Helen DeVos Children's Hospital

Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Impossible happens here. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more
equitable model of health and wellness.

People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding
outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health
is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of
60,000+ dedicated people—including more than 11,500 physicians and advanced practice providers
and m

ore than 15,000 nurses providing care and services in 22 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations
and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more
than 1.3 million members.

Check out the progress on the Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital!💙
07/29/2025

Check out the progress on the Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital!💙

Aiyanna was born at 29 weeks weighing nearly 2 pounds. After 113 days, she graduated from our NICU! 🎓"Although nervous t...
07/25/2025

Aiyanna was born at 29 weeks weighing nearly 2 pounds. After 113 days, she graduated from our NICU! 🎓

"Although nervous to be heading home, I am excited to watch this sweet girl experience life along side her brother," her Mom, Ashli, said.

Ashli shared that Aiyanna did better than she could have ever imagined thanks to her strength and the incredible team who cared for her around the clock.

We're thrilled to highlight Aiyanna's Mighty Milestone!

Lylah Gritter has Spinal Muscle Atrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease, and has been treated at Helen DeVos Child...
07/25/2025

Lylah Gritter has Spinal Muscle Atrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease, and has been treated at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital since birth.

Through the work of Dr. Jena Krueger, Pediatric Neurologist, we've made incredible advances in the therapy for this disease, including gene therapy. Lylah comes to us to get lumbar punctures to receive a medication to help with the symptoms. "They've really helped her," her Mom, Holly, said.

📸 Lylah poses with our facility dog, Indi. Indi helps kids through their procedures and sedation. "We can't say enough great things about Indi. She has helped Lylah so much," Holly said. "There needs to be an Indi on every floor!"

Meet Sam Heintz, a young boy who went from hospital rooms to the baseball field. ⚾ 💙When Sam’s mom brought him to the ho...
07/22/2025

Meet Sam Heintz, a young boy who went from hospital rooms to the baseball field. ⚾ 💙

When Sam’s mom brought him to the hospital, they didn’t know how serious things were. What followed was a long road of treatments, courage and unwavering love. Through countless dialysis sessions, infusion visits and an eventual kidney transplant, Sam held onto his spirit and his dream of getting back on the field.

Today, he's thriving! Sam’s journey of resilience, hope and healing is a story that reminds us of the power of compassion and the strength within.

After spending 87 days in our NICU, Sylas, who was born at 38 weeks weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces, is home! 🏡"We are beyon...
07/17/2025

After spending 87 days in our NICU, Sylas, who was born at 38 weeks weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces, is home! 🏡

"We are beyond grateful for the love and expertise provided by all of the team members who worked tirelessly to save Sylas' life," his family said.

"Sylas has been thriving at home and hitting all of the appropriate milestones for his age. He gets so excited to play with his 6-year-old brother."

Congratulations on your Mighty Milestone, Sylas!

Indi, our facility dog, and Spencer Slaghuis, Certified Child Life Specialist, went to Camp Catch-A-Rainbow, which is fo...
07/16/2025

Indi, our facility dog, and Spencer Slaghuis, Certified Child Life Specialist, went to Camp Catch-A-Rainbow, which is for kids with cancer or in remission.

“It’s amazing to watch these kids thrive, while surrounded by others who have faced medical challenges just as they have,” Spencer said.

“It was a truly rewarding experience watching Indi impact so many of the campers throughout the week. From fetching a ball or stick to simply finding a friend to cuddle up next to, she enjoyed the full experience.”

In addition to Camp Catch-A-Rainbow, we have a list of camps that benefit a variety of patient's medical and emotional needs and our team members can refer and recommend them.

Every child deserves to go to camp and be a joyful kid in an inclusive environment. 💙

Tyler Olger, 4, and Lennon Daniels, 3, met in our Intensive Feeding Program, which helps children as young as 12 months ...
07/09/2025

Tyler Olger, 4, and Lennon Daniels, 3, met in our Intensive Feeding Program, which helps children as young as 12 months old learn to eat and drink in positive and productive ways.

They both have g-tubes and call themselves "tubie buddies."

“Lennon was the first child Tyler has met who had a g-tube. I could instantly tell he felt comfort knowing someone else looked like him,” Tyler’s mom, Nicole, said.

“It was adorable when they first realized they both had tubies,” Lennon’s mom, Caia, said. “They’re smiles were huge. It brought me comfort knowing Lennon felt less alone.”

The program also offers dolls and stuffies that have tubies. “We often get many kids who have g-tubes, so having the dolls and stuffies allows us to normalize it in our space,” Kennedy Showers, Child and Family Life team member, said. “Medical play can be beneficial to not only kids like Lennon and Ty, but to the kids in the clinic who don't have g-tubes. They can learn about what makes our friends different and think it’s normal for them to have it.”

“It’s cute to see Tyler and Lennon so excited to hook the dolls up to feed them,” Caia said. “No other kid would understand.”

Both of them have eaten and drank more orally than ever before starting the program. “Seeing the success happen gives us hope,” Nicole said.

Amora was born at 22 weeks weighing nearly one pound. She spent 234 days in our NICU and recently graduated! 🎓"While our...
07/08/2025

Amora was born at 22 weeks weighing nearly one pound. She spent 234 days in our NICU and recently graduated! 🎓

"While our NICU experience was amazing and the nurses were wonderful, we're very excited to be home," her family said.

Please join us in celebrating Amora's very big Mighty Milestone! 🎉

07/02/2025

Meet Sam Heintz, a young boy who went from hospital rooms to the baseball field.⚾💙

When Sam’s mom brought him to our hospital, they didn’t know how serious things were. What followed was a long road of treatments, courage, and unwavering love. Through countless dialysis sessions, infusion visits, and an eventual kidney transplant, Sam held onto his spirit and his dream of getting back on the field.

Today, he's thriving! Watch Sam’s journey of resilience, hope, and healing. It’s a story that reminds us of the power of compassion and the strength within.

“Newborn screening allows us to find potentially life-altering conditions early and implement treatment, ideally prior t...
06/30/2025

“Newborn screening allows us to find potentially life-altering conditions early and implement treatment, ideally prior to these conditions causing larger, more serious problems,” Dr. Jessie Priestley, genetics, said.

Dr. Priestley shares that newborn screening is performed when a baby is about 24 hours old and has three parts:

1️⃣ A blood spot that is analyzed for certain blood, immune, hormone, and metabolic problems
2️⃣ Assessment of hearing
3️⃣ Measurement of oxygen levels non-invasively to evaluate for congenital heart disease

“It is designed to be better at identifying babies that could have a rare disease than identifying babies who definitely have a rare disease,” Dr. Priestley said.

According to the Immune Deficiency Foundation, almost 1 in 300 babies has a condition that can be detected through newborn screening.

“For some conditions, early diagnosis allows treatment to begin before the onset of symptoms. For others, it provides a diagnosis quickly, which allows treatment to begin as soon as possible to prevent long-term complications,” Dr. Priestley said.

“Early diagnosis can, and does save lives and improve health outcomes.”

A community member recently shared this breathtaking photo with us, which is a beautiful reminder that there's magic hap...
06/25/2025

A community member recently shared this breathtaking photo with us, which is a beautiful reminder that there's magic happening in and around our hospital every single day.💙✨

Carter was born at 26 weeks. After spending 113 days in our NICU, he is graduating! 🎓"We're from across the state," his ...
06/19/2025

Carter was born at 26 weeks. After spending 113 days in our NICU, he is graduating! 🎓

"We're from across the state," his mom said. "So living in the hospital away from loved ones and watching your newborn fight for his life was really scary and stressful. I'm excited to go home."

Congratulations on your Mighty Milestone, Carter! 💙

Address

100 Michigan Street NE
Grand Rapids, MI
49503

Telephone

+16163919000

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