iHeart Rady Children's Give A Thon

This December 13th & 14th we heard patients and their families share the incredible stories of the hope and healing they experienced at Rady Children's Hospital. Your generosity and support during our iHeart Rady Children's Give A Thon will fund lifesaving technology and research, provide a safety net for children with little or no private medical insurance and create a healing environment for patients and their families. Thank you so much San Diego.

Donations to Rady Children's Hospital can still be made by clicking HERE.

Here are some of the children your contributions will help.

Cash

Cash just turned 5 and following a recent cancer diagnosis, has already received seven full abdomen radiation treatments and 11 rounds of chemotherapy. This brave little fighter also had his left kidney removed, and underwent surgery to remove a coconut-sized tumor that ruptured during the procedure. Gina, Cash’s mom, says nobody ever expects their child to get cancer, but this battle has made their family wholeheartedly dedicated to fighting alongside Cash and advocating for more research to help find a cure.

Hear from Cash and Gina during the iHeart Rady Children’s Giveathon

Grace 

Grace arrived 10 weeks early, weighing only 2 pounds, 12 ounces. She struggled to breathe struggled to breathe, and was placed on a ventilator to help her tiny body grow. For the next 45 days, Grace’s mom, Laura, spent every day with Grace in Rady Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Hear Laura share the first time she got to hold Grace and how this joyful 5-year-old is doing now during the iHeart Rady Children’s Giveathon.

Fletcher

Long before Fletcher was born, a 20-week ultrasound revealed a defect in his heart—a hole between the heart’s chambers that can cause problems with the valves that regulate blood flow. At the same time, Fletcher’s parents also were told that he was likely to be born with Down syndrome. As best they could, they prepared themselves to sending their newborn immediately to surgery to correct the hole in his tiny heart, not knowing if he would survive. But Fletcher’s surgery was flawless.

Hear from Sara, Fletcher’s mom, how her tiny baby was operated on by one of the largest doctor’s she had ever met during the iHeart Rady Children’s Giveathon.

Sebastiana

From the day Sebastiana was born her tiny body was wracked by seizures. She didn’t eat. She would twist her neck and scream. Her family knew something was wrong but didn’t know exactly what. Not only was the cause of her seizures unclear, but traditional antiseizure medicine did not work. As part of a clinical trial, research scientists at Rady Children’s Institute for Genomics Medicine extracted Sebastiana’s DNA and sequenced her entire genome. Knowing the genetic mutation that was causing her seizures allowed experts make an immediate change in her medication and end sedation so Sebastiana could wake up and eat.

Hear from Dolores, Sebastiana’s mom, about the rapid advances that are allowing her daughter to thrive during the iHeart Rady Children’s Giveathon.

Rosie

Rosie was doing a cartwheel in the park near her Escondido home when her left arm slipped out from under her, resulting in a compound fracture. Though dirt had gotten in the wound, treatment seemed straightforward: clean the area, set the bones. But about a week later, Rosie’s vision was off and her parents could hardly understand her speech. They returned to the Hospital where she experienced unusually rapid, progressive paralysis. Tests were inconclusive until experts tested for wound botulism—something so rare that there are only about four cases in the United States each year.

Multiple procedures to clean out her wound along with several rounds of medication eventually put the botulism into remission and allowed Rosie to focus on what she loves the most—spending time with her family and singing and acting in musical theatre productions.

Hear from Rosie during the iHeart Rady Children’s Giveathon.

Photos: Rady Children's Hospital and Jenny.