Patient Stories

All Articles in the Category ‘Patient Stories’

Improving Urologic Outcomes for Newborns and Young Children With Spina Bifida

November 2, 2022  |  Article, Patient Stories

From the On the Pulse blog of Seattle Children’s, by Ashley Speller

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have teamed up with clinicians at Seattle Children’s to identify and evaluate the best urologic management for newborns and young children with spina bifida in a nationwide study called Urologic Management to Preserve Initial REnal function (UMPIRE).

Launched in 2014, the multisite, multiyear UMPIRE program aims to increase the understanding of kidney, bladder health and function, which are closely linked, in the early years. It also brings together a unique collaboration of doctors and nurses from more than 20 clinics across the country, including Seattle Children’s Urology Program, which has been ranked among the top 10 pediatric urology programs in the United States for the past three years by U.S. News & World Report. Read full post »

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: How Seattle Children’s Turned One Family’s Devastation Into Hope

May 5, 2021  |  Patient Stories

When Cassie Fannin was 19-weeks pregnant with her first baby, she couldn’t wait for the ultrasound that would reveal her child’s gender. During the appointment, she and her husband, Michael, were delighted as they watched their beautiful baby wiggling around on the ultrasound screen.

Six years ago, Cassie Fannin’s world was turned upside down when she found out her baby, Summer, had a life-threatening congenital diaphragmatic hernia. She was devastated, but a Seattle Children’s surgeon gave her hope and showed her she could handle anything for her daughter.

Cassie asked the technician, “Is it a boy or girl?”

But the technician’s previously cheerful expression now suggested something was wrong. “I’ll need to check with the doctor,” the technician said while hurrying out of the room.

Moments later, a doctor gave Cassie and Michael the devastating news that changed their lives. Read full post »

Born With a Hole in His Heart, Hybrid Procedure Helps Rowen Thrive

March 7, 2018  |  Article, Patient Stories

When Chelsie McKinney and her husband welcomed baby Rowen into the world in November 2017, they thought he was “absolutely perfect.”

“He was a big, strong and beautiful boy,” McKinney said. “We counted his fingers and toes like all parents do, and he seemed perfectly healthy. We were so excited to bring him home.”

However, before Rowen was discharged from the hospital, doctors noticed he had a heart murmur. An echocardiogram indicated he had a hole in the wall between the lower two chambers of his heart, which is called a ventricular septal defect (VSD).

Read more of Rowan’s story on Seattle Children’s blog On The Pulse.

Read full post »

Seattle Children’s Helps a Micro Preemie Beat Overwhelming Odds

February 7, 2018  |  Patient Stories

For Leslie and Jeremy Barnett, Grayson’s black and white Converse Chuck Taylors represent a happy ending to a tough first chapter of life for their son, who weighed just 1 pound when he was born 18 weeks premature last November.

It took eight months and overcoming tremendous adversity for Grayson to grow into the tiny shoes he received the day before his 117-day stay in the Seattle Children’s neonatal intensive care unit ended.

Read more of Grayson’s story on Seattle Children’s blog On The Pulse. Read full post »