Help children like Evelyn get the care they need
At just three months old, Evelyn had already been hospitalized three times. Your support helps families receive compassionate pediatric care close to home.
Evelyn & family
A patient since she was five days old
Evelyn has been a patient at Ravenswood since she was just five days old. During her first months of life, she became seriously ill and was hospitalized multiple times.
A frightening start
During the first few months of her life, Evelyn was hospitalized multiple times for severe vomiting and diarrhea. Occasionally after eating formula, she would experience persistent projectile vomiting, which caused significant concern for her parents, who would take her to the emergency room.
When Evelyn first became sick, she was so dehydrated that she was admitted to the ICU and required IV nutrition while recovering.
Soon after returning home, the symptoms came back.
By the time Evelyn was just three months old, she had been hospitalized three separate times.
A care team that never gave up
In between each trip to the hospital, Dr. Raney followed up with Evelyn and her parents. Together, they discussed the condition and processed the trauma of having such a young infant struggle with such a severe, repetitive, and—until the third admission—unexplained illness.
At her third hospital visit, the doctors diagnosed her with Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES), a type of food allergy that causes serious gastrointestinal symptoms.
I felt much more comfortable once the diagnosis of FPIES was made, and was able to communicate this with her family. My role was to help explain the lab results and decision-making to them and ultimately reassure them once we had a diagnosis that fit the clinical picture.
A healthy future
Dr. Raney saw Evelyn for her post-discharge visit and recommended dietary changes, including eliminating milk, cheese, and yogurt, while continuing breastfeeding. She also reinforced the importance of only giving her hypoallergenic formula. With these changes, the cycle was broken, and Evelyn did not go back to the hospital with vomiting.
Evelyn continued her care with gastroenterology, allergy, and immunology specialists, while also seeing Dr. Raney for her well-child visits to ensure healthy growth and development. Every step of the way, Dr. Raney was there to monitor her progress, coordinate care, and support her health.
Evelyn’s family is deeply grateful for the compassionate care Ravenswood provided to help their daughter grow up healthy and happy.
You make stories like this possible
Today, Evelyn is healthy and thriving thanks to continued medical care and support. With your help, more families can receive the same compassionate care.
Your gift today helps children like Evelyn access lifesaving care when they need it most
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