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July 2020

Carston

Carston Purdue was transferred to Children’s at just 2 days old. “The diagnosis when we first got to Children’s was very grim,” says Carston’s dad, Brian. “They told us he’d had a brain hemorrhage after birth and that was causing hydrocephalus or increased fluid in the brain. He was having continuous seizures, which they were extremely worried about.”

Meet Carston

Aubrey

Call it a stubborn streak, spunkiness or sass. Whatever you call it, it made all the difference for 4-year-old Aubrey English. The youngest of four kids, Aubrey was born premature at just under 2 pounds. She beat the odds, but at age 2, her health again took a turn. This time, it was a rare pediatric liver cancer. Aubrey had to undergo a complex eight-hour surgery and multiple rounds of chemotherapy over an 18-week time period. But, Aubrey maintained a fire in her eye.

Meet Aubrey

John

Few parents delight more in finding sand and mulch in their son’s shoes than Stephanie and Stuart Harvey. These telltale signs of having an active, adventurous, 10-year-old boy at home are, for them, signs of hope that their son John will continue surpassing expectations. Before he was born, John was diagnosed with myelomeningocele spina bifida. “The doctors prepared us for the worst: He could have significant brain damage, as well as no use of his legs or anything below his belly button.”

Meet John

Piper

Dani Benner knew the signs of autism spectrum disorder. Her son was diagnosed at 18 months, and chances were high that her third child would also be on the spectrum. When her daughter Piper arrived, Dani was determined to be proactive--just in case. She enrolled Piper in a clinical trial at Marcus Autism Center when she was just a few weeks old. Dani monitored the milestones Piper met and those she missed. So at 12 months, when Dani learned her daughter was indeed on the spectrum, the diagnosis came as no surprise.

Meet Piper