By Heather DugeThree-year-old Rylee McLemore and his dad Steven do everything together. Fishing, driving in the Jeep and exploring outdoors are just a few of their favorite pastimes. “Rylee is a daddy’s boy,” Steven said. “He is my best friend and I’...
Story by Sydney Hanes. Video by Tom Riehm.In April, patient Kaydence Mixon who was diagnosed with leukemia rang the end-of-treatment bell at Cook Children’s Medical Center surrounded by her family, friends and care team. Following a heartfelt speech ...
By Ashely Antle It’s hard to imagine how a stroke could be a blessing in disguise, but Joseph and Allison Turner believe it was for their son, Owen, when he was just 8 months old.“The stroke caused all kinds of battles that we’re still battling today...
A video shared in September of Cook Children's patient Aiden Yielding, 13, and his dad, Chuck, dancing together from a distance during Aiden’s chemo treatments quickly went viral and captured the hearts of millions around the world. The latest set of...
Ever since Aiden Yielding was first diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), his family has been his personal hype team. The 14 year old was diagnosed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, around the same time hospital visitation policie...
After battling fevers for three months, Isabel and Ignacio Rodriguez took their son Matt to his local pediatrician. His physician took blood work and consulted with Cook Children’s oncologist Kenneth Heym, M.D.
“His pediatrician said he didn’t loo...
For two nurse residents at Cook Children’s, walking a mile in a patient’s shoes isn’t too hard to imagine because they’ve been there, or rather, here. Jason Schilder and Emily Whitworth have both experienced life as a patient at Cook Children’s. In f...
For Leah Vann, wearing a mask and keeping social distance is nothing new. While many of us are adjusting to this way of life, she adopted these practices 10 years ago as a young cancer patient at Cook Children’s. She says that experience has prepared...
There's a new record holder at Cook Children's Medical Center. Nine-year-old Gabriel completed an ULTRA Marathon Tuesday, which is 52.6 miles. For the past six months, Gabriel has tracked the number of laps he's walked around the hematology/oncology ...
A recent trip to Cook Children’s is one a young cancer patient may never forget. During a visit to have her blood cells counted prior to chemotherapy, 16-year-old Lauren Quintero had the chance to talk to ‘Parks and Recreation’ star Amy Poehler. The ...
Hutson Liles is just a kid with an invisible diagnosis, advocating parents and a love for hats.
"Hutson turned 3 and started having several unsettling symptoms all together that I didn't feel were right," Hutson's mother Heather Liles said. "...
One of the greatest joys in life is becoming a parent. Babies bring vibrant life and wonder to the world around us and instantly reveal a much deeper capacity for love than we thought possible. Yet no matter how great our effort to help them grow and...
If you see a blue light shining outside of a home or business this week, there may be a story behind it. Cook Children’s marks its 100th birthday on March 21 and to celebrate, some are choosing to shine a blue light. For many, the gesture means somet...
Yesenia Cuevas and her mom, Dora, spend a lot of time together at Cook Children’s. They’re often shuffling between rooms in the Hematology/Oncology clinic for rounds of treatment for Yesenia’s Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood a...
Seven-year-old Kallvin Mendoza is well known on the Hematology/Oncology floor at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Despite being diagnosed last November with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), he often has a smile on his face that brightens the day of...
In between medicine in the morning and chemotherapy at night, Adalynn Hawkins laughs and cries. She pesters her sister and giggles with her parents. A family's never been so happy to go through the "Terrible Twos" and watch the joyful life of a toddl...
At 11 years old, Isabel "Izzy" Bonilla has spent a lot of days and nights away from home. Her longest stint, more than 356 days, ends today. After a year of needle pokes, hospital rooms and being prodded by doctors and nurses, Izzy is “breaking free”...