Patient Stories

Mila Stottmeister has been a fighter since her first moment in this world. Born at 28 weeks gestation and just over 2 lbs, Mila defied the odds, and her parents thank our NICU for their unwavering support for the family.

"She didn't know her name, she gave her birthdate scrambled, and she couldn't do simple things like pulling or pushing. After the CT results came back, we were told that Lexy had a tumor on the right side of her brain, and a build-up of fluid and pressure that required immediate attention. Lexy was then airlifted to UI Stead Family Children's Hospital." —Rebecca Johnson

My daughter, Leda, was born a perfectly healthy baby. During the two days after her birth she had a little trouble eating and spit up pretty much anything she ate. However, because she didn’t lose too much weight during those two days, we were sent home with our healthy baby (who just happened to spit up a lot).

Charlie was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition in which the side of the heart that pumps blood to the body is severely underdeveloped. Charlie had heart surgery four days after birth.

When Kyle Nelson's own newborn son needed emergency care, the 25-year-old Hillsboro, Iowa father knew where he wanted to go. He had no idea the trip would turn into a reunion.

Blaine fell when he was 2 years old and needed neck surgery, and Arnold Menezes, MD, discovered he had a cervical stenosis–the protective area around the spine had degenerated and become narrow.

“My children are alive today because they were fastened in their car seats. I had no control over the car that hit us. I know I did everything right and I still could not avoid the person coming at us head-on.” —Jessica Uhlmann

Sydney Coy from West Des Moines, Iowa explains her son's treatment after learning about the rare aggressive cancer brain cancer. "Our experience has been beyond amazing!"

At 9-months-old, Jaylee Bartleson was attached to a life support device—a left ventricle assist device (LVAD)—while awaiting her heart transplant. Find out how Jaylee's medical team helped her live a full baby life in the weeks before her transplant surgery.

"UI Stead Family Children's Hospital is the best place you never want to be. The child life specialists were phenomenal and a vital part of our team. Lilah loved her nurses so much she cried for two days before she left because she was sad to leave them." – Nicole Cisne Durbin