Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)

Watson's journey: From 11 ounces to smiling ENT patient

Watson was born at just 25 weeks. At 11 ounces, she was the smallest preemie ever born at a local Dallas hospital. After six long months in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), she was finally able to go home.

A young girl born with airway issues finds healing at Children's Health

When Laura was pregnant with her twin daughters, Marlee and Lambert, a routine sonogram revealed an issue with Lambert's development in utero. After a number of tests and screenings, a cardiologist at UT Southwestern determined that while Lambert's heart was functioning normally, it was rotated on a different axis than a typical heart. Additionally, an MRI uncovered that one of Lambert's lungs was not developing properly and that her esophagus was not connected to her stomach. Instead, her esophagus and trachea were connected in several spots due to a condition called tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), which was causing additional fluid to leak into her lungs instead of her stomach.

22q doesn’t diminish Molly's joy

Before starting kindergarten in August 2018, Molly spent the summer traveling with her family, swimming, spending time in the country with her grandparents and playing dress-up with her big sister. She loves her big sister, ice cream and dogs. Seeing her, you would never guess that her earliest days were spent at Children's Medical Center Dallas.

Michael's story: A cochlear implant pioneer thrives

"Your son, Michael, will never be able to hear, speak or do the things a normal hearing person would do," my parents were told. I was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf at the age of 15 months. My world seemed as if it had come to a narrow passage with very limited opportunities.  However, it was the beginning of something unforeseen and beyond normal. All future dreams and visions seemed shattered, but they were actually expanding to a whole new dimension a normal-hearing person would never experience.

A young patient has surgery to hear the world around her

When Ellie was born in March 2013, she appeared healthy and gave no indication that anything was wrong. However, after she failed her routine newborn hearing screen, her family was referred to the UT Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at Children's Health for additional testing and evaluation.

A young boy discovers a world full of sounds

At first glance, Lucas is really not that much different than your typical preschooler. All in all, other than the two small electronic devices positioned behind his ears, he appeared to be just like any other 3-year-old boy, bringing joy and entertainment wherever he goes.

Jordan defies expectations and regains hearing

Since birth, Jordan had always been the picture of health. But when he turned 21 months old, that quickly changed.

From fighting the flu to fighting for her life, a young girl beats the odds

On Christmas day 2013, Jennings wasn't feeling well; tests confirmed she had the flu. Her watchful parents were discussing the worsening symptoms when the 14-year-old walked into the family's kitchen in Marshall, Texas, and asked to go to the hospital. Her dad, Mark, a dentist, asked, "Does it hurt to breathe?" Jennings replied, "It's hard to breathe."

Hanna's Story: Expert care when she needed it most

For Hanna, age 11, and her family, July 2, 2016, started off just like any other Texas summer day. They were out at their friend's house, the sun was out, and it was hot. The older kids had gone up to the barn to feed the horses while Hanna found refuge from the Texas heat in the shade of a tree. Though it's not clear exactly how it happened, a John Deere Gator™ utility vehicle slipped out of gear and rolled down the hill towards Hanna, crushing her against the tree.