We were at our favorite skate park with friends when my son, Rocco, fell off his skateboard and hurt his leg. We headed straight to the ER, where we found out that Rocco had a closed triplane fracture of his right ankle. While in the ER, they also noticed his blood pressure was high. My first thought was, ‘He just broke his ankle, of course it’s high.’ But the nurse insisted that we make a follow-up appointment with his pediatrician. After a few days of Rocco being home, we checked his blood pressure, and it was still very high. So, we made an appointment with the pediatrician. Rocco’s father was 13 years old when he went into kidney failure. Because of this family history, I asked them to do a full kidney workup on Rocco. A day later, we received a phone call asking us to go to our local […]

Navigating Vocal Cord Dysfunction: Emma’s Story
At 13 years old, Emma keeps a packed schedule. She’s a multi-sport athlete, playing field hockey and lacrosse and running track. All sports that require endurance, strength, and, of course, strong breathing. But in the summer of 2024, during a track meet, Emma found herself struggling to catch her breath. Emma had experienced breathing issues before and had even been treated for asthma as a child. But this time, things felt different. So, her family turned to a place they knew and trusted: Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. “We’ve been going to Nemours Children’s since Emma was little,” says her mom, Melissa. “Even though we don’t live super close, we’ve always been happy with the care we’ve received there. We continue to go back when we need care beyond what our family doctor can provide.” Emma first saw the pulmonology team at Nemours, but after a thorough evaluation, they suggested the […]