Heather Rayser, has a colon that does not function properly and as a result, she has never been to high school, and has been on home hospital care for about ten years. Her life is filled with rigidly timed and painful flushes to try to clear her colon, but Nationwide Children’s Hospital gave hope to Heather and patients like her. Her family traveled to Nationwide Children’s in Columbus, Ohio, so that she could have surgery – a sacral nerve stimulation device implanted to help address communication problems between the brain and the nerves that control bowel and bladder function. Because of the complications of Heather’s condition, the device is not as effective for her as it is for other patients. Heather has had to undergo a total colectomy (removal of the large intestine) and she is scheduled for another surgery at the end of the month to correct a related issue.

“To see everything Heather’s physically and mentally had to endure through the years has been very difficult,” said Heather’s mom, Kellie. “I don’t expect a miracle to happen overnight, but my dream for her is that she’ll be able to cut back on the time and pain her treatments cause her and live like a normal teenager.”

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• Name: Heather R.Heather Rayser
• Condition(s): Colonic Inertia
• Age Today: 10/15/199726 Years

Heather Rayser, has a colon that does not function properly and as a result, she has never been to high school, and has been on home hospital care for about ten years. Her life is filled with rigidly timed and painful flushes to try to clear her colon, but Nationwide Children’s Hospital gave hope to Heather and patients like her. Her family traveled to Nationwide Children’s in Columbus, Ohio, so that she could have surgery – a sacral nerve stimulation device implanted to help address communication problems between the brain and the nerves that control bowel and bladder function. Because of the complications of Heather’s condition, the device is not as effective for her as it is for other patients. Heather has had to undergo a total colectomy (removal of the large intestine) and she is scheduled for another surgery at the end of the month to correct a related issue.

“To see everything Heather’s physically and mentally had to endure through the years has been very difficult,” said Heather’s mom, Kellie. “I don’t expect a miracle to happen overnight, but my dream for her is that she’ll be able to cut back on the time and pain her treatments cause her and live like a normal teenager.”