Wyatt Robson A Last Ditch Treatment Saves Newborn with Rare Disease
For Sarah Robson, the hardest and best moments of her son Wyatt’s 422-day hospitalization came within minutes of each other as the fourweek-old’s health failed one night in 2018.
First, the hardest. Wyatt’s care team was gentle but clear: If anyone hadn’t met Wyatt yet, now was the time. He might not survive the night. Then, the best. Derek Wakeman, M.D., assistant professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, had one more idea—a long shot, but a chance. The hope that had sustained the family surged again. With the support of Wyatt’s care team, they decided to try. “The level of expertise in that hospital is incredible,” Robson said. “You hear about Golisano, but the experience of actually being there is something entirely different. The nurses, the doctors and everyone working on the floors are second to none. Every medical decision they made, they made as a team, and they included the family.”
Choosing Hope Today, Wyatt is a ball of energy who recently took his first trip to the zoo. Major health challenges remain, but by simply living he defied the odds. He was born with a condition called CDH, and his case was so severe that he had less than a one in four chance of survival. Robson, her significant other Jeff, her teenage son Noah, and her mother first heard the term CDH after Wyatt’s 20-week ultrasound. It stands for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, and it occurs when the diaphragm doesn’t close properly. As a result, organs like the intestines and liver move into the chest, putting pressure on the heart and lungs, which no longer have room to develop well, explained Kristin Scheible, M.D., associate professor of Pediatrics, who helped care for Wyatt.
Golisano Children’s Hospital
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