MEET OUR KIDS
OK Parents, here’s your time to shine. As part of our website we will be giving proper credit to the “superstar” children we treat. We hope that this showcase both excites your children, and helps provide motivation to other families out there who are going down this difficult road for the first time.
If parents wish, they will be able to provide their e-mail address so that other parents can reach out with questions, or to simply congratulate you on being such a wonderful Mom or Dad!
ELIZABETH’S STORY
Elizabeth Dragovits was born with numerous obstacles to face. It started with Spina Bifida in the womb. Within minutes of a C-Section delivery she underwent surgery to close the opening over her lower spine. Then, after about one week of life she was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus and needed a VP shunt inserted to drain the excess cerebral spinal fluid that was building up within the ventricles of her brain. In addition, her Arnold Chiari Malformation at the base of her skull was affecting her drive to breath. A decompression surgery and a tracheostomy were required to save her life. Ultimately, she also needed a g-tube to provide her with the nutrients she would need to grow and thrive.
Elizabeth is now almost 20 months old and she has had 8 shunt-related surgeries due to malfunction and infection. She is a textbook example of why a true cure needs to be found. We are all very impressed at how her incredible little spirit has endured and actually progressed through this adversity. Recently, Elizabeth started weight bearing with the use of an a-frame. She is also using sign language to communicate, uses a passy-muir valve to make some initial sounds, and she is able to tolerate baby food and yogurt orally. She always has a positive smile on her face whenever we see her and we know that her ordeal has provided inspiration to others. We are very proud to have Elizabeth as a part of our family.
OK Parents, here’s your time to shine. As part of our website we will be giving proper credit to the “superstar” children we treat. We hope that this showcase both excites your children, and helps provide motivation to other families out there who are going down this difficult road for the first time.
If parents wish, they will be able to provide their e-mail address so that other parents can reach out with questions, or to simply congratulate you on being such a wonderful Mom or Dad!
ELIZABETH’S STORY
Elizabeth Dragovits was born with numerous obstacles to face. It started with Spina Bifida in the womb. Within minutes of a C-Section delivery she underwent surgery to close the opening over her lower spine. Then, after about one week of life she was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus and needed a VP shunt inserted to drain the excess cerebral spinal fluid that was building up within the ventricles of her brain. In addition, her Arnold Chiari Malformation at the base of her skull was affecting her drive to breath. A decompression surgery and a tracheostomy were required to save her life. Ultimately, she also needed a g-tube to provide her with the nutrients she would need to grow and thrive.
Elizabeth is now almost 20 months old and she has had 8 shunt-related surgeries due to malfunction and infection. She is a textbook example of why a true cure needs to be found. We are all very impressed at how her incredible little spirit has endured and actually progressed through this adversity. Recently, Elizabeth started weight bearing with the use of an a-frame. She is also using sign language to communicate, uses a passy-muir valve to make some initial sounds, and she is able to tolerate baby food and yogurt orally. She always has a positive smile on her face whenever we see her and we know that her ordeal has provided inspiration to others. We are very proud to have Elizabeth as a part of our family.
