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July 3 is the last day of operations for our Vanderbilt Children's After-Hours clinics in Mt. Juliet, Smyrna, and Spring Hill locations. We look forward to serving your family's needs at our other locations.

Our Story, Told through Theirs

When science and hearts come together, beautiful stories emerge.

We at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt celebrate when children and their families share their health care stories. These are stories of hope, healing, optimism, endurance, dedication and connection. They are stories of breakthroughs and second chances. They are stories of grit and perseverance. They touch and inspire us.

We are doctors, scientists, nurses, clinicians and care coordinators who come together to help children become well so they can write their own amazing stories. The groundbreaking research, advanced medicine, innovative surgeries and procedures we pioneer, the accolades we earn and firsts we achieve all lead to this.

We make health care personal. Our story is best told through theirs.

Cancer

Learn how Carly-Faith's retinoblastoma was treated at Monroe Carell, thanks to chief of ocular oncology Anthony Daniels, MD.

Jessica survived a rare brain tumor because of generous donations to Monroe Carell's pediatric cancer program.

Levi's biopsy confirmed he had epithelioid sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that can occur in children and teenagers. Monroe Carell is nationally ranked for cancer care and has the only integrated sarcoma clinic in the southeastern United States.

Carly-Faith's story

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Jessica's story

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Levi's Story

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Fetal Center, Neonatology and NICU

The day baby Greyson was born, he couldn't swallow or breathe properly. Neonatal specialists and pediatric surgeons at Monroe Carell relieved the newborn's pulmonary hypertension by putting him on a heart-lung machine called ECMO to be able to repair his airway and save his life.

Cassie had fetal anemia with Emmett. After monitoring him closely and multiple blood transfusions, Emmett was born at 32 weeks. At six months old, he was already thriving and no longer needed transfusions.

A double diagnosis of fetal duodenal atresia and trisomy 21 set off a chain reaction of coordination among the maternal fetal medicine specialists, pediatric surgeons and neonatologists at Monroe Carell. Watch as the Damesworth Family shares their story about their experience with the Fetal Center at Vanderbilt.

 

‘Angel’ transport celebrates 50 years of giving critically ill children a fighting chance

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Spina bifida: Poppy's story

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Greyson's Story

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Heart Surgery

Margot was diagnosed at birth with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and enlargement of the heart muscle. Her birth team knew Monroe Carell would be were she'd have the best chance at expert care for her condition.

Evan's hypoplastic left heart syndrome required three delicate surgeries during the first few years of his life. The vibrant childhood he experiences now is a result of the coordinated care he has received at our Pediatric Heart Institute.

Kael wanted to get back on the baseball field. The surgical care he received at Monroe Carell helped him achieve that goal.

Kael's Story

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Heart: Evan's Story

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Margot's Story

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Neurology & Neurosurgery

At age 2, Mollie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. After trying several treatment options, selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery helped Mollie walk better than before and become more independent. Ours is the only children's hospital in Tennessee that offers this surgery for children with spasticity.

An encounter with Monroe Carell's service dog Squid changed Jameson's life after his diagnosis with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome.

Claire has been seizure-free since August 2019 with the help of the neurology and neurosurgery team at Monroe Carell.

Mollie's story

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Canine Connections

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Claire's Story

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Transplant

Maryiah was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome while her mom was pregnant. Maryiah had a series of heart procedures as an infant and ultimately a heart transplant when she was 3 years old from the multidisciplinary team at Monroe Carell.

When Fatuma needed a liver transplant, our team developed a plan to overcome language and cultural barriers to ensure that her family, who had immigrated from Somalia, would be empowered to take care of her.

Finely was born prematurely, and with fused and underdeveloped kidneys. A kidney transplant at Monroe Carell in November 2021 transformed him into a boy who loves to play, run and cuddle.

Troy's story

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VUMC reaches new liver transplant milestone

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Maryiah's story

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Cleft and Craniofacial

Watch Judah's transformation as he undergoes nasoalveolar molding (NAM) and surgery at Monroe Carell. The Cleft and Craniofacial Program team members work closely with our pediatric dentist to help children born with cleft lip and palate live a normal life.

Thyroid Nodule and Cancer

When Lexi faced thyroid cancer, the pediatric care team at Monroe Carell set up appointments with several specialists all on the same day, and she had surgery a week later.