Latest news with #ClevelandClinicChildren's
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Mom listens to late daughter's heart beat after little girl died in ATV crash and donated it to another child
Overcome with emotion, an Ohio mother heard her late daughter's heartbeat echo inside another child - three years after an accident claimed her life. The heart of eight-year-old Maddy Schein is now beating inside the chest of Mireya Moody, another eight-year-old girl, after Maddy was tragically killed in an unexpected ATV accident in 2022. Last summer, Maddy's mother met the little girl her daughter saved with her donated organs and, filled with tears, listened to her pulsing heart through a stethoscope. In a touching video shared by the Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday, Lisa Schein tearfully bowed her head and nodded in acceptance moments before the two shared a long, heartfelt embrace. 'I wanted to run up to Mireya, squeeze her and never let her go because that was all I had left of my girl,' Lisa told Cleveland Clinic. 'Meeting Mireya's mom, Bianca, talking with her and hearing her story about Mireya's illness was hard,' she added. 'But it helps to know a piece of Maddy lives on.' Mireya was your typical, energetic second-grader until her life abruptly changed on January 25, 2022. As her mother worked as an HR manager for a medical transportation company, the eight-year-old girl was in the care of her grandmother, who grew concerned when her granddaughter became unusually sluggish. 'By the time I picked her up, she had gotten worse,' Bianca Robinson told Cleveland Clinic. 'She didn't even have energy to walk to the car.' Her daughter couldn't keep anything down - not even water - without vomiting, leaving Bianca frantic over what could be wrong with her otherwise healthy child. 'She was completely normal - happy, healthy, going to see her pediatrician on a regular basis,' Mireya's mother told WKYC News. 'It honestly came out of nowhere for us. The day before she got sick, she was playing in the snow with her dad, making snow angels.' It was when Bianca rushed her little girl to the hospital that her worst nightmare unfolded - Mireya's heart was failing. 'We were in shock,' Bianca told Cleveland Clinic. 'We couldn't comprehend, at the time, how it was possible. She had almost never been sick before.' Doctors determined that Mireya was suffering from left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) - a rare and serious form of heart failure. Immediately, the second-grader was given multiple rounds of medications to control severe symptoms of the disease, including rapid heartbeats and other heart arrhythmias. Within three weeks, Mireya's condition worsened - she slept all day and couldn't tolerate the medications - prompting the medical team to seek specialty cardiovascular treatment at Cleveland Clinic Children's. Though LVNC is treatable, it can't be cured. In certain cases, such as Mireya's, a heart transplant is the only chance at a second life - but the process of obtaining one can take well over a year. 'You can't do anything but rely on your faith and the healthcare professionals,' Bianca said. 'I felt helpless and angry, not understanding why this was going on and why it had to happen to her.' As Mireya's condition rapidly declined, the medical team put her on a Berlin heart - a large machine that assists in pumping the heart, helping to maintain her strength and stabilize her condition. However, unexpected news came in April 2022 - a suitable heart was found. 'My mom called me crying and screaming: "They found a heart! They found a heart!"' Bianca told WKYC. 'It's very conflicting, because obviously this is my child, and then there's this family that is going to have to live out your worst nightmare,' she added. The heart belonged to eight-year-old Maddy, who lost her life following a sudden and tragic accident. Just two days later, Mireya underwent an eight-hour, successful heart transplant operation. From the first moment in rehabilitation, Bianca described that her daughter 'took off like a rocket', Cleveland Clinic reported. In a matter of no time, Mireya was walking and talking again. Her eight-week stay in the hospital was swiftly reduced to three weeks. Throughout the entirety of Mireya's terrifying health journey, Bianca made it clear that she would be open to meeting the donor's family - if they were willing. One year later, Bianca received a letter from Lisa, Maddy's mother. The pair shared touching stories about Mireya and Maddy, and were deeply moved to discover just how similar their eight-year-old daughters were. 'The way Lisa described Maddy, she and Mireya sounded like they were practically the same child,' Bianca told Cleveland Clinic, adding that the girls both loved the same movies and singing. Lisa agreed, and said: 'We learned the girls even shared some of the same phrases. I also loved being able to tell them stories about who Maddy was - about her infectious laugh and bubbly personality. I think that's when my heart began to start healing.' Finally, in the summer of 2024, both families met face-to-face at a park near Mireya's University Heights home. In an deeply emotional moment shared by the Cleveland Clinic, Lisa put on a special stethoscope and listened to the sound of her young daughter's heartbeat once more. 'It was just joy. Just joy,' Bianca told WKYC about the special moment. 'I can only imagine Lisa being able to hear Maddy's heart again and knowing that it's being well taken care of and that it's living on through Mireya, who is so sweet, so loving, so smart, and just so happy all of the time.' During their meeting, the Schein family gifted Mireya with an avocado-shaped plushie, which she lovingly named Maddy - and now sleeps with every night. Now, for Bianca, expressing her gratitude is impossible. Though Maddy's life ended much too short, she saved her daughter. 'Thank you is not enough,' Bianca told WKYC. 'I've seen the video of Lisa having to walk her daughter down that hallway at that hospital for the last time. There is nothing that I could say to tell her how much she changed our lives. She was thinking of others in a time where she was losing something so precious to her.' Maddy gave four people a second chance at life - adults and children - through her heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas donations. 'I will continue to carry on Maddie's legacy for as long as I can,' Bianca said. 'Any event in honor of Maddie, if we can, we will make it, because I think it's important that we're there to represent this very important thing.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
2 Your Health: New technology could help with early diagnosis of Autism
April is Autism Acceptance Month. According to the CDC, one in 36 children in the United States have autism. Despite its prevalence, many families still have to wait months before they can get their child into a specialist to be diagnosed. But a new diagnostic tool developed by Cleveland Clinic hopes to change that. 'On average, parents suspect something is wrong with their child's development at about a year of age. However, the diagnosis is made about two to three years later on average,' said Mohammed Aldosari, MD, pediatric neurologist at Cleveland Clinic Children's. 'So, there is a huge lag, and the lag is because of the long waiting list for autism diagnostic clinics.' Dr. Aldosari was involved with the creation and testing of Autism Eyes, which aims to help with early diagnosis. It works by measuring a child's gaze and eye movement while they watch different videos and images. Based on the child's reactions, a diagnosis is made. Dr. Aldosari said the diagnostic tool offers many benefits, like being able to provide immediate results. It also requires little training, so primary care physicians, for example, could administer the test. He notes that the end goal is not only to reduce wait times for diagnosis, but to get children in sooner for treatment. 'With children, there is a principle called, 'brain plasticity,' which is a very important principle in terms of responding to treatment. The earlier intervention, the better the outcome,' he explained. 'And this has been proven by multiple studies. So, when we diagnose autism about a year to two, or potentially three years earlier, there is a huge impact in terms of their outcomes.' Autism Eyes is still in development and not yet available for clinical use. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dad brings dance to daughter awaiting heart transplant in hospital
A 10-year-old girl awaiting a heart transplant had an unforgettable father-daughter dance at Cleveland Clinic Children's after missing a similar event at her school. Caregivers decorated Ava Cooper's hospital room with heart-shaped streamers, lights and balloons, while Ava's mom Jamie Cooper helped her daughter get ready in a pink dress and did her hair and makeup, the hospital told "Good Morning America" in an email. Dad and daughter take dance class together in sweet video: Watch Ava's dad Sean Cooper waited outside her room with a corsage, and the medical team safely escorted Ava, who relies on a Berlin Heart device, to the improvised dance floor, the hospital said. Ava's Berlin Heart device "helps her heart pump blood throughout her body," according to Cleveland Clinic Children's. Surrounded by cheering caregivers, the two swayed to Ava's favorite songs, sharing a heartfelt moment that Sean Cooper called one of the most impactful of his life, "rivaled only by her birth," according to the hospital. Ava said her favorite memory from that day was the slow dance with her father, saying, "My dad is like having the best friend a girl could ask for." Ava has been in the hospital for over 200 days, fighting congenital heart defects since birth, according to Cleveland Clinic Children's. Despite multiple surgeries, Jamie Cooper said her daughter remains a fighter, holding onto hope for a donor heart. Dad brings dance to daughter awaiting heart transplant in hospital originally appeared on
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dad brings dance to daughter awaiting heart transplant in hospital
A 10-year-old girl awaiting a heart transplant had an unforgettable father-daughter dance at Cleveland Clinic Children's after missing a similar event at her school. Caregivers decorated Ava Cooper's hospital room with heart-shaped streamers, lights and balloons, while Ava's mom Jamie Cooper helped her daughter get ready in a pink dress and did her hair and makeup, the hospital told "Good Morning America" in an email. Dad and daughter take dance class together in sweet video: Watch Ava's dad Sean Cooper waited outside her room with a corsage, and the medical team safely escorted Ava, who relies on a Berlin Heart device, to the improvised dance floor, the hospital said. Ava's Berlin Heart device "helps her heart pump blood throughout her body," according to Cleveland Clinic Children's. Surrounded by cheering caregivers, the two swayed to Ava's favorite songs, sharing a heartfelt moment that Sean Cooper called one of the most impactful of his life, "rivaled only by her birth," according to the hospital. Ava said her favorite memory from that day was the slow dance with her father, saying, "My dad is like having the best friend a girl could ask for." Ava has been in the hospital for over 200 days, fighting congenital heart defects since birth, according to Cleveland Clinic Children's. Despite multiple surgeries, Jamie Cooper said her daughter remains a fighter, holding onto hope for a donor heart. Dad brings dance to daughter awaiting heart transplant in hospital originally appeared on
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Co-infections now showing up in children with testing
The Brief Amid a harsh cold and flu season, children are now showing co-infections when being tested. While the flu shot is recommended by experts Dr. Camille Sabella says kids usually bounce back well and can recover at home. With the virus risk even bigger during winter, Dr. Sabella says hand washing is more important than ever. FOX 2 - The flu season has been rough especially in Michigan. The new term we're hearing is co-infections, meaning two or even more viruses infecting someone at the same time. There have been thousands of flu-related hospitalizations happening. The Centers for Disease Control is blaming a lack of vaccinations for part of the rise in numbers. Big picture view Now doctors are seeing not just one virus but a couple infecting some kids. The term is co-infections - two or even more viruses infecting someone at the same time, it appears. Co-infections are on the rise this winter, with some children experiencing two viruses at the same time. We asked Doctor Camille Sabella, who is a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Cleveland Clinic Children's. "Pre-Covid we weren't always necessarily testing for a whole bunch of different viruses all at one time," he said. "But now that we're able to test for multiple viruses at one time and we're doing it more often, I think we're finding out that we're seeing a lot of co-infections." Doctor Sabella says co-infections can happen with many of the viruses circulating right now, which is why testing is important. It helps with not only making a diagnosis, but also determining treatment. And while being sick with two viruses may sound stressful, the doctor says most kids handle it pretty well and are able to recover at home. Although in more severe cases, they may need to be hospitalized. Doctor Sabella says if your child has any kind of trouble breathing or seems to be getting worse with time, you need to take them to see a doctor. "Probably the most effective thing you can do is just wash your hands. A lot of these viruses are really spread through the air, but the majority of the spread, especially things like RSV, is really hand to hand, close (proximity) to close (proximity). So really being careful about strict handwashing is really important. And when the kids are sick, keeping them home from school and from daycare helps as well." It's not too late to get the flu vaccine, as that virus is expected to last into May. The Source Information for this story was taken from an interview with Dr. Camille Sabella.
