James

Hirschsprungs, Cleft Lip and Palette, Pseudo Tumor Cerebri, Diabetes, ACM

Our Children’s journey began in November of 1991 when our first child son, John, was rushed from our home town of Panama City, Florida to Children’s at 4-1/2 months old. This was for emergency surgery to remove intestinal blockage. John was born with Hirschsprung's disease. John underwent “pull-through” surgery at 15 months and again at 10 years old. John has also been diagnosed with growth-hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism and Pseudo-Tumor Cerebri and is followed by Endocrine and Neurosurgery also. He is now a healthy freshman at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. John was only the beginning of our journey. In March of 1994, our 2nd son, James was born with a bilateral Cleft-Lip and Palette and after our amazing experience with the staff during John’s inpatient and surgical care, there was no question that Children’s was the place for us. James has gone through 14 different surgeries related to his ears and cleft-lip and palette repair, including double mastoidectomies. James has also been diagnosed with Arnold Chiari Malformation, Type II – insulin dependent diabetes, and hypothyroidism. James is a sophomore in High School and is working to gain control of his diabetes. Our family relocated to the Birmingham, Alabama metro area in March of 1998 to be closer to Children’s Hospital. Throughout the years, the physicians, nursing and laboratory staff have been remarkable, always providing outstanding services and quality patient care that has reached far beyond our expectations. In February of 2011, I became a Children’s Hospital employee and hope to be able to “pay it forward”.