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Innovative treatments keep Harlow smiling

Just weeks before 2-year-old Harlow was supposed to head to Jamaica to be the flower girl at her parents’ wedding, her mother noticed that her usually energetic daughter had developed a cough and grown lethargic. Her care team suggested she may have a mild viral infection and also suspected a heart murmur. But during the trip, Harlow’s condition began to worsen. The family flew her home and took her to UChicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, where a blood test revealed she had a rare form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and blood. As Harlow prepared for her inpatient stay at Comer Children’s, her family was comforted not only by her oncology team’s confidence but also by the investigative therapies and established treatments offered by leukemia specialists. Harlow’s smile never dimmed, and she remained resilient even when an uncommon chemo allergy required her to be intubated. Twenty-eight months later, she rang the bell to signify the end of her cancer treatment. Today, Harlow is a healthy 5-year-old who loves to cook with her family and watch “Family Feud.” Even better, she’s still smiling.

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From NICU patient to NICU nurse

Chelsea Fredrickson was born prematurely; at only 26 weeks she was considered a micropreemie. Weighing only one pound nine-point eight ounces, she had to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Studer Family Children’s Hospital for two months. Today, her journey has come full circle. Wanting to provide the same care that saved her life, Chelsea is a registered nurse in the same NICU, where she cares for some of the smallest and frailest born babies. Like Chelsea’s first few months of life, these children are born extremely early and need extensive care. Every day, she cares for and treats these premature babies, offering them the opportunity for a fulfilling life. Chelsea enjoys connecting with families and sharing her story of being born prematurely, a symbol of hope that every child has a chance at a beautiful life.

Studer Family Children’s Hospital premature birth specialized care