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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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Ryan W.'s Story
Heart
Ryan W.'s Story
Heart
When Ryan turned 2 months old, his parents noticed a change in his behavior. Their son – who once loved to eat – suddenly stopped nursing, began sleeping more than usual, gradually became fussy and struggled to breathe when he laid down.
Sabrina's Story
Obesity
Sabrina's Story
Obesity
At just 13 years old, Sabrina had already exhausted the endless list of weight-loss diets and programs that had promised her “real” results. And to her ever-deepening frustration and despair, nothing was working.
Aidan's Story
Heart
Aidan's Story
Heart
During his one-month-old checkup at a local doctor’s office in California, Maryland, Aidan’s pediatrician detected a rapid heartbeat. He immediately sent them to Children’s National where doctors confirmed that Aidan’s tiny heart was beating twice as fast as it should be.
Marco's Story
Cancer
Marco's Story
Cancer
Marco Gutierrez, a 19-year-old from Potomac, MD., was enjoying dinner with family and friends after a University of Michigan football game when pain started to pulse through his chest and back.
Maria's Journey
Obesity
Maria's Journey
Obesity
Maria was the first patient to have weight-loss surgery at Children's National. With its multidisciplinary approach, a team developed a personalized plan for the teenager.
Tea's Story
Brain & Nervous System
Tea's Story
Brain & Nervous System
On Tea Abbadini’s thirteenth birthday, she started feeling sudden pain on the right side of her lower abdomen that her parents thought was appendicitis. A few months later on Christmas Eve, Tea’s hand cramped up for 10 minutes and, on New Year’s Eve, she got her first back cramp. Her back cramp was so bad that it curved her to the right and caused her to walk leaned over for a few hours.
Jason's Story
Kidney Conditions
Jason's Story
Kidney Conditions
When Jason was born, the Children's National team was already standing by to treat his failing kidneys. He spent his first two months in the NICU, and he has been in and out of Children's National for the past six years.
Juliana's Story
Cancer
Juliana's Story
Cancer
Janet Meyer couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Throughout the past year, her daughter Juliana had told her that she felt pain moving throughout her body.
Penelope's Story
Heart
Penelope's Story
Heart
Before Penelope was even born, she had a team of Children's specialists ready with a treatment plan for her heart defect.
Ryan's Story
Heart
Ryan's Story
Heart
Ryan was born with a rare condition — his heart developed outside his body. Find out how Children's National doctors worked together to help Ryan thrive.
Amira's Story
Bone Tumors
Amira's Story
Bone Tumors
Despite the past decade spent in and out of the hospital, Amira has her sights set on a bright future and doesn’t allow her diagnosis to define who she is.
Paul's Story
Sickle Cell Disease
Paul's Story
Sickle Cell Disease
Almost 18 years ago, Audrey and Paul Sr. were living in Maryland awaiting their son’s arrival into the world. In preparation, they did all the research that expecting parents do, including looking for the best pediatrician and comparing car seats. In addition to this routine research, they also looked for the best sickle cell disease programs within the area. Since both of his parents had sickle cell trait, there was a one in four chance that their son would have sickle cell disease.