Born at 24 weeks, Joshua’s life began too early. At a mere 1 pound 11 ounces, Joshua was intubated immediately after birth and his life was in critical condition.

He was transported to Nationwide Children’s Hospital where he was provided care. As a result of his prematurity he suffered a severe Intraventricular Hemorrhage (brain bleed), as well as lung, bowel, and heart issues. After 149 days and 4 surgeries, Joshua was finally able to go home with his family.

“With the help of the many doctors, nurses, surgeons and by the mercy of God, Nationwide Children’s has given our son life. He would not be here today if it had not been for the wonderful care he received. Nationwide Children’s holds a special place in our hearts for care in the critical moments of Joshua’s life when we did not think he would make it. We’re thankful now as Joshua gets older that NCH is able to continue to follow him and provide for both his medical and developmental needs,” says Sarah, Joshua’s mom.

Shortly after he was finally discharged to go home, his parents noticed his eyes weren’t focusing correctly. They took their concerns to the NCH pediatric ophthalmologists, where he was diagnosed with Amblyopia and Esotropia. Amblyopia, also known as “Lazy Eye,” usually starts when one eye has better focus than the other. When a child’s brain gets both a blurry image and a clear one, it starts to ignore the blurry one – if not treated, the blurry eye will continue to worsen. Esotropia is the inward turning of one or both eyes; often affecting babies during their first 6 months of life, but a small percentage of children do not outgrow this eye turn and need further treatment.

Joshua has been working with doctors to help correct his vision so he doesn’t lose sight in his eye. In March 2016, Joshua underwent eye surgery at NCH to help repair this.

The Ophthalmology Department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital offers routine primary care, advanced care and clinical testing for children with visual impairment, plus clinical and basic research. Clinical researchers at Nationwide Children’s and The Ohio State University are committed to identifying new approaches for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of childhood diseases, taking research discoveries from the lab to the patient’s bedside.

Joshua loves to be outside, run and play with his 5 siblings. He is an enthusiastic little boy who loves life and shows determination when trying new things. And that’s just what he’ll be doing on his mile on race day–smiling and being silly, making all the participants smile.

https://flutter.nationwidechildrens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/060917ds0513.jpg

• Name: Joshua R.Joshua Rumschlag
• Condition(s): Amblyopia, Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), Prematurity
• Age at Treatment: Birth
• Age Today: 08/27/201310 Years

Born at 24 weeks, Joshua’s life began too early. At a mere 1 pound 11 ounces, Joshua was intubated immediately after birth and his life was in critical condition.

He was transported to Nationwide Children’s Hospital where he was provided care. As a result of his prematurity he suffered a severe Intraventricular Hemorrhage (brain bleed), as well as lung, bowel, and heart issues. After 149 days and 4 surgeries, Joshua was finally able to go home with his family.

“With the help of the many doctors, nurses, surgeons and by the mercy of God, Nationwide Children’s has given our son life. He would not be here today if it had not been for the wonderful care he received. Nationwide Children’s holds a special place in our hearts for care in the critical moments of Joshua’s life when we did not think he would make it. We’re thankful now as Joshua gets older that NCH is able to continue to follow him and provide for both his medical and developmental needs,” says Sarah, Joshua’s mom.

Shortly after he was finally discharged to go home, his parents noticed his eyes weren’t focusing correctly. They took their concerns to the NCH pediatric ophthalmologists, where he was diagnosed with Amblyopia and Esotropia. Amblyopia, also known as “Lazy Eye,” usually starts when one eye has better focus than the other. When a child’s brain gets both a blurry image and a clear one, it starts to ignore the blurry one – if not treated, the blurry eye will continue to worsen. Esotropia is the inward turning of one or both eyes; often affecting babies during their first 6 months of life, but a small percentage of children do not outgrow this eye turn and need further treatment.

Joshua has been working with doctors to help correct his vision so he doesn’t lose sight in his eye. In March 2016, Joshua underwent eye surgery at NCH to help repair this.

The Ophthalmology Department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital offers routine primary care, advanced care and clinical testing for children with visual impairment, plus clinical and basic research. Clinical researchers at Nationwide Children’s and The Ohio State University are committed to identifying new approaches for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of childhood diseases, taking research discoveries from the lab to the patient’s bedside.

Joshua loves to be outside, run and play with his 5 siblings. He is an enthusiastic little boy who loves life and shows determination when trying new things. And that’s just what he’ll be doing on his mile on race day–smiling and being silly, making all the participants smile.