Coronavirus Update:What patients and families need to know
Patient Stories
At Children’s National Hospital, we provide compassionate, professional care to thousands of patients every year. Our patients come from all over the United States and from more than 20 countries around the world. They have many different conditions and experience unique paths on their treatment journeys – but through it all they experience the same level of warm, family-centered care. Discover our patients' stories to understand their journey and see how it may relate to your own.
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Maddox's Story
Neurofibromatosis
Maddox's Story
Neurofibromatosis
Zhen Chao, now called Maddox, was born in China with a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) that can cause painful or disfiguring tumors called plexiform neurofibromas. Read about Maddox.
Carly's Story
Cancer
Carly's Story
Cancer
Bone marrow experts and a selfless donation save a local teen’s life.
Irina's Story
Colorectal
Irina's Story
Colorectal
When Irina and her husband first learned their infant daughter had a serious health condition, they immediately began researching the best doctors and surgeons to care for her. Read about Irina's story.
Stella's Story
Anorectal Malformations
Stella's Story
Anorectal Malformations
When she and her twin sister were born in 2019, Stella was diagnosed with an anorectal malformation. Her surgeon in Greece recommended that the family see international expert Marc Levitt, M.D., and his team for the surgery, due to his vast experience in repairing challenging cases like Stella’s.
Bella's Story
Epilepsy and Seizure
Bella's Story
Epilepsy and Seizure
In the first weeks of life, Bella underwent a series of procedures that her doctors and family agreed were necessary to end constant seizures from hemimegalencephaly (HME), a rare brain disorder in which one half of the brain grows abnormal and large and misbehaves by triggering repeated difficult seizures.
Johan's Story
Allergic and Immunologic Disorders
Johan's Story
Allergic and Immunologic Disorders
Johan, diagnosed with chronic granulomatous disease, underwent a bone marrow transplant and specialized T-cell infusion all before the age of 4.
Nina's Story
Allergies Immunology
Nina's Story
Allergies Immunology
Nina, an 18-year-old high school senior and competitive swimmer, is among a growing group of adolescents with a food allergy.
Thomas's Story
Duodenal Atresia or Stenosis in Infants
Thomas's Story
Duodenal Atresia or Stenosis in Infants
Thomas’s internal and external challenges, all considered individually very rare, added up to an extremely rare combination known as VACTERL association.
Sadie's Story
Newborn Neurologic Disorders
Sadie's Story
Newborn Neurologic Disorders
Sadie is one of hundreds of infants with acute encephalopathy who have received whole-body therapeutic hypothermia at the Children's National neonatal intensive care unit. Whole-body therapeutic hypothermia is offered in the first few hours of life to preserve brain cells and to stave off disability or death.
Noah's Story
Airway Lungs
Noah's Story
Airway Lungs
After Joshua and Sandra Sweek noticed that their 6-month-old son, Noah, was having breathing problems, they took him to the doctor. There, the baby was diagnosed with suspected asthma.
Heaven, Tiara and Messiah's Story
Airway Lungs
Heaven, Tiara and Messiah's Story
Airway Lungs
"My life has become better because I’m more educated and can help others,” Tiara Cuthbertson embraces being an asthma patient advocate.
Parker's Story
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
Parker's Story
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
After an uneventful pregnancy and birth, Tiffany Green was looking forward to bringing son, Parker James Cameron, home to bond with her and his sisters. But a week after Parker’s birth, Green learned something unsettling. Parker had no immune system in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.