At 17 months old, Scotland Zinser learned to sit himself up. In a few weeks he was crawling. Then standing. “He started walking today,” his mother, Jillian Campbell, said one recent afternoon at their home near Portage Lakes, while her boy with vibrant red hair happily pushed on a stand-up walker toy. “I’m proud of […]
Cardiologists team up to give boy new heart, second chance at life
In retrospect it all happened so fast. Linda and Ryan Amstutz watched in disbelief as their 3-year-old son, Colton, went from his normal, happy life of perpetual motion to his admission to pediatric intensive care, where doctors told them his young heart was failing and he might need to be put on the list for […]
Children’s Champion spotlight: Will Brown
For Will Brown, running in the Akron Children’s Hospital Akron Marathon Race Series is personal. He’s not necessarily going after personal best times, rather he’s running to support Akron Children’s which has helped his family in the most personal way possible – saving his son’s life. Will’s son, Grayson, was diagnosed with congenital heart defects […]
Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley continues the mission of Touched by Nathan
A Struthers couple is living up to the mission they began nearly 2 decades ago: support families who struggle with caring for a medically fragile child. Ken and Vicki Pavalko started the Touched by Nathan Foundation in honor of their late son, Nathan Charles Pavalko. He passed away 40 days after he was born with […]
Heart Patient Turns Her Life’s Negatives Into Positives
Katherine Schroeder was born with a hole in her heart and an abnormal valve, known as congenital heart disease. She then developed other heart defects. She had her first surgery at 1 month old, which repaired the hole in her heart. At 2 months, she had a metal valve put into her chest. And […]
Nurse switches roles, learns what life is like as a patient family
Sarah and her husband, Zach, were already parents to 3-year-old Chloe when they learned she was pregnant with a second daughter. But 3 weeks after her 19-week ultrasound, their world came crashing down when they learned their unborn baby had a series of complex congenital heart defects.
