With Gratitude: Patient Stories

“We trusted him completely, right from the beginning,” recalls Phoebe Livingston, remembering the moment her newborn daughter Alba was urgently referred to Albert Woo, MD—an internationally recognized leader in cleft and craniofacial surgery, chief of pediatric plastic surgery at Hasbro Children’s, and director of its Cleft and Craniofacial Center. Dr. Woo is not only known for pioneering innovative cleft palate repair techniques that optimize speech and improve function, but also for volunteering around the globe to provide life-changing surgeries for children who otherwise would not have access to care. 

When seven-year-old Liam Chapman began complaining of stomachaches, parents Stacie and Lincoln chalked it up to a virus or perhaps growing pains. An active kid who loved flag football, basketball, and baseball, Liam rarely sat still … Until the pain kept him out of the games that he enjoyed so much.

For Mia and her family, healing wasn’t just about survival … It was about rediscovering joy, trust, and hope for the future. At age sixteen, Mia spent more than fifteen months on the behavioral health unit at Hasbro Children’s while being treated for functional neurological disorder (FND). This rare and complex condition disrupted every part of her life.

When Owen Hopkins was five, he was a whirlwind of energy—playing hockey, chasing his little brother, and always outside. But when fatigue, fevers, and a limp appeared, his parents knew something wasn’t right.