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They flew up and met with a team of specialists,
covering everything from endocrinology to pediatric
gastrointestinal issues to mental health.
Jenn remembers being impressed by how coordinated
everything was at Cincinnati Children’s. “In our past
experiences, it never felt like the right hand was
speaking to the left hand. You’d be in a room and have a
meeting with an endocrinologist, and suddenly he walks
in the room and everyone’s pulling up your MyChart and
trying to figure it out in that 90 seconds. We had nine
years of medical history!”
In contrast, she says, “By the time we got to Cincinnati,
it seemed like everyone who walked in said something
like, ‘I’ve spent time with your case,’ or ‘I know you’re
going to see Dr. So-and-so this afternoon.’ It didn’t feel
disjointed. It felt like a team effort. Everyone was
communicating and working together, with Amanda
being our quarterback.”
A Guide Who Cares
Ward’s team diagnosed him with Functional Dyspepsia,
basically chronic indigestion, and Eosinophilic Esophagitis
(EoE). Among other treatment recommendations, they gave
Ward an injection of botox into the pylorus muscle, which
controls the exit of the stomach, to relax the muscle and
encourage the stomach to empty.
Now back home in North Carolina, Jenn and Mark
say Ward is doing much better. Whereas before Ward
Jenn and Mark Giordano heard about Healthnetwork complained of stomachaches multiple times a day,
through their YPO membership just as they were he now has issues only a few times a week. When Jenn
reaching a breaking point trying to find the right mentioned the EoE diagnosis to some YPO friends, they
medical care for their son Ward. shared that their daughter had that same problem and
food intolerances turned out to be a major contributor.
So Jenn and Mark took Ward to a functional medicine
doctor, who has helped them identify some problematic
foods for Ward to avoid. Additionally, their team at
“When we heard about this thing Cincinnati Children’s connected them with a doctor close
called Healthnetwork, it almost to home who used to practice at Cincinnati Children’s, so
they can follow up with him rather than having to travel
seemed too good to be true.” so far should Ward need care in the future.
Jenn and Mark are not the type to give up easily.
They’re proactive, competitive, and successful. Yet,
looking back, they express doubt about what might
have happened if they hadn’t heard of Healthnetwork
“Amanda set up a Zoom with us and basically said she and met Amanda.
would try to understand everything about our situation, “We would have been going down the path with just
then do some research, talk with other Healthnetwork the two of us," says Mark. “Instead we had a guide,
members who had similar experiences, and come back someone who truly cared about Ward without having
to us with—not so much a recommendation, but some even met him. Hopefully we would’ve found something.
options with pros and cons of each,” recalls Mark. Undoubtedly it would’ve taken us longer.”
After reviewing everything with Amanda, Jenn and Instead, says Jenn, “We feel a million times more
Mark opted to take Ward to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. hopeful than this time last year!” ✦
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