Children Patient Stories
A New Kidney, New Life
When faced with sudden renal failure, a transplant was the best option for 14-year-old Alison Simon. One of Sanford Health’s first pediatric kidney transplant patients, the teen is loving life with her new kidney.
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Brothers and Champions
Zachary Gunderson started life with his abdomen full of tumors. His big brother Chase would be hospitalized with a life-threatening bacterial infection. Today these brave, healthy brothers take the stage as 2012 South Dakota Children’s Miracle Network champions.
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Saying Thanks
An Indiana family returned to Sanford Medical Center to give their children a chance to thank the medical workers that saved their lives. Sanford doctors and nurses helped four-year-old Lydia and six-year-old Caleb Dailey heal after an auto accident far from home.
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The Dream Team
For the Stafslien family, fighting diabetes means doing everything possible so 5-year-old Harper can live a full, healthy life. But it also means finding a cure. “Team Harper” rides again in the 2012 Tour de Cure!
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Big Dreams, Little Steps
Wagon rides, gymnastics, pancakes… Tylan Myklebust loves them all. And he loves his Sanford pediatric therapists, too. See how intensive outpatient therapy helps him reach higher -- and play harder.
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Day of Champions
So small and so sick, Jack and Joe Gould spent their first months in the Sanford Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Today these healthy, fun kindergartners take the stage as 2012 North Dakota Children’s Miracle Network champions!
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Inspiration for Tiny Miracles
Nurse practitioner Lori Wegehaupt has been honored for her care for the smallest patients. Meet one of her first success stories from the NICU, a teen whose tiny beginning reminds her to never give up hope.
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Playing Again
A sudden bulge in Alex Espenson’s neck left his parents perplexed and worried. How would a pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat specialist fix this nine-year-old patient’s problem?
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Sharing Henry’s Story
Child abuse may have changed baby Henry Johnson’s life, but his family hopes to use their tragedy to help prevent shaken baby syndrome. Henry’s Run will raise awareness about child abuse and dollars for Child Advocacy Centers of South Dakota (CACSD) to fund prevention programs to educate families with newborns.
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A Life for Lucas
From the day he was born, Lucas Olivieri struggled with the basics: breathing, eating, growing. Would a normal life ever be possible? See what happens when a loving family and Sanford Home Care enter his world!
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A Reason to Dance
It’s hard to dance when your tummy hurts. Eight-year-old Lindsay Scott knew that the doctors at Sanford Children’s could make her feel better and help her get back on her toes.
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A Child’s View
Three girls used a whiteboard to say what Sanford means to them. Find out what came out of the "meetings" held in 10-year-old Marissa Munster's room.
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Angels Among Us
Jeff Kezar and his wife Beth Sheehan eagerly anticipated the birth of Oliver. But when the unexpected happened? See how care teams, technology and more came together to save a mother and her baby.
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Embracing Hope
From her first day at Sanford Children’s Hospital, Ona Mohlenhoff and her family knew that she would be healed. Learn more about how this 7-year-old girl has been given “hope” that she will beat cancer.
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Little Dog, Super Spirit
A spinal cord injury may have taken away Super Lance’s ability to move his back legs, but this little dachshund brings smiles everywhere he goes. Find out what happened when this celebrity therapy dog visited patients at Sanford Children’s Hospital.
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All for Sophie
Baby Sophie was a “special delivery” all the way. See how several Sanford specialties worked together to resolve a rare, potentially life-threatening lung condition revealed during pregnancy. The result? Beautiful!
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A Royal Visitor
Miss America Teresa Scanlan wore her crown to visit Sanford’s Children’s Castle of Care. Find out how she raises awareness for Childrens’ Miracle Network Hospitals and offers the royal treatment to sick children.
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Our Castle is Your Home
Country star Steve Azar penned and played a song inspired by his experience at the Sanford Children’s Castle. Flanked by a choir of children, he debuted the song during Sanford Gala Week.
Listen to a piece of the song here.
A Gentler Beginning...
Dr. Dennis Stevens is leading national research on the effect of light, sound and privacy on critically ill babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Learn what he’s discovered.
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Getting a Good Start
Foster parent Peggy Anderson didn’t expect doctors’ visits to be easy for a one-year-old boy with a number of health challenges. Her family experienced warm, friendly care that has allowed the boy to heal and grow.
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Looking to the Skies
Up in the air, the Sanford Children’s Hospital’s balloon is a symbol of the pure joy of childhood play. Learn more about this whimsical symbol of Sanford’s commitment to children and the pilot who glides it through the skies.
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Once Upon a Mouse
Just the sight of him brings a smile. And soon the lean, happy-go-lucky Peeka-Door who presides at Sanford Children’s will begin an epic journey. Meet our beloved champion Alfunz!
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Lights, Camera, Action!
A family from Hillsboro, N.D., travels to Sioux Falls, S.D., to participate in the filming of a Sanford Children’s TV commercial. Exhausting? Yes. “But all very fun,” says mom and nurse Jennifer Vigen-Iverson.
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Taking it to the Streets
Heather Schimke knows the challenges of diabetes -- her 12-year-old son, Landon, deals with the disease every day. On June 18 she’ll ride for a cure in the North Dakota Tour de Cure. Come along!
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Trying Something New
Eight-year-old Katelyn Tennant was recuperating from heart surgery when doctors discovered she’d developed a new rare disease. Could an experimental treatment save her life?
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A Family Knows
Genetic testing helped Lanah Jones’ family understand why their infant daughter was getting sick. The knowledge about this little girl’s rare condition is helping doctors save her life.
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The Luck of the Irish
Twins born on St. Patrick's Day! But what happens when little Jack and Sam have breathing difficulties at birth? Two teams from Sanford Children's NICU are already there.
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A New Family, New Lifestyle
After an earthquake in Haiti, a little girl with a rare genetic condition needed an American family who could love her and meet her medical needs. Throat surgery helped both Djoulissa and her soon-to-be adoptive mother get the rest they needed to thrive.
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Saving Justina
Six-month-old Justina Peters was quite likely to die from a rare bone disease when her Sanford Clinic Belize doctor made a connection with researchers for a new treatment that is helping her live.
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Home Sweet Home
Eyes sparkling and a ready smile, little Kolton loves trucks, shovels … and hugs. A new, innovative approach to care makes a happy difference for kids with special health needs. Parents like it, too!
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The Return of Smiling Eyes
You’d never know it by watching him today, but at age 3, Lincoln Deibert could barely function -- no facial expressions, no talking, no walking. See how pediatric therapy turned his life around!
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