2008 Annual Report of Philanthropy

Maddie’s Journey
f r o m t h e d ay h e r s u r v i va l wa s i n
question, to the day we spent with her
at P h i l a d e l p h i a’ s i n d e p e n d e n c e h a l l .

n at i o n w i d e c h i l d r e n ’ s h o s p i ta l
 Twenty weeks

before the day

she was born,

Maddie’s journey

took an

unexpected turn.
 2008 Annual Report of Philanthropy
At 20 weeks into Emile’s second pregnancy, when
a routine ultrasound revealed a birth defect called
Dandy Walker, Emile and Chris Sower knew there
would be anxious days ahead. What the Sowers –
and doctors – didn’t know was that this birth defect
would be the least of Maddie’s medical challenges.
For the next 20 weeks, the pregnancy went as
planned and Maddie was born near her original
due date. Then, during a routine examination,
physicians at the birth hospital detected a
heart arrhythmia. As a precaution, they made
arrangements for Maddie to be transferred to
Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Upon her arrival, neonatologists examined Maddie
and discovered a serious heart condition. In the
most blunt terms possible, Maddie had been born
with two holes in both chambers of her heart.
And her aorta was one-tenth the size it needed
to be to pump blood effectively. Maddie was
prepared for the open-heart surgery that was needed
to save her life.
Ten days after Maddie was born, cardiothoracic
surgeon, Dr. Mark Galantowicz and The Heart
Center team began the open-heart procedure at
6 a.m. Seven hours later, Dr. Galantowicz emerged
from the operating room and told Maddie’s parents
that the operation was a success. One hurdle
cleared: more to follow.
Two days after successful heart surgery, Maddie
was still unable to keep food down. While it is not
uncommon for patients to experience difficulty
taking nourishment following heart surgery, her
parents grew concerned. Physicians ordered a
CT scan and they discovered a bowel obstruction.
Yes, Maddie was rushed into surgery again. But
30 minutes into the operation, the surgeon walked
into the waiting room with devastating news for
Maddie’s parents.
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 W h e n a s k e d r e c e n t ly

“Maddie is
how Maddie was doing,
Chris replied –

growing up
a normal,
energetic kid,
which is all
we ever wanted
for her.”
 2008 Annual Report of Philanthropy
The surgery revealed that Maddie had Necrotizing
Enterocolitis (NEC) and that 99 percent of her small
intestine was infected. NEC is a newborn condition
involving severe injury and destruction of the
intestines. If at least 20 centimeters of Maddie’s small
intestine could not be saved, she would not survive.
At this point, Dr. Donna Caniano, surgeon-in-chief,
entered the picture with world-class surgical skills
and the sheer determination to do everything
possible to save Maddie’s life. She placed Maddie on
aggressive antibiotics and scheduled the surgery that
would determine her fate to take place in 36 hours.
Dr. Caniano’s plan was to examine every one of the
approximately 250 centimeters of tissue in Maddie’s
small intestine and save every centimeter possible.
All while Maddie’s life hung in the balance. And her
parents waited down the hall.
An entire day passed before Dr. Caniano emerged
from the operating room and reported to Emile and
Chris that although she had removed 75 percent
of Maddie’s small intestine, she saved enough for
Maddie to survive. Future challenges remained, but
Maddie had cleared a huge hurdle.
Maddie was less than two weeks old and had
already survived two major surgeries. Now,
correcting the original birth defect became more
difficult than anticipated because of complications
associated with all of Maddie’s unforeseen issues.
What physicians thought would be one procedure
to correct the problem actually became multiple
surgeries, as neurosurgeon, Dr. Edward Kosnik,
worked to find the perfect placement of the shunt,
which was made more difficult because of her heart
condition and the NEC.
Under normal circumstances, most people would
assume that this was the end of Maddie’s saga. But
it was not.
Physicians now addressed the hemangioma that
developed on the left side of Maddie’s face. Much
more than the typical skin surface redness, Maddie’s
hemangioma was an aggressive, but benign tumor
that extended deep in her facial tissue. Without
proper treatment, it would spread throughout
Maddie’s brain and spinal cord. But pediatric plastic
surgeon, Dr. Greg Pearson, used aggressive steroid
treatments to reverse the tumor’s growth. The
threat to Maddie’s spinal column was averted and
follow-up laser treatments corrected the redness.
Although Maddie’s family has since moved to
Philadelphia, they return to Nationwide Children’s
for follow-up care with Dr. Caniano, the physician
they will never forget. In fact, if the family has their
way, Dr. Caniano will be an honored guest when
the patient she refers to as Miraculous Miss Maddie
graduates from high school.
Maddie is now a happy and healthy three-year-old.
Made possible by skilled physicians and caregivers at
Nationwide Children’s. And made possible by you,
our valued donors and friends, who help us take
children like Maddie on journeys to good health.
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 2008 Annual Report of Philanthropy

On the following pages we would

like to recognize our donors for
their vision, compassion and
tremendous support.

Thank you for reaching out to

children in need and for making
it possible for us to provide the
care they all deserve.