Connecticut Children's Blog

Nearly half of all sports injuries are knee injuries. They can sideline you for weeks or months at a time. The good news? Research shows a combination of strength, balance, and plyometric exercises can reduce the risk of knee injuries. Physical therapists at Connecticut Children’s Elite Sports Medicine division identified six such exercises to try. Sophia, one […]

Unfortunately, we have seen a dramatic rise in pediatric hypertension over the last few years. Now, up to 10% of children have elevated blood pressure. If we apply this to the population of children in Connecticut, roughly 70,000 are affected! What are the risk factors for pediatric hypertension? The biggest risk factor is being overweight. […]

Staying well-hydrated is very important for your kidneys. Proper hydration helps your kidneys balance all of the electrolytes in your body, such as sodium and potassium, and helps your kidneys get rid of all the waste products from food you consume that your body does not use. Furthermore, your body is made up of 70% […]

By Kathleen Mayko and Tony Sabonis, Maeve’s and Rowan’s parents Our daughters, Maeve and Rowan, are typical precocious little girls. Maeve, 4, started preschool in fall 2018. She’s bubbly and vivacious, and she likes reading, dancing and animals. She lights up a room with her energy. She loves being outside, loves going to the library, […]

By Kara Satalino, Cecelia’s mom My daughter, Cecelia, looks like any normal 3-year-old, and she is definitely the sassiest little girl I’ve ever met. She’s wild and smart. She loves to run and play sports with her three older brothers, especially soccer. At the boys’ games, we have to play with her on the sidelines […]

By Nicole Schwartz, HuskyTHON Walking out of the Fieldhouse in February of 2016, after just completing my first HuskyTHON, I was inspired: by the 3,000+ UConn students who came together to prove that there is strength in numbers, by the support given by the entire state of Connecticut showing that there is so much good […]

By Lizzie Drake, Amelia’s mom My daughter Amelia is 3 years old. She has curly blonde hair and blue eyes. She’s feisty and spunky. She’s always happy, loves life, and loves to play and sing songs. She loves to read and be outside, and she loves going to preschool. Amelia also has cystic fibrosis (CF), […]

David Alvarez III, 18, is a typical college freshman. He’s concerned about his classes at the University of Bridgeport, where he’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business management; studying for tests; getting his homework done; and spending time with friends. But on top of those concerns, David makes time for regular appointments at Connecticut Children’s […]

When Rose Robison first glanced at her daughter Brianna’s Christmas list, she was expecting to find all the trappings of a 15-year-old’s desires: clothes, jewelry, accessories, and so on. What she didn’t anticipate, however, was a written request to meet the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center’s NICU staff at UConn Health in Farmington that saved her […]

For Siaana’s family, every day is a day of thanksgiving. Siaana, a sweet little girl who just turned 5, was diagnosed with a rare heart defect in November 2014, just days before the Thanksgiving holiday. Her parents, Annie and Ajay of Wethersfield, were shocked to learn that their 10-month-old daughter had a congenital heart condition […]

It was October 21, 1996, and Shari Cantor had just given birth to her fourth son, Jacob, at Hartford Hospital. At first Jacob seemed to be perfectly healthy. “I was sitting there with this beautiful baby with a perfect Apgar score,” Shari says. “But then one of the nurses came to look at him and […]

Olivia Belfonti wasn’t even born yet when her parents, Tricia and Arnold, knew there was trouble—serious trouble—with their baby. Tricia was 19 weeks pregnant when an ultrasound showed that Olivia’s heart had only one ventricle. Instead of the normal arrangement, where one side of the heart pumps oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the rest […]

It’s been more than six years since Marina Tribuzio and her brother, Pete, were born, weighing just over 1 pound apiece. Both babies, who were born three months early on August 11, 2012, faced a host of challenges that premature newborns often face, but Marina was also diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect known […]

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sonia Chaudhry is the only pediatric hand surgeon in Connecticut and she’s here at Connecticut Children’s.  Ashley Denison remembers the worry that washed over her when doctors told her that her son had no thumb on his left hand just moments after he was delivered in April 2017. How would he hold […]

His mother didn’t share the pediatrician’s suspicions, but Jack Wright knew something was wrong. He could tell she had been crying when she had him pulled out of class to pick him up at school. They headed straight for the emergency department at Connecticut Children’s, where doctors confirmed he had Type 1 diabetes. “I thought […]

It was Easter weekend 2011, when, on a lark, Annie Cooper pricked her finger with her dad’s glucometer to test her blood sugar. It was sky high. A freshman in high school at the time, Annie remembers wondering if it was all the Easter candy that caused the spike. Her father, a Type 1 diabetic […]

Each November, we and other healthcare organizations across the country celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week, which raises awareness for the nurse practitioner role and recognizes the exceptional care they provide. Meet two of our nurse practitioners below, and if you know or have an appointment with a nurse practitioner this week, please thank them for […]

Robert Parenteau hated the word “diabetes” and for a long time after being diagnosed with Type 1 at age 10, he was in denial about even having the disease. Worries about bulky equipment and a frightening appearance filled his head. “That will never be me”, he remembers thinking to himself. In middle school, things only […]

By Kevin Borrup, DrPH, JD, MPA is the Associate Director of Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center When you drive home on October 31st, drive more slowly than usual, watch out for kids and adults who may be out and about in places you normally would not expect them to be. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, children […]