Patient Stories

Cooper's hero is his uncle

Cooper Vozza runs in the 2016 Transplant Games
Cooper was born with Smith-Magenis syndrome, a developmental disorder that results in some level of intellectual disability and delayed speech and language skills. He was also born with just one kidney, which was small and in renal failure. Doctors knew he would need a kidney transplant as soon as he was old enough and big enough for the surgery.

Amy's sarcoma story

patient with nurses
I felt a tiny little twinge in my right knee....The physical therapist suspected something more was going on and encouraged me to get some imaging done.

Preventing falls, Mae moves forward

Mae portrait
Mae Schatteman, 96, shows no signs of slowing down. But she is careful to watch her step along the way. UI Health Care's Stepping On addresses the importance of walking and other low-impact exercise to keep ankles and other parts of the body stable.

Honored to be a 2018 Fan of the Year winner

Portrait of Traci McCausland
During her treatment for breast cancer, Traci McCausland says: “Coach Fran and Margaret McCaffery were incredibly supportive of us. We were so grateful for the support from the entire Iowa Athletic Department and UI Center for Advancement.”

Carley Neustel

External Source: 
University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital
Carley was rushed by helicopter to UI Stead Family Children's Hospital in September 2015 after a farm accident nearly severed both of her legs below the knees. She had also sustained a broken arm and a large cut on her scalp.

Kevin’s limb preservation story

Kevin Nahnsen from Waterloo, Iowa experienced compound fractures required three surgeries to correct his leg.

Family advocates for lawn mower safety after accident

External Source: 
University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital
On Aug. 30, 2017, life changed for Ryan Manahl and his family when his 3-year-old son, Tate, was accidentally run over with a lawn mower. “I tried to keep him calm but I kept thinking the worst – ‘Is this really it? Is my son going to die in my arms right now and he hasn’t even started to live his life?’”

David exchanges air tanks for new lungs

David Williams portrait
For David Williams, sarcoidosis made it difficult to breathe on his own. Prior to his March 2018 double lung transplant, he had been on oxygen therapy for 19 years.

Amber grateful for 'incredible journeys' before and after motherhood

Amber Bowers had two incredible pregnancy journeys thanks to care from Rachel Maassen, MD at University of Iowa Health Care.

Lloyd found the HIPEC cancer care he needed

Lloyd Beckman portrait
When Lloyd Beckman needed a rare kind of cancer treatment known as HIPEC, he chose University of Iowa Health Care, which has the only dedicated HIPEC program in eastern Iowa.

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