A Rare and Life-Threatening Diagnosis
As a toddler, Cloud was your average, active little boy — climbing all over and getting into just about everything. Right before his 3rd birthday, that all changed.
The Road to Creating A New Standard in Behavioral Health
Many children with developmental and behavioral health needs experience a difficult journey toward wellness due to services that are fragmented or inaccessible. UPMC Children’s innovative Whole Child Wellness Clinic (WCWC) disrupts the current model of care with a new standard that better serves kids with behavioral health needs.
Meet D’Kaiden
Doctors told Samantha to prepare for the worst — that her son D’Kaiden likely wouldn’t survive after birth.
Delanee’s Story — Stage 2A bulk Classical Hodgkin’s Disease
Going through cancer at any stage in your life is unbelievably difficult, but as a 19-year-old during a pandemic, Delanee faced emotional and physical pain that she’d never felt before.
Meet Rosie
Shortly after Rosie was born, physicians diagnosed her with Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD), a rare, life-threatening genetic disorder in which the body is unable to process certain proteins.
Rosie’s Future
PICU physicians diagnosed Rosie with acute meningoencephalitis. While meningitis is a condition that involves inflammation or infection of the protective layer of membranes that surround the brain (the meninges), encephalitis involves inflammation or infection of the brain tissue.
Taylor’s Road Home
In late September, following several failed attempts to wake Taylor from her now 10-week-long coma, neurosurgeon Taylor Abel, MD, suggested an experimental type of deep brain stimulation. The procedure involved implanting an electrode in Taylor’s brain to modify electrical signals.
Maelynn’s Big Smile
Maelynn primarily relies on a wheelchair to get around, but according to her mother, Kaitlyn, Maelynn doesn’t let that slow her down.
Pittsburgh to Princeton: One Young Woman’s Journey from Stage IV Melanoma to Ivy League Admission
When Cate was 9, a biopsy revealed a rare case of childhood melanoma. Cate’s mom, Amanda, immediately brought her daughter to UPMC Children’s Pediatric Melanoma Center for treatment.
Jackson’s Journey
While Danielle was still pregnant, she learned that her unborn baby boy was already fighting an uphill battle. Not only did genetic testing reveal that the baby would be born with Down syndrome, but scans also revealed that he had a congenital heart defect.