Sad little child, boy, hugging his mother at home

At just seven years old, Seth has already overcome more challenges than most face in a lifetime. Seth’s health challenges began when he was just three years old. What initially seemed like persistent allergies turned out to be something much more serious. After multiple doctor visits, his family discovered a tumor growing in his sinus tract. The day after Christmas in 2020, they rushed to the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware emergency department, expecting a routine visit. Instead, they never went home. Seth was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. The tumor not only blocked his airway but also led to severe complications, including serious blood clots. Within his first week at Nemours Children’s, he underwent multiple emergency surgeries. “He had surgery Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday that week,” shares Deborah, his great-aunt who has cared for him since infancy, and has been by his side throughout his entire […]

When Courtney was pregnant with her son Brendan, her physician noticed something was off. During an ultrasound, they discovered that Brendan had an enlarged bowel, which can be a sign of cystic fibrosis. When Brendan was born in November of 2022, he was immediately placed in the NICU. “This was already planned and why we delivered in the Advanced Delivery Unit at Nemours Children’s Hospital,” explains Courtney. “The team was remarkable. Dr. Chou and our nurse, Mo, made a nerve-racking delivery as easy and seamless as possible. It was nothing but a great experience, considering the circumstances.” At only a day and a half old, Brendan had surgery. “During the surgery, they found that a part of the bowel had twisted on itself, causing it to not function properly,” says Courtney. “That day, they removed 30 cm of bowel and started the use of a colostomy bag. Then we had a 6-week healing […]

One evening shortly before Aiden’s 7th birthday, his father noticed Aiden was unable to speak, drooling, and had a facial droop with left sided weakness. I was working as a pediatric nurse at a community hospital, where he brought Aiden. We thought he was having a stroke.  He was transferred to the Emergency Department at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, where he had a full work up and was diagnosed with epilepsy and started on medications within 24 hours of arrival. Aiden tells us he had several episodes before anyone saw him and was very scared.  Fortunately, we don’t think he had many seizures before treatment. It still impacted his life, unfortunately limiting some of his activities, however he is definitely coming into his own and doing so well. He even wants to go into the medical field to be a surgeon. Epilepsy and the resulting seizures were a frequent part […]