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Hudson Celebrates ‘Miraculous Recovery’ After Receiving Heart Transplant at Seattle Children’s

February 1, 2023  |  General, Heart Center, Patient Stories Comments Off on Hudson Celebrates ‘Miraculous Recovery’ After Receiving Heart Transplant at Seattle Children’s

Hudson was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular dystrophy at 8 years old and received life-changing care to Seattle Children’s

Like many 10-year-olds, Hudson Lewis loves to play video games, listen to music, swim and hang out with friends and family.

But unlike most kids his age, Hudson’s childhood has been filled with challenges no child should have to experience.

Hudson was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy known to affect heart function but didn’t experience any cardiac affects until he was 9 years old.

Hudson’s mom, KaLinda Lewis, said the symptoms started suddenly — first affecting Hudson’s ability to walk and later causing severe stomach pain, dizzy spells, vomiting and even hallucinations.

“We noticed his body was getting weaker,” she recalled. “He would take a couple steps and his legs would give out on him.”

KaLinda took Hudson to Seattle Children’s Emergency Department where doctors determined that Hudson was in heart failure.

“When they said those two words, heart failure, it just blew us away,” KaLinda said.

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How You Can Support Patient Families Living Paycheck to Paycheck

November 29, 2022  |  General, Heart Center, Patient Stories, Philanthropy, Transplant Comments Off on How You Can Support Patient Families Living Paycheck to Paycheck

This is the second holiday season Seattle Children’s Building Maintenance Technician Jerome Ramos will spend with his family in the hospital.

 

His daughter has been in the hospital waiting for a heart transplant since July 2021.  Before coming to Seattle Children’s, 10-month-old Kaelyn, of Honolulu, Hawaii, was experiencing shortness of breath. 

 

When her face puffed up one day, her parents, Jerome and Christine Ramos, thought Kaelyn was having an allergic reaction and brought her to their local emergency department. Providers ruled out allergies, but recommended Kaelyn have an echocardiogram (ECHO) — a common test used to measure heart function.  

 

Shortly after leaving Kaelyn with the technician, Christine and Jerome heard a voice over the hospital paging system: “Code Blue, ECHO.”  “We were in shock,” Christine remembers. “She seemed fine when we dropped her off but when we got back to Kaelyn, we saw our child being resuscitated. It was devastating.”  

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‘The Ultimate Gift’ | Young Girl Flourishing After Receiving Life-Saving Transplant

October 25, 2022  |  Patient Stories, Transplant Comments Off on ‘The Ultimate Gift’ | Young Girl Flourishing After Receiving Life-Saving Transplant

4-year-old Ruby was born with biliary atresia and had a transplant in 2022 at Seattle Children’s

After receiving a life-saving liver transplant at Seattle Children’s, 4-year-old Ruby Josephine Mwamba is thriving and living a dramatically different life than she was at this time last year.

Ruby was born with biliary atresia, a liver condition that occurs when a baby’s bile ducts do not form normally and are unable drain bile. Bile is the liquid that helps the body break down fats, from the liver. When it doesn’t drain, it can cause scarring of the liver and yellowing of the skin and eyes called jaundice.

Ruby’s parents Melissa and Gabriel Mwamba learned about Ruby’s disease shortly after she was born. At only a few months old, Ruby had surgery to try to correct her condition, but unfortunately the relief was short-lived.

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