Elio Parsons, Altoona
Elio Parsons, 3, of Altoona, was born premature at 31 weeks gestation and had some breathing issues at birth. He was transported by Life Flight® medical helicopter to Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, where he spent a month in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
He needed a little breathing assistance while in the NICU, and tests showed a hole in his heart that cardiologists would need to monitor for the first year of his life. At just over a year old, Elio underwent a heart catheterization during which the cardiology team closed the hole in his heart. Elio is now doing extremely well and is a growing, playful little boy.
Donations to Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger have purchased portable isolettes that were used for Elio’s transport to Geisinger. Special pediatric echocardiogram machines used in the NICU to diagnose Elio’s heart defect were also provided with gifts to Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger. Gifts also helped support the development of the pediatric heart catheterization suite and helped provide numerous items used in the NICU for his care.
