Meet Local Rainbow Champion Gwen

Gwen is our 2018 local champion at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

When Gwen was three months old, she was like any other baby, starting to play with her toys, moving around, etc. Her parents noticed she was predominantly using her left hand and thought she’d be left handed! As time went on, they noticed that Gwen wasn’t just using her left hand more often, she was only using her left hand. They took her to a pediatrician who immediately set up an appointment with a Neurologist at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. It was then that Gwen’s family found out she had a stroke prior to her birth, causing severe damage to her brain.

Gwen’s mother Rebecca recalls, “When Gwen was just six months old we went to UH Rainbow Pediatric Rehab for the first time. Little did we know that over the next 2.5 years the amazing staff would become family. They have watched my daughter grow and have helped her reach milestones we didn’t even know were obtainable. We have cried tears and shared laughter. With their guidance, Gwen has done so much more than we ever thought possible. They say ‘it takes a village’ and I am forever grateful that they have been a part of ours. I hope they understand how much they mean to us!”

Gwen has been making tremendous strides in rehab since then, with medical caretakers becoming like family. “I do it all myself,” Gwen likes to say. This tenacious four-year-old understands she has limitations, but won’t let anything stand in the way of the things she wants to do. For now, that’s having fun with classmates at school.