The Knapp Family
Shortly after learning they were pregnant with a little girl, Nicole and Andy Knapp went in for a routine appointment when an irregularity on the ultrasound raised concerns. The couple learned their daughter would be born with a congenital heart defect known as tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary artresia, a serious condition that would put […]
The Stonebraker Family
Rhiannon Stonebraker is no stranger to the Ronald McDonald House Family Room at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids. Both of her babies stayed at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and luckily, the Family Room is just steps away. “It was an amazing experience to stay close to my baby in the family rooms […]
The Wilson Family
Emergencies happen without notice and families have little time to prepare for an extended stay at a hospital hours away from home. Packing a suitcase or having every day necessities is usually the last thing on the mind of a parent when rushing to the hospital for your child. When Nicky Wilson got the phone […]
The Jones Family
Finding the best medical care can be expensive and stressful. Kentucky native Sydney Jones knows firsthand through her journey with Kylainah, her beautiful baby girl. Kylainah was diagnosed with bilateral club foot and after having six different full leg castings from her home hospital, it was discovered that those treatments may have been doing more […]
The Graczyk Family
On a single day, the Graczyk family’s world changed forever. From an early age, Dawn and Eric Graczyk’s daughter, Marissa, struggled with health issues that eluded doctors. Years of hospital visits and trips to specialists yielded no indication of what might be ailing their daughter. But after Marissa was hospitalized in 2016, Mom and Dad […]
The Lantz Family
In many ways, Hunter Lantz is just like any other 14-year-old boy who loves sports, playing with his dogs and finding any excuse to use his driver’s permit. But life for this high school freshman is far from ordinary. From a young age, an unidentified medical condition baffled Hunter’s doctors. Treating him as a “medical […]
The Sanchez/Panduro Family
“God picks some kids to show that they are powerful.” Karenth Sanchez and her family live in Lima, Peru. Caleb, age four, came into the world after an emergency c-section and a birth Karenth describes as traumatic; she had never been in a hospital before. The day after, when she and her husband met their […]
The Geise Family
In 2014, Carrie and Nathan Geise began a new chapter of their story when their third daughter, Elizabeth, was born at twenty-eight weeks. They were unsure about how they would be able to stay close to her while she was in the NICU and take care the rest of the family at the same time. […]
The Rickertsen Family
When Casie was 32 weeks pregnant, she faced an emergency C-Section and the news that there would be a rocky road ahead for her and new baby Aceyn. In addition to his premature birth, Aceyn would need the support of the NICU at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital for a rare genetic […]
The Downs-Hafley Family
We would like to introduce the Downs-Hafley family from Wickenburg, Arizona – mom Nannette, dad Harold and their son Marcelino. When Marcelino needed a specialist to treat his club foot, the family knew the Ponsetti Institute at the University of Iowa was his best chance. They also knew the treatment would require a lengthy stay […]
