Patient Stories
Patients come to National Jewish Health from around the world to receive treatment they can't find anywhere else, and we are grateful to the many patients who have shared their inspiring stories. It is our hope that their messages provide you strength and encouragement.
Little Body, Big Battle
What started with a cough and a runny nose, quickly became much more alarming for 17-month-old Ivan Paez’s parents. “All of a sudden he started wheezing, so we took him to a local hospital,” Ivan’s mom Crystal Medrano said. A chest X-ray was performed and Medrano said doctors told her “he just has a cough and will be fine.” Ivan was sent home, but by the next day, Ivan’s cough and other symptoms were only getting worse. He also began developing a fever, prompting a second trip to the hospital. This time, Ivan was diagnosed with croup. “They gave him a dose of steroids and then they sent us home,” Medrano states.
Finding Care for Sarcoidosis in My Own Backyard
When patients are diagnosed with rare or unusual health conditions, understanding what to do next or where to find care can be daunting. For Diane Wein, a globe-trotting married mother of one, it took a team of doctors at National Jewish Health to get her back on her feet.
Searching For Answers
The second time Lillian Downs got COVID-19, she came to National Jewish Health. When infectious disease expert Jared Eddy, MD, saw Lillian before an antibody infusion, he realized that she needed a more extensive evaluation.
Life Gets Back on the Green
Even over the phone, Michael Brown’s voice is a hypodermic of pure energy. Indeed, the first word neurologist Jinny Tavee, MD, uses to describe him these days is “ebullient.” But it wasn’t always this way.
Changing Gears and Adding Years: A Hot Rodder’s Recovery Story
In September of 2021, Cascio-Weldon got sick with what seemed like just a cold. When his symptoms worsened, he visited his local doctor, who informed him that he was simply dealing with post-COVID syndrome, as he had been infected a few months earlier. However, this wasn’t the case. “Come December, I just wasn’t getting any better. In fact, I was getting worse. My skin was gray, literally gray,” Cascio-Weldon said.
Former Asthma Patient Runs 100th Half-Marathon for National Jewish Health
Fifty years after receiving life-saving asthma care at National Jewish Health, Kevin Buron
used his passion for running to raise funds for the hospital.