Patient Stories

As a high school freshman, Bryce is a teenager with a lot of hobbies. He’s a cross country runner - he hunts with his dad – he plays guitar, although he’ll tell you he’s not that good - and he is getting ready to try out trap shooting.

One thing that any expecting parent looks forward to is finding out the gender of their baby. When Liza DeCora was pregnant she went in for her routine anatomy ultrasound around 20-weeks in hopes of finding out her baby’s gender. However, they were having trouble seeing the baby’s full profile and Liza was asked to return for another ultrasound.  

Every parent has dreams for their child and is hopeful they can bring something forth to this world to make it a better place. When Shannon Kin gave birth to her daughter Hailee in 2008, she didn’t realize just how much of an impact her little girl would make.

Like many sisters, Cassi and Steffi Kinnard share a close bond. However, their relationship is bonded beyond the experiences of sisterhood. Both young women suffer from heart valve disease – a medical condition that affects up to 5-million people in the United States. 

The hallway that leads to the HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) may seem like any ordinary hallway, but for parents with children being cared for in the NICU, the hallway becomes a very memorable part of what can be a long and emotional journey.

Marian Harder is no stranger to hospital stays. The Menominee, Mich. native was born in Marinette, but at 10 days old was taken to HSHS St. Vincent Hospital for a sweat chloride test – the standard test used to diagnose cystic fibrosis (CF). It was that test that confirmed that Marian had CF. 

Just like most men his age, 27-year-old Michael Moss leads a busy life. But unlike most men his age, Michael has been battling cystic fibrosis (CF) since he was three days old and must also take time to manage his condition.

With the help of the pediatric hematology-oncology team at HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital, Natalie beat cancer and achieved remission. 

When Melissa VanStraten of De Pere went to her 27-week check up with her Prevea obstetrician, Dr. Erich Metzler, she was told if she ever needed anything after hours to just call… but she didn’t think she would end up needing to. Later that night; however, Melissa’s water broke and she knew just what to do.

For many, the start of a new year conjures feelings of inspiration and excitement for the future. The start of 2019, however, delivered something of the opposite for a Door County family: a cancer diagnosis.

Robotics surgery leads to robotics team at school.

Almost any parent of a child with cancer can recall a moment they felt something “wasn’t quite right.” For Alyssa Rocque of Neenah, one of those moments occurred Memorial Day Weekend 2018 as her family enjoyed time at the lake.

Toddlers are used to getting bumps and bruises. But when almost 3-year-old Aiden was recovering from a fractured knee cap, his family was surprised that it didn’t heal as quickly as they thought it would.

When Kira Bailey was four years old, her parents, Jill and David found her to be more tired than other kids her age. She had a hernia removed, but after that, things still didn’t seem right as she was in a lot of pain. Further testing revealed a diagnosis that would change all of their lives.

Childhood is a time for creating memories. For Norah Derby, her childhood will forever be marked by memories of a journey that tested her strength starting at age eight.