A little girl looks left and the image reads "The ONE that gave Penelope a 1st birthday."

Shortly after she was born, Penelope visited Akron Children’s due to many medical problems. After running multiple tests, the team realized her liver was the primary concern. Luckily Akron Children’s and Cincinnati Children’s collaborate on liver cases that require complex care.

Immediately, her Akron doctor contacted his colleague at Cincinnati Children’s because we have one of the most experienced and globally recognized pediatric liver care and transplant teams in the world. Our expertise allows us to give patients like Penelope their best possible outcomes.

Penelope was diagnosed with biliary atresia, which means bile cannot drain from her liver properly. Her multiple high-risk complications made her the sickest patient her doctor ever had. Thankfully, our expertise spans many medical specialties and fueled our ability to help Penelope. First, she had advanced surgery to delay or possibly prevent the need for a liver transplant.

Shortly afterward, Penelope had another issue due to a heart defect and needed open-heart surgery. Ultimately, she still needed a liver transplant because her liver disease progressed. Fortunately, our team is one of the most innovative in the world and its physician scientists lead international studies to advance pediatric liver care everywhere. The team’s large patient volume also gives them some of the deepest experience in advanced liver disease and transplant found anywhere in the world.

Penelope made it through her transplant with post-surgery challenges, but she was a fighter and celebrated the first birthday milestone her family hoped for.

A father lifts his daughter into the air.
Penelope is now 18 months old. She is a smiley, talkative little girl. She will continue to receive follow-up care with our doctors through our Akron Children’s collaboration. Thanks to the expert, complex care she received, Penelope’s family is excited to celebrate many more birthdays with her.

Why Penelope’s Family Chose Cincinnati Children’s

Akron Children’s could have referred Penelope to many other hospitals. They chose Cincinnati Children’s, just like other patients and families who come from all 50 states and dozens of countries each year. Here’s why.

Our doctors are global leaders.

Our specialists are internationally renowned for their expertise, spanning from the most common to the rarest pediatric health conditions. This enables them to manage a higher volume of medically complex cases than other children’s hospitals, drawing on this unmatched experience to deliver exceptional care.

For example, our team has performed more than 800 liver transplants since 1988 and brought that collective experience into Penelope’s care and surgery.

Innovation drives our care.

Our doctors and researchers develop breakthrough medical innovations that advance the knowledge and treatment of pediatric medicine. These advanced treatments are often only available at Cincinnati Children’s. Every day, we use those innovations to create unique solutions and provide the best possible outcomes for the most challenging medical conditions. It’s why, time after time, we can say yes and provide solutions for patients like Penelope.

We’re also innovative about where we deliver care, like our Critical Care Building where Penelope stayed. It is one of the world’s largest pediatric intensive care units and allows our highly trained providers to give focused, innovative and around-the-clock care to patients who need us the most.

Our top-ranked teams work together.

Penelope benefited from a wealth of expertise, including the #1 in the nation gastroenterology and GI surgery program plus our heart surgery and neurology programs—both ranked in the top five. These teams constantly communicate with each other and make decisions together. This gives families the confidence and hope that only comes from having a team of top experts caring for their child.

That collaboration is one of the many reasons why Cincinnati Children’s has proudly been one of the top-ranked hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for more than 15 years.

Parents are partners in care.

Our providers actively engage parents and caregivers. We involve and support them in every step of care. That’s why Penelope’s mom fondly called our intensive care team the most caring, supportive and astounding individuals she ever met. It’s also why more than 90% of patients and families rate us a 9 or 10 out of 10 for their patient experience.

In the end, we believe a child’s story is so much bigger than their diagnosis, no matter how common or rare. Because a world where all children live their best life is at the center of everything we do.

For brighter futures filled with possibilities, Cincinnati Children’s is the one.

Akron Children's.

Our Pediatric Experts See Patients in Akron

Families in northeastern Ohio now have access to Cincinnati Children’s specialists in-person at Akron Children’s locations. Our collaboration provides complex care for several medical specialties—including pediatric otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), heart care, hepatology (liver disease), and bone marrow transplant—closer to home.