Connecticut Children's Blog

Last summer, Ben Kline couldn’t make it from the kitchen to his bedroom without hugging the wall. He was having trouble balancing. He had a constant headache. He was so sensitive to light, he had to stop playing video games. He was so sensitive to sound, his younger sister stopped having friends over. He lost […]

Milagros knew in her heart that her daughter was sick. But for a long time, no one else seemed to believe her. Jazz, age 3, had been plagued with mysterious symptoms for months. She’d been spitting up for no reason, and waking with bad headaches. Milagros brought her to doctors all over Massachusetts, but no […]

One day, when Danny Sullivan was 8 years old, he began to feel very tired. Everyone thought it was allergies, maybe, or a growth spurt. He’d always been a healthy kid, with nothing more than the occasional cold. But this time, it got worse. Suddenly, he could barely stand up. His father had to carry […]

The staff at the hospital where Natalia Rodriguez Sabala was born hadn’t seen a patient like her in seven years. She was born with cloacal exstrophy, also known as OEIS syndrome: Her bladder and portions of her large intestine were on the outside of her belly, and her bladder was split open into two halves. […]

When Tropical Storm Isaias hit Connecticut this past August, it toppled trees and knocked out power across the state. It also hit the campground where Keilany Palma and her parents, siblings and grandmother were celebrating her 12th birthday. Keilany’s actual birthday had been in April, but because of coronavirus, her family couldn’t throw a party. […]

When 5-year-old Sofia Cortese hears she won’t be going into school today – whether from a doctor’s appointment, school holiday or because classes will be online this week – she has a predictable reaction. “She’ll say, ‘But my friends are going to miss me!’” says mom Renata. And she’s right. Everyone in Sofia’s school building […]

Norma Moreira was returning home from work when she received the phone call: Her 6-year-old son, Fernando, was hit by a car while crossing the street in their East Hartford neighborhood. The car had been going very fast. Fernando might not survive. Fernando was raced to Connecticut Children’s, where the trauma, critical care, general surgery […]

Seventeen-year-old Haley Lespier, a three-sport varsity athlete at Maloney High School in Meriden, recently received an incredible honor. Out of all the athletes in New England, New York and New Jersey, she was the selected as the sole regional winner of the 2020 National High School “Spirit of Sport” Award. It followed an award, a […]

Emilia Galarneau was born March 6 – exactly a week before the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a national emergency. “The world seemingly shut down as we drove her home from the hospital,” says mom Brittaney. Two days later, she and Emilia’s dad, Eric, made the decision to pull their sons – William, age 2, and […]

By Jenn Long My younger son, James, is 5 years old, and he has two settings: off and on. When he’s on, he goes full speed. He keeps me on my toes, but he’s always happy. He loves to play video games with his older brother, Nathan, who’s 10. James doesn’t sit down much. He’s […]