PHOENIX — At age eight, Norah Humphrey is thriving, but it was a different story when she was first born.
"It was pretty jarring to get that news and it was very confusing," said Sean Humphrey.
Her father Sean recalled the frantic first hours. "Nora was born at Banner Thunderbird and they immediately med-evaced her to Phoenix Children's and she went basically straight into a procedure when she was born," said Sean.
"Cause my leg or my foot is like crooked," added Norah.
"So, she had a clubfoot. She had an extra finger and she was born with a condition called transposition of the great arteries. And she ended up having two open heart surgeries and multiple heart cath procedures for that," said Sean.
They credit the doctors, advancing science and especially the world-class care at Phoenix Children's for Norah's success.
"I think that something that really sets these guys apart from other, you know, facilities or programs that we've interacted with is just the compassion, I think. And the level of service that they really do provide, in just comforting and caring for these kids. You know, we've had mixed experiences at some other programs or facilities she's been, but but PCH has always been consistent. And I think, I think that's something that's really important is that, you know, people. You can have intelligent and skilled doctors, but if the compassion piece is lacking, or if they if they can't, like speak with a child or speak to you in a way that makes sense, right for you to understand or internalize the things that are happening. That just makes such a huge difference," said Sean.
Norah and her dad shared photos of her journey with PCH. The pictures are all a tangible reminder for Norah of how far she's come.
"Do you feel like you're a pretty strong fighter type of person?" her dad asked her.
"Yeah," Norah replied.
"That's what I think," added Sean.
Norah's incredible story is just beginning.
"It's just such a blessing that she's doing so well and has gotten through all these things and gets to have a life, you know, because of their care that they've provided her there," said Sean.
You can make a difference for families like the Humphreys.
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In an effort to help make sure all of our veterans get the recognition they deserve, ABC15 is following up with a 99-year-old WWII veteran who we interviewed earlier this year.
"When I spoke with James and he told me was having a hard time getting the medals he said he deserved, I got to work, reaching out to any contact I had who could maybe help him. While we were able to help him receive five additional medals he earned from his time serving in the Marines, we are still working to see if he qualifies for a Purple Heart and will continue to follow up and help him on this journey." - Nick Ciletti
On April 10th ABC15 is hosting its annual telethon benefiting Phoenix Children's hospital. We will be taking phone calls for donations from 6:00 a.m. until 10:35 p.m. that night.
You can also donate anytime by calling 602-933-4567 or going to ABC15.com/telethon.
