Angelic Jade Chumbley’s halo is made of bandages, wires and electrodes. Ever since the 10-week-old began having mystery seizures two weeks ago, RCH neurologists have been closely monitoring her brain activity on an EEG machine. So far, the cause of the seizures remains unknown. Jade’s parents are on 24-hour watch at their baby’s bedside and are ready to … Continued
For a six-year-old, Myra has had to endure a lot of pain and angst. Two years ago she accidentally drank cleaning product, which badly burned her oesophagus. The highly-corrosive liquid ulcerated and scarred her tissue. Since then, she’s made the arduous five-hour journey from her home in southern New South Wales for treatment at the … Continued
RCH staff have become “surrogate mothers” to bouncy Lorenzo, according to his mother Jessica. Ten-month-old Lorenzo has spent almost all of his life in the RCH with Hirschsprung’s disease and short gut. Despite scars on his belly where doctors have repeatedly opened him up to remove diseased sections of his bowel, Lorenzo looks a picture … Continued
Charlotte Pegoraro is living life to the full thanks to a rare gift – a new liver. The 11-month-old’s tiny body is now a healthy shade of rose after being deep yellow as her old liver failed. Charlotte was diagnosed with the fatal condition biliary atresia. After an attempt to drain the bile from her liver by connecting it … Continued
Jarrad Howard’s bizarre bone condition could have remained a mystery if it weren’t for him breaking his leg. After undergoing scans for his fractured femur, RCH doctors discovered Jarrad’s bone was deteriorating. In fact, one of his hips was deeply disintegrated. Jarrad has been diagnosed with Gorham’s disease and is only one of 200 in the … Continued
Betty and Delilah Kemp-Bishop were born three days before Christmas. Ready to take their parcels of joy home, the girls’ parents were shocked to realise one of them would require a little extra unwrapping. Betty was born with an ill-formed oesophagus, causing it to fuse with her trachea. She was raced to the RCH for emergency … Continued
Little Alyssa Walsh is so cute she makes everyone’s heart race. Unfortunately, the 10-month-old’s own heart was also racing – at twice the speed of a normal child’s. After trying medication and even a special machine to rest her heart, RCH electrophysiologists had no choice but to operate. They burned the miniscule section of her … Continued
Jumping Jack Dermott was diagnosed with leukaemia five months ago. The Wangaratta boy presented to his local doctor with bruises on his shins and a bloated tummy, before being transferred to the RCH to start intense chemotherapy. Jack’s sister Maddelyn, 3, does her best to entertain her brother during treatment in the Day Oncology unit. With her … Continued
Moroolbark toddler Hudson Stokes woke one morning, late last year, suddenly unable to walk or talk. He was rushed to The Royal Children’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed and treated for an extremely rare metabolic condition that had stopped his heart and melted his muscles. After several weeks and eight operations, the plucky two-year-old is … Continued
When Caitlin Raco came to The Royal Children’s Hospital for investigation of a persistent tummy ache, no one expected the shock diagnosis that followed. Tests revealed a tumour above her kidney, and the cancer had spread to her liver, bone and marrow. Three-year-old Caitlin has since undergone chemotherapy, and surgery is the next challenge. Read the … Continued
