Authors: Ashley Speller and Rose Ibarra
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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Authors: Ashley Speller
10-year-old Stella is a patient at Seattle Children’s
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have teamed up with clinicians at Seattle Children’s to identify and evaluate the best urologic management for newborns and young children with spina bifida in a nationwide study called (Urologic Management to Preserve Initial REnal function (UMPIRE).
Launched in 2014, the multi-site, multi-year UMPIRE program aims to increase the understanding of kidney, bladder health and function, which are closely linked, in the early years. It also brings together a unique collaboration of doctors and nurses from more than 20 clinics across the country including Seattle Children’s Urology Program, which has been ranked among the top 10 pediatric urology programs the United States for the past three years by the U.S. News & World Report.
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Authors: Madison Joseph
On December 30, 2021, Kelsey Schleppy gave birth to her baby girl, Maleila. Within days of taking her home, Kelsey’s intuition told her something wasn’t right. Her family practice doctor assured her Maleila’s shallow breathing and lack of appetite wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but Kelsey kept a watchful eye, nevertheless. Within a few days of bringing Maleila home, Kelsey noticed Maleila deteriorating rapidly one morning and made the decision to call 911.
By the time they arrived at their local hospital in Skagit Valley, Maleila no longer had a pulse. She was rushed into Emergency Department (ED) where the team performed chest compressions to resuscitate her. The team also needed to give her epinephrine, but the standard method of inserting an IV in a vein in her arm or leg wasn’t working.
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Authors: Casey Egan
Caitlin with Dr. Stephanie Randle
A cutting-edge procedure for epilepsy at Seattle Children’s, known as responsive neurostimulation (RNS), is offering hope and seizure reduction relief to some patients who are still looking for solutions after exploring other treatment options.
With RNS, a battery-powered device is placed in a patient’s skull to reduce seizures. A neurosurgeon connects thin wires from the device to one or two parts of the brain where a child’s seizures start. When the device senses that a seizure may be starting, it sends a signal to stop it.
Seattle Children’s is one of only a handful of centers across the country to offer this device and the only one in the northwestern U.S. to use this device on a child.
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Authors: Madison Joseph
On December 30, 2021, Kelsey Schleppy gave birth to her baby girl, Maleila. Within days of taking her home, Kelsey’s intuition told her something wasn’t right. Her family practice doctor assured her Maleila’s shallow breathing and lack of appetite wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but Kelsey kept a watchful eye, nevertheless. One morning, Kelsey noticed Maleila deteriorating rapidly and made the decision to call 911.
By the time they arrived at their local hospital in Skagit Valley, Maleila no longer had a pulse. She was rushed into Emergency Department (ED) where the team performed chest compressions to resuscitate her. The team also needed to give her epinephrine, but the standard method of inserting an IV in a vein in her arm or leg wasn’t working.
At the same time, many miles away, Dr. Rachel Umoren, Medical Director of Inpatient Telehealth at Seattle Children’s and Associate Professor & Associate Division Head for Research, Neonatology at UW, was the scheduled on-call doctor for Seattle Children’s Telehealth Services. She received a call from Skagit Valley Hospital and dialed into the portable device positioned facing Maleila’s bed.
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Authors: Isabelle Minasian and Ashley Speller
Thanks to the Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis (CRMO) Program at Seattle Children’s, a family found answers and treatment for their son’s pain. Now that the symptoms associated with the disease are under control, Seth Maharry is able to focus on doing things he loves most— like playing guitar.
From an early age, Seth Maharry has been an active kid. He started playing soccer at age 4, joined Little League at 5 and by the time he was 9, Seth earned a spot on a club team in Gig Harbor, Washington where he played soccer year-round. During a tournament in Portland, Oregon, Seth started to complain about the pain in his hip.
“We figured he’d just been playing soccer all weekend,” said his mom Nora. “We saw the physical therapist and they said everything was fine, but it continued to get worse and worse.”
Seth’s parents decided to take Seth to the doctor but were told it was just growing pains, though it was clear to Nora that this was something far more serious.
“That was our battle for a year and a half,” Nora explained. “My heart just ached because I knew what we were being told was not right.”
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Authors: Rose Ibarra (Egge)
Josh, Harper and Meagan in June 2022
Two years ago, Meagan stood in a hospital room at Seattle Children’s cradling her 1-year-old daughter, Harper, against her chest. Her fiancé, Josh, huddled close to them and kissed the thinning hair on top of their baby’s head.
A feeding tube was routed through Harper’s nose and her eyes were brimming with tears. Exhausted, she snuggled into her mom’s arms as a photographer took their picture.
Meagan and Josh feared those would be the last photos taken of their baby girl.
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Authors: Seattle Children's Press Team
Ellie Musgrave, who dreams of becoming a professional race car driver one day, had emergency surgery at Seattle Children’s to remove a brain tumor at a young age.
Ellie Musgrave found her calling when she was 4 years old. Her father took her to the racetrack and a dream sparked. She surprised her dad by saying, “I want to do that.”
Much like the electrical charge that brings a car to life, the draw to racing happened in an instant and throttled her into motion. It was in the sound of engines, the whooshing of the cars as they sped by on the track.
That’s when she knew she wanted to be a race car driver.
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Authors: Ashley Speller
4-year-old Stella Allison underwent a kidney transplant in early 2022 at Seattle Children’s
“She has so much more energy and is eating so much more. She is also moving and walking more than she ever did.”
Four-year-old Stella Allison has always loved telling jokes and playing dress up.
With energy that is contagious and a smile that lights up a room, her mom Kyley Barthlow says Stella has grown into a high-spirited and chatty child – but was born a real fighter.
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Authors: Kathryn Mueller
A few weeks after Ryder Gordon’s first surgery at Seattle Children’s, Thomas Gordon went to the tattoo shop and got an exact replica of his son’s scar on his neck and chest.
When Ryder Gordon was 2 years old, he underwent his first surgery. It took 12 hours and saved his life.
Thomas Gordon and his wife, Magi, vividly remember the day they handed over their son to surgeons at Seattle Children’s.
“It was gut-wrenching,” said Magi. “You want more than anything to switch places with your child.”
Ryder was the couple’s first child and they never imagined being thrust into a world of comprehensive medical care. But there they were, among the bright lights of the surgical suites and the bustling halls of the hospital.
“Going through a medical journey really humbles you,” added Magi. “Being at Seattle Children’s brought us a sense of comfort. I felt like they cared about us, not just as patients, but as people.”
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