Eva rides out the side effects of aggressive Wilms tumor treatment
Eva Quiroz loves horses. The 10 year old takes riding lessons, and this activity puts a smile on her face. Anyone watching her contentedly guiding a horse around the ring would just assume she has always been a healthy child, says her mom Carla. They would see no hint of what Eva has been through ... Read More
Stetson travels from Texas for bladder exstrophy care
As first-time parents, Rachael and Leroy Calk expected to have questions after their son, Stetson, was born. What they didn’t expect was to find themselves faced with a surprising diagnosis when their baby was just a few hours old — and to begin a journey for answers about his care. Although Rachael’s pregnancy had been ... Read More
Henry’s bladder exstrophy journey
Just a few months into his young life, Henry Packer has traveled from the Netherlands to Utah to Massachusetts — and has gone from being a medical mystery to making a best friend with the same rare condition. It’s all part of his ongoing journey with bladder exstrophy, a congenital anomaly in which a baby’s ... Read More
When surgery shapes your life: Moyamoya patient turned doctor
Elizabeth Kwak is living proof of how far the treatment of moyamoya has come. Twenty-four years ago, Elizabeth had pial synangiosis, a surgical treatment for moyamoya that was pioneered by Boston Children’s Hospital neurosurgeon Dr. R. Michael Scott in 1985. Today, Elizabeth is a fourth-year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine. She talks ... Read More
Maya is moving ahead after thyroid cancer
For Maya Rao, 15, a playful accident last Thanksgiving led to the discovery of thyroid cancer. As she and her older sister, Deepti, fooled around, happy to be reunited for the holiday, Deepti’s long hair — gathered in a bun — softly hit Maya on her neck. It seemed innocuous enough, but then she developed ... Read More
My journey from patient to employee
When I was 13 years old, I remember eating my breakfast and next thing I knew, my mom was repeatedly asking me why I wasn’t responding to her. I was having my first seizure. The start of my journey This was the beginning of my journey with epilepsy. For two and a half years, I ... Read More