During the game Friday, August 11, players, staff and fans of the Cedar Rapids Kernels baseball team honored a young boy from Cedar Rapids along with the health care professionals at University of Iowa Children's Hospital who cared for him as he has overcome numerous life-threatening health challenges.
The Kernels featured the amazing story of Reid Shadle, 8, during their "Homerun for Life" event. Kernels' staff members introduced Reid to fans at the game at Veterans' Memorial Stadium. He circled the bases to celebrate his remarkable story of survival.
Reid's first challenge occurred when an ultrasound examination during the 28th week of pregnancy identified complications with the left ventricle in his heart. Specialists at University of Iowa Children's Hospital told his parents, Vicki and Craig Shadle, that the prognosis was not good.
Amazingly, Reid was born at UI Hospitals and Clinics on August 14, 1997, and rushed to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the state's most advanced facility that cares for severely ill newborns.
Reid continued to beat the odds and went on to receive four surgeries to repair his heart, despite repeated close calls.
Today, Reid continues to overcome challenges with his speech and physical and cognitive abilities. His mother calls him a happy boy who tries to do everything that any other boy his age does. This fall Reid will be in third grade at Bowman Woods Elementary in Cedar Rapids.
University of Iowa Children's Hospital is the state's longest-serving children's hospital. More than 140,000 children receive care at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and its statewide network of outreach clinics each year.
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For more information:
Cedar Rapids Kernels
University of Iowa Children's Hospital
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