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Hitting double digits is a milestone for any kid, but it’s particularly special for Renee Seaver and her family. Once told that their daughter likely wouldn’t survive until age one, her parents recently celebrated Renee’s tenth birthday with her. “Renee is the heart and soul of our family,” says her mother, Michelle. “We enjoy every day we have together.”
…‘Finally in the right place’: Peyton’s journey to Boston
When Peyton Miklas comes to Boston Children’s Hospital for an appointment, she isn’t just seeing Dr. Belinda Dickie, co-director of the Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center, or one of the other clinicians who care for her. The 18-month-old is also excited to visit with her buddy Bryson. The toddlers — who were born within a day of each other — and their moms have bonded over their shared diagnosis of a congenital difference.
…Bryson’s story: Getting support for an anorectal malformation
The wait while a child has surgery can be excruciating for any parent, and Carrie and Brian Mueller are no exception. Even though it wasn’t the first procedure their son, Bryson, had undergone, they were still nervous when the time came for them to hand him over his clinical team. But before a nurse could begin wheeling the 4-month-old into the operating room, his surgeon, Dr. Belinda Dickie, stopped her. “I’d like to carry him in,” she told the Muellers.
…A world of difference: Postsurgical pain relief for Will
Will is a good-natured, active boy who loves riding his bike, playing with LEGOs and caring for his family’s two cats. So when he emerged from anesthesia following surgery to release a tethered spinal cord last August, it was clear he wasn’t feeling like himself. “He would be very combative and then very sleepy, explains Kathleen. “I just kept saying, ‘That’s not him.’” Kathleen and her husband, Eric, later learned that Will’s behavior was a consequence of the morphine he was being given to treat his postsurgical pain.
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