Connecticut Children's Blog

Eight-year-old Fifi is, in her mom’s words, a “firestorm of positivity.” Every day, she rises to the challenges of her rare disease with determination, kindness, and a knack for brightening even the darkest days. Through a clinical trial that recently concluded at Connecticut Children’s, Fifi is also part of history. Every four months for the […]

When she fell hard after whiffing on a ball during club soccer practice, 14-year-old Arianna P. nearly laughed out loud through the pain. “Here we go again,” she said to her mother in the hospital room. She’d managed to break her wrist for the second time. Deep down, she knew this time would be different. […]

Like many medical stories, Amila Watt’s begins with a mystery. For the first few years of her life, she struggled with one illness after another — usually, infections in her lungs or ears. Ear tube surgeries stopped the ear infections, but the respiratory illnesses kept coming. Parents Alisha and Claude agonized as their daughter suffered […]

Every Friday, 24-year-old Monique Hilson spends the better part of the day at Connecticut Children’s infusion center. There, she receives a medication to ease the effects of the rare disease she was born with. To pass the time, she makes and shares art. “Her artwork is incredible,” says Julia Gardner, BSN, RN, who provides care […]

When 7-year-old Kendrick Saylor runs, he does what his parents call “the Superman lean.” He puts his head down, squares his shoulders, and takes off. Due to a complication at birth, his vision is impaired. Bending forward helps him avoid objects on the ground. But he’s also navigating with leg braces, and the muscle weakness […]

Since he was a little kid, John Kostal dreamed of flying. At 21 years old, he was on the verge of achieving it as part of the United States Air Force. Then he got the bad news. After years of working toward a coveted pilot’s slot, his medical exams had detected a lingering heart problem… […]

It was Xavier Crane’s first soccer game after open heart surgery — but most of the people in the stands had no clue. Neither did the opposing team. He was playing better than ever. Xavier’s mom, Beth, was another story. She’d enlisted Xavier’s sister to come with her for moral support. Every time Xavier was […]

Connecticut Children’s new Westport Specialty Care Center already has a happy family. John B. Jr. — “JJ” to his family — is a giggly, boisterous 16-month-old from Stratford. Every couple months, he’ll visit the Neurosurgery team at the new Westport center, which opened its doors Dec. 15. This high-tech space is designed to feel welcoming and […]

Last summer, 3-year-old Kaitlyn Duong caught a common virus. It should’ve amounted to nothing more than a typical childhood flu. She was prescribed rest and fluids; a dose of antibiotics when the doctor heard a touch of pneumonia. No major cause for concern. But then her breathing pattern changed. Mom Cammie stood by Kaitlyn’s bed […]

In September 2019, Ellen and Jon Lindblom traveled to China to bring home the newest member of their family — Ayla, then a shy 6-year-old. They carried a letter from Connecticut Children’s Felice Heller, MD, urging the agency to expedite the adoption so Ayla could get immediate medical care. Not three months later, China shut […]