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With #GivingTuesday just around the corner, we couldn't wait to share this heartwarming story with you. After all, John, you make stories like this possible ...
When Walter was born, his parents knew right away that something wasn't quite right.
His forehead seemed to jut out more than it should, and there was a pronounced ridge in the middle of his head. His pediatrician eventually came up with a diagnosis: craniosynostosis, a condition that left untreated could leave their new baby with intellectual disabilities, blindness and hearing loss.
The pediatrician told Walter's parents, Sarah and Dan, something many of our patient families hear: "[This condition is] really rare, and we've never had a case … so we're going to transfer him to Children's Hospital Los Angeles."
But seeing kids with craniosynostosis isn't so rare here at CHLA. In fact, Walter's doctor, Mark Urata, MD, DDS, has performed the complex surgery Walter needed thousands of times. Sarah and Dan's sweet little baby was in excellent hands.
Watch Walter's story now:
After a marathon 6-hour, 45-minute surgery, the CHLA staff told Sarah and Dan that the delicate surgery had all gone well … and two weeks later, strangers couldn't even tell that Walter had just had skull surgery.
Walter's big brother, Lloyd, was pretty excited about his baby brother's recovery, too, showing off Walter's scar as a badge of honor: "Look how cool my baby brother is!" he exclaimed. And he couldn't be happier to have his playmate back. And while he doesn't know it, he's got people like you to thank.
Watch this video to meet Walter, Lloyd and the whole family—and learn about this life-changing operation.
Thank you for being a part of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles community and for making stories like Walter's possible.
Sincerely,
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Alexandra Carter, MBA, CFRE
Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
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