Making History - Akron Children's Hospital

Jake was highlighted
as one the miracle kids
during the 2013 “Have
a Heart, Do Your Part”
radiothon. Pictured
here with WKDD’s Keith
Kennedy, Jake and his
family shared their story
during a live interview.
On Aug. 6, 2012, Jake began his 14-day stay
at the hospital. During this time, Jake had 92
wires extending from his head as Dr. Holder and
her team mapped Jake’s brain activities, even
stimulating a seizure to ensure they pinpointed
the exact area of the brain that triggered them.
He then underwent epilepsy surgery to remove
the abnormal area of the brain.
Throughout the procedure, Dr. Holder and
C. Patrick Brown, MD, child neurologist and
epileptologist, came out at intervals to give Kim
and Mike updates on the progress. After the
surgery was successfully completed, Mike and
Kim were more than ready to see their son.
“Even though they told us he came out ok, we’re
still thinking, ‘Will he be able to talk? Will he
recognize me?’” said Mike. “We needed to go
see him, look in his eyes and hear him say
something.”
When Mike and Kim reached the Pediatric
Intensive Care Unit (PICU), they found Jake lying
in his bed, following commands and drinking
water. Kim recalled the feeling of relief when Jake
saw her, smiled and said, “Hi, Mom.”
“This kid had just had a piece of his brain cut out,
and he looked great,” said Kim. “His coloring was
normal, his incision looked wonderful, he could
talk. It was amazing. His time in recovery for a
tonsillectomy was worse than this.”
One week later, Jake was on his way home.
A real life changer
Today, Jake is on a positive road to recovery.
While he continues to experience auras
occasionally, he remains seizure-free. Though his
stamina is weaker than before his procedures,
his health is continuing to improve. And Akron
Children’s staff members continue to help him
every step of the way.
In addition to routine follow-up appointments with
Drs. Holder and Hudgins, Jake also received help
when it came time to make his transition back
into the classroom. To ensure the process went
as seamlessly as possible, Jake worked with Lisa
Stanford, PhD, ABPP/CN, director of the division
of neurobehavioral health. Jake’s grades continue
to improve, and he will run track this spring.
“While epilepsy is very common in children,
surgery is really the only way to cure it,” said Dr.
Holder. “Medications just treat the symptoms.
By being able to provide this type of surgery at
Akron Children’s, we can actually offer children
like Jake a way out. It’s a real life-changer.”
Kim and Mike couldn’t agree more.
“If I was to look back two and a half years ago,
and someone would say that I had to use Akron
Children’s Hospital like our family did, I wouldn’t
have believed them,” said Kim. “When it comes
to your child, you want the best, and we have the
best right in our own backyard.”
As for Jake, he thanks the doctors, nurses and
staff members for changing his life.
“I always tell my mom that if I did this anywhere
else at any other hospital, it wouldn’t have been
the same,” said Jake. “I didn’t want to live the
rest of my life with seizures. Akron Children’s
didn’t just improve my life, they saved it. They
gave me hope.”
AKRONCHILDRENS.ORG/GIVING 21