Stories & Outcomes

“We want what every other kid wants, each and every day; to go to school, learn, study, make choices, make mistakes and then move on to the next grade.” Powerful words of inclusion from Zoriah, an 11th grader at Mt. Pleasant Blythedale School , during the middle/high school Moving Up...

Raymond has got some serious moves. The 14-month-old can roll over, push himself up to a sitting position and even use both hands to play with toys. Some pretty impressive skills considering what he had to overcome. In January 2018, an unexpected pre-term delivery brought him into the world at just...

“He’s a firecracker that walks to the beat of his own drum.” Akua Genfi speaks with pride about her confident and charismatic nine-year-old son, David, who is always excited to meet new people, say “hello” and spark up a conversation. For almost half his young life,...

I lived a normal, healthy and active life for fourteen years until I suffered a stroke caused by an unexpected brain hemorrhage. I underwent life-saving surgery, but became partially paralyzed to the right side of my body. This was my lowest point, but I didn't know just how bad it was. In the...

“Since I was little, dancing was everything to me.” The spotlight shined brightly on Trejah as a young, talented performer. Before even becoming a teenager, she had taken the stage numerous times in ballet and dance, even joining the famed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Lincoln...

The will to fight was instilled in Tara ever since day one. Born a premature triplet at 26-weeks and weighing just under two-pounds, she required resuscitation in the delivery room and was put on a life-sustaining ventilator for weeks while undergoing numerous surgeries and medical procedures to...

Bentley is more than meets the eye. He’s more than the power wheelchair that keeps him moving. He’s more than the ventilator that keeps him alive. He’s more than the assistive technology that helps him communicate. “He is the bravest kid in the world and an inspiration for...

Slow and steady wins the race. A mantra that Blythedale Children’s Hospital patient, Daniel, his family and medical/clinical teams have lived by for the past few years. Since his birth four years ago, eating has been an obstacle for Daniel. He was initially breastfed, but had difficulty...

For one special inpatient at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, Election Day was a particularly momentous occasion. Eighteen-year-old Amoonthays (Amoon) Khrisat Velazquez cast her ballot in the important midterm elections and voted for the very first time. The teen was admitted to the Hospital...

Walking into a major league ballpark is often an impressive sight to see, but for one Blythedale Children’s Hospital patient and his family, attending a recent baseball game held even more meaning. Nine-year-old Rocky, a previously healthy and active child, suffered a stroke in July. He was...