement to pay for nursing school
When Summa NICU nurse Abi Daugherty began her career at Akron Children’s in 2018 she had a very different role. “I was hired as a housekeeper in environmental services while I was still in nursing school,” said Abi. At the time, Abi was entering her third year in the nursing program at the University of […]
Annie Manuel folds up a 48-year career at Akron Children’s
Annie Manuel, laundry linen supervisor, learned the importance of service and working for the greater good from her parents. They taught Annie and her 5 siblings that everyone plays an important part to ensure things run smoothly. Whether she was washing dishes, mowing the grass or helping with a plumbing project, Annie approached each chore […]