Stories & Outcomes

Discharge days are bittersweet at Blythedale Children's Hospital. While we miss the children we become so close to over the course of their treatment, our hearts soar when they are able to return to their families and their communities. We are proud to share some of their stories.

John's Brave Journey Back from Brain Injury

Two days after the start of third grade, John was at home playing video games with his dad. He suddenly screamed, “I can’t see!” and then began vomiting and went unconscious. The eight-year-old was rushed to an emergency room in Staten Island where a CT scan showed bleeding in his brain from a...

Tags:

  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
  • Stroke
  • Hemiparesis
  • Acquired Brain Injury

Laney's Fight

Laney McGowan was first diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome when she was four months old and had her first seizure. Laney received intensive physical, occupational, speech, and feeding therapies at Blythedale to help her regain her ability to use her left side

Six-year-old Laney McGowan was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome when she was just four-months old and had her first seizure. Dravet Syndrome is a rare form of treatment-resistant epilepsy which causes prolonged seizures. In December, Laney struggled with several upper respiratory infections and...

Tags:

  • Complex Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
  • Complex Chronic Conditions
  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation
  • Dravet Syndrome
  • Acquired Brain Injury
  • Severe Epilepsy
  • Cardiac Arrest
  • Stroke

Stepping Stones Home

Max's Story

Meet Max, an aspiring content creator who - at age 12 - is taking on the world while recovering from congenital heart disease and an hypoxic brain injury. Max attends the Robert Stone Day Hospital at Blythedale Children’s Hospital which offers a specialized program for children who are able to live...

Tags:

  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation
  • Cardiac Arrest
  • Hypoxic Brain Injury
  • Stroke

In the Blink of an Eye

Battling Back from Brain Injury

"In the Blink of an Eye" is the inspiring story of two children at Blythedale Children's Hospital and their complex road to recovery following devastating brain injuries. Watch Xiomara and Easton as they navigate an unexpected future with the help of their medical team, family and friends. See the...

Tags:

  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Complex Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
  • Assistive Technology
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
  • Stroke

Talented Trejah

Dancer Dazzles with Emotional Encore After Beating Brain Tumors, Stroke

“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 Center in New...

Tags:

  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma (JPA)
  • Seizure Disorders
  • Stroke
  • Paralysis
  • Cognitive Impairments
  • Brain Tumor

Patient Defies Stroke, Paralysis and Wet Weather to Vote for the First Time on Election Day

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 last...

Tags:

  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Stroke
  • Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)

Rocky's Big Game

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 rushed...

Tags:

  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Neuromuscular Disorders
  • Stroke
  • Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)

Malka on the Mend

LVAD Dependent, Pre-Transplant Patient Returns After Cardiac Surgery

“I’ve never had a child, who’s had a major organ transplant, come back so quickly.” Dr. Mary Didie, Unit Chief of the Day Hospital Program at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, proudly uttered those words upon the return of nine-year-old Malka in March 2018, less than three-weeks after receiving a...

Tags:

  • Cardiac Rehabilitation
  • Pre/Post Organ & Stem Cell Transplant
  • Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
  • Heart Transplant
  • Stroke

Nicole's Miraculous Recovery

Driven Teen Battles Back from Cancer and Strokes

Nicole began her junior year at Greenwich High School with much to look forward to. An honors student and tri-varsity athlete, the vivacious teen was looking forward to learning to drive and prepping for college. A diagnosis of leukemia was not in the plans. Nonetheless, when she received the news...

Tags:

  • Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
  • Leukemia
  • Stroke

Unlocking the Future

Learn more about Blythedale's Assistive Technology program, and how it's changed the lives of four extraordinary patients.

As technology continues to advance, children with special needs are becoming increasingly more integrated into the world around them. Blythedale's comprehensive Assistive Technology program, one of only a few such programs in New York State, is opening doors for children like Barbara, Ashley...

Tags:

  • Assistive Technology
  • Complex Chronic Conditions
  • Neuromuscular Disorders
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation
  • Congenital Anomalies
  • Congenital Heart Disease
  • Stroke