Our Kid HEROES

Inspirational and brave are understatements when it comes to describing our Kid HEROES. These children have shown courage and resilience when faced with serious health challenges.

Our Kid HEROES represent the incredible things that are accomplished when we all collectively work together to make an impact. Every Kid HERO has benefited from the care and services of Dartmouth Health Children's and CHaD.

Meet our 2024 Kid HEROES!

Lainey

Lainey spent 37 days in the CHaD’s Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) after she was born at 31 weeks 5 days. After birth she required some extra care which included a short period of oxygen support and monitoring. Lainey spent most of her time in the ICN learning how to eat and grow.

Within a few weeks, she was discharged home on the Hope Grows at Home program with Dr. Hartman and Kate Richards. This program helped Lainey grow and thrive in her home environment with family close by. “Today, Lainey is a happy healthy one year old and we cannot thank all of the staff enough for their help during our time together in the NICU,” says mom, Dianah.

Myles

Myles was introduced to CHaD when he was only four years old and experiencing a kidney issue. After receiving care from Pediatric Nephrology and the Pain Free Clinic, his family thought that would be the end of their CHaD journey. However, only four short years later when he was eight years old, Myles began to feel ill again.

His family met with ChaD’s Pediatric Gastroenterology team, where they diagnosed Myles with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), an autoimmune disease that causes bleeding of the large intestine. Despite this challenging diagnosis and months of inpatient stays, the CHaD team was reassuring and treated Myles and his family with compassion.

Myles wants to use that same reassurance that he received from Dr. Al-Nimr to reiterate to other CHaD patients that they, too, are not alone. He wants to help ensure that other kids know that when they come to CHaD they will feel cared for and special. Today, a year after surgery that gave him back his childhood, Myles is stronger and healthier than ever, and looks forward to seeing everyone at the HERO this year.

Wyatt

On July 8th 2023 5-year-old Wyatt was diagnosed with B-Cell ALL leukemia which turned his and his family’s world upside down. Over the past year, Wyatt has received extensive amounts of chemotherapy and other lifesaving treatments. In addition to his treatments, Wyatt and his family have spent multiple weeks inpatient at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) battling infections related to his compromised immune system.

Thanks to the doctors and nurses at CHaD, as of May, Wyatt is in clinical remission and is healthy enough to attend first grade this year. Despite his ongoing treatments and limitations, Wyatt has never lost his sense of laughter and positivity.

“We can’t thank the amazing team at DHMC and CHaD enough for taking such great care of Wyatt and our family” says Wyatt’s mom and dad, Charlotte and Tucker.

Rowan

Rowan began his life in the Intensive Care Nursery. Upon birth, Rowan was found to have hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)—not enough oxygen was getting to his brain. Doctors, nurses and support staff at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) immediately began giving Rowan neonatal therapeutic hypothermia treatment to help his brain heal in those first, 72 critical hours. At the same time, Rowan was also fighting persistent pulmonary hypertension of a newborn (PPHN), which made it hard for him to breathe on his own.

“It's because of CHaD and the amazing staff in the ICN that Rowan is now a happy, healthy 4-month-old!” said Lauren, Rowan’s mom. “Every single person we met while Rowan was in the ICN was amazing—from his nurses and providers (APRNs, neonatologists, neurologist, respiratory therapists, etc.), lactation consultants, occupational therapists, speech and language [therapists], etc. We will never forget the exceptional care and compassion we received from everyone caring for Rowan.”

Today, Rowan continues to receive care from several specialists at CHaD, including his pediatrician, cardiology and audiology team, and CHaD’s Transitional Long-Term (TLC) Clinic. Together, they are ensuring that Rowan’s childhood going forward is as normal as can be.

Griffin

When five-year-old Griffin was diagnosed with leukemia on October 5, 2023, he and his family’s world turned upside down.

Doctors at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) described Griffin’s diagnosis as B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that accounts for 1 in 4 of all childhood cancers. Once Griffin was diagnosed, he was admitted to CHaD for fifteen days to start his treatment immediately.

From the very beginning, Griffin responded well to treatment: a combination of oral and infusion chemotherapy, as well as several lumbar punctures. One month later, Griffin entered clinical remission. “We are very fortunate to have the best doctors and nurses on our side during this journey and we can’t thank them enough for what they have done for our son,” said Griffin’s father Matt.

Currently in the maintenance phase of his treatment plan at CHaD, Griffin is excited for a return to normalcy when he begins kindergarten this fall. And we are excited to welcome him as a 2024 Kid HERO!

Charleigh

Born prematurely at 34 weeks, Charleigh faced a life-threatening battle from the start. She was blue and not breathing, requiring immediate intubation at CHaD’s Intensive Care Nursery. After surfactant therapy, she was extubated and placed on a CPAP machine. Her family’s CHaD stay coincided with the holiday season, and the exceptional staff ensured that this special time—Charleigh’s very first Christmas—was filled with gifts from donors and volunteers.

Charleigh’s challenges continued after discharge, with admissions to the PICU for apnea causing bradycardia, and later for respiratory issues requiring oxygen therapy. Throughout, the CHaD team provided critical care and unwavering support, enabling Charleigh to return home for additional recovery. Though she still faces breathing difficulties, Charleigh’s resilience and her family’s gratitude serve as a powerful reminder of the impact CHaD has had on countless children and families.

Owen

Calling Owen, a miracle baby would be a severe understatement. At 24 weeks, Owen made his way into this world a fighter. At 1 pound and 10 oz, he was one of three triplets born 4 months too soon, and unfortunately, his battle was far from over. Sadly, the brothers that he came into this world with lost their fight only weeks after they were born, and Owen faced a tumultuous road to recovery.

In 2021, a week after his third birthday, he underwent surgery to have his trach removed, and his speech, motor, and cognitive skills all seemed to have caught up with his age. He began preschool and found immense joy in interacting with children his own age.

Owen and his family lived blissfully as they seemed to be exiting this chapter of Owen’s life, but sadly, he was about to hit another incredibly heavy obstacle. In May 2022, Owen was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma. He underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and a 12-hour procedure to remove the tumor, followed by 20 rounds of Proton Radiation and six rounds of immunotherapy. Finally, in January 2023, he was cancer free and received his final treatment to prevent relapse this June.

Despite his grueling medical journey, Owen is known for his beaming smile and laughter, traits that have won over the hearts of everybody at CHaD he comes into contact with. His family is grateful to CHaD and credits the hospital for saving Owen’s life.

“Owen represents all Kid HEROs,” said his mother Jessica. “He overcomes and smiles through it all, not just for himself, but for his brothers, and all babies who have had to, are currently, or who will, have to fight for their lives.”

Jacob

Jacob and his twin sister, Mayra, were born at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth at 26 weeks. Both Jacob and his sister were ventilated at birth and moved to the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) but each child had a different course of treatments, diagnoses and surgeries in the following weeks and months.

Jacob spent his first five months receiving medical care at CHaD with consultations with Boston Children’s Hospital Pulmonary team. At one month, he underwent heart surgery. At five months, he was transferred to Boston Children’s Hospital to receive a life-saving lung reduction surgery. Finally, Jacob was able to come home at 18 months.

Although Jacob is still followed by numerous specialists within CHaD and continues to need therapies for communication, he lives a normal life. For a little boy who has undergone so many major surgeries he has surpassed so many negative predictions of his future. He loves to run around, which for a boy who is missing a huge portion of his right lung and severe pulmonary hypertension, you would never be able to tell. Jacob absolutely loves being outdoors. He enjoys swimming, skiing, kayaking, riding his bike, going for walks – especially to the park, and he loves music.

Mayra

Mayra and her twin brother, Jacob, were born at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth at 26 weeks. Both Mayra and her brother were ventilated at birth and moved to the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) but each child had a different course of treatments, diagnoses and surgeries in the following weeks and months.

Mayra spent a total of four months receiving medical care at CHaD. In those month she underwent a total of 3 brain surgeries. After discharge from the ICN she developed numerous medical complications with her hydrocephalus requiring another fourth brain surgery that put her into the PICU. During this stay is when they found she had Idiopathic Thromobocytopenia (ITP) which required another specialist and numerous treatments to bring her blood counts up and her immune system. After two years of treatments, Mayra was able to graduate from Hematology team and remain followed by Orthopedics, Neurology and Neuro-surgery team.

She has multiple diagnosis where the three largest are her epilepsy, hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy. Once you meet her you would be shocked these are her disabilities! Mayra is into theater, skiing, hiking, swimming, boogie boarding, kayaking and competitive cheer. She has had numerous corrective surgeries and continues to have yearly injections to her legs and one arm for muscle tightness. She is a true warrior that you truly will want to meet.

Arianna

In 2017, Arianna's life changed in an instant. While out on a normal grocery trip with her family, a drunk driver hit the vehicle she was in head on when they were on their way home. Arianna was in her car seat in the backseat and was most impacted by the brunt of the impact. As she sat unresponsive in the vehicle, the emergency medical technicians on the scene immediately called the Dartmouth Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART) for a medical flight to Lebanon where Arianna underwent emergency brain surgery. At just 21 months old, she experienced a depressed open-skull fracture and a pulmonary contusion.

After the surgery, Arianna was placed on full life support. Her mother, Sarah, was told to prepare herself for the fact that her daughter may never come home. After 10 grueling days in the care of medical professionals at CHaD, Arianna woke up.

While her initial and extremely difficult battle was won, her fight is still not over. Arianna had to relearn to walk, eat, and talk all over again. She is currently in physical, occupational, and speech therapy weekly because of these injuries.

Sarah, Arianna's mom, expresses gratitude to the team at CHaD for not only helping her daughter during a grueling moment in her life, but also for giving her hope through it all.

"CHaD not only saved my daughter's life," she said. "But they helped keep me together in moments where I wasn't sure how I would keep going."

Willow

When April B. found out she was pregnant with her daughter Willow, her nerves overcame her. While she was elated at the thought of welcoming her baby girl into the world, her past experience with two miscarriages gave her reason to pause. However, Willow kept growing.

After an unfortunate chain of events, April found herself in early labor and gave birth to Willow at 29 weeks and 2 days. She was a little under three pounds, but April already knew that her daughter would be a fighter. The hospital where Willow was born did not have a neonatal intensive care unit, and doctors and nurses were on video chat with the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) team at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) who were guiding them on how to care for her.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, DHART’s CHaD team arrived to bring Willow to the ICN.

“We vividly remember their green suits and the feeling of relief upon seeing them,” April recalled. “They were confident, competent, and ready to do what they needed to do to save our baby girl.”

Now, Willow is 2 years old, and her parents and big sister are grateful for the team at the ICN who not only helped treat Willow back to health, but also handled their situation with compassion through the life-changing journey.

Gabrielle

Gabrielle’s 22-year journey at CHaD began shortly after she was born prematurely and had to be life-flighted by DHART’s Critical Care Team to the CHaD ICU from Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, NH. Only a few days old, Gabrielle was on life support battling congenital heart failure and brain bleeds.

At two weeks old, Gabrielle had her first open heart surgery, and doctors told her parents it was very possible Gabrielle would not survive the surgery, let alone be able to walk or talk. Gabrielle was a true fighter; after months of care in the NICU, she was strong enough to go home and today she is thriving.

"I’ve proved everyone wrong; I am doing things that the doctors told my parents I would never be able to do. If it wasn’t for the doctors and nurses at CHaD, I wouldn’t be here today,” said Gabrielle.