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Amber's Dream Ambassadors
Eleven children were chosen to be Amber’s Dream ambassadors. They (and their parents) have shared how Medcenter One Children’s Hospital doctors and nurses have helped them overcome illnesses. Amber’s Dream ambassadors represent the many kids who will benefit from Amber’s Dream. Click on a child’s picture to read their story.
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As a Medcenter One registered nurse, Jackie Keller said she always knew of the superior quality of care Medcenter One provided their patients. However, it wasn’t until her son, Alex, was born that she truly appreciated Medcenter One’s high level of caring. Alex was born with two congenital heart defects; one was tetraology of Fallot, which is four separate defects in the heart and the other was a diaphragmatic hernia on his left side, which is a hole in his diaphragm that allowed a portion of his intestines and his spleen to be pushed up into his chest cavity causing his left lung to develop to only about one fourth the average size. His condition required his immediate transfer to Minneapolis Children’s Hospital where he would remain for the first six months of his life.
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On Feb. 6, 2008, Anthony Bren of Dickinson was 15 and received the horrible news that he had Ewing’s Sarcoma cancer—a rare disease usually found in children. The cancer cells are found in the bone or soft tissue. Despite his own grief and sorrow, Anthony told his mom, Jeanette Bren, “It’s going to be OK. Really, it’s going to be OK” as he gave her a hug. Anthony and his mom were referred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Treating his cancer required 14 rounds of chemotherapy—a total of 5 days in the hospital every 18 days. His mom wondered, “how are we going to be able to get here every two weeks or do we stay here in Rochester?” Anthony’s oncologist there suggested he receive treatment at Medcenter One Children’s Hospital in Bismarck from pediatric oncologist, Dr. Beruti Serabe. That way they could have most of his chemotherapy treatments in Bismarck. Anthony’s first couple rounds of chemotherapy were done in Rochester and then they were able to come home before the next round.
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Harley Meinhardt was just 2-and-a-half years old when her mom, Emera, noticed she seemed to have a lazy left eye. Harley was examined by her ophthalmologist who discovered a malignant tumor, known as Rhabdomyosarcoma, growing behind her left eye. She had to endure six months of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation. In April 2009 she had a reoccurrence; the tumor was back and growing. This time, they removed the tumor, however, she lost vision and slight movement in her left eye. “My daughter is amazing,” said Emera. “She recently finished 50 weeks of chemotherapy with Dr. Baruti Serabe (a Medcenter One pediatric oncologist).”
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Husband and wife Beth and Mitch Steckler had only lived in Bismarck for one month in July 1999 when Mitch became very ill. After many tests, he was diagnosed with hereditary pancreatitis, which is a very rare, chronic condition that destroys the pancreas. Right after Mitch had been diagnosed with hereditary pancreatitis, their beautiful baby girl Elly was sick with multiple sinus and ear infections, asthma and stomach aches. Since they were new to Bismarck, Beth and Mitch made a list of pediatric doctors and Medcenter One’s Dr. Stephen McDonough was the first on their list. |
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It was very important to both parents that they find a pediatrician that was familiar with her husband’s hereditary disease in case their children inherited it. So when Beth met with Dr. McDonough, the first thing she asked him was if he was familiar with hereditary pancreatitis. Dr. McDonough in fact was very knowledgeable on the disease. |
One day in October 1999, Elly was suffering with major stomach problems so Beth and Mitch brought her to the Medcenter One Emergency and Trauma Center. Originally they thought she was just having a reaction to her antibiotics; however, Beth contacted Dr. McDonough and he asked without hesitation, “Did you inform the emergency room doctor that her father has hereditary pancreatitis?” That wasn’t even a thought on her or Mitch’s mind. Elly was then tested and diagnosed with the rare hereditary disease. At that moment, Beth knew that it was divine intervention that Dr. McDonough was the first pediatrician on her list.
Elly continued to have flare-ups that increased progressively. She was hospitalized numerous times. It seemed that nothing could control the attacks or the chronic pain. Due to her reduced quality of life, the doctors at the University of Minnesota, working in collaboration with Dr. McDonough, determined that Elly needed to undergo a Whipple Auto Eyelet transplant. A healthy pancreas secretes insulin, which helps control diabetes; however, this disease was destroying her pancreas and she was now very susceptible to becoming a severe diabetic. If this transplant was successful, in which the Whipple Auto Eyelet cells are implanted in the liver, the cells would do their job from the liver.
Years passed until the couple’s son Josh was diagnosed with the same rare disease. Josh who is now seven years old has been doing fine with his hereditary pancreatitis for the most part. His disease is manageable with diet and occasional medications although recently he was hospitalized for the first time for this chronic condition.
“Dr. McDonough has been a lifeline for our entire family,” Beth said. “It becomes overwhelming, when you have two children that are chronically sick. Dr. McDonough listens to us and takes into consideration our emotional needs. He’s so great with the kids because he knows their dispositions and he takes that into account when taking care of them. In the beginning, my husband and I were filled with anxiety whenever we knew that he was going to be out of town. In the past years, he’s worked very thoroughly with the other pediatric doctors at Medcenter One, and they are all very well informed regarding the medical conditions and treatments for our kids. I can’t say enough about Medcenter One, Dr. McDonough and the nurses in the Children’s Hospital. They are all wonderful” Beth said.
According to Beth, the entire family loves Dr. McDonough. When seven-year-old Josh was asked what he thought about Dr. McDonough, he said, “I love Dr. McDonough, because he cares for us a lot. He told me that I can do anything that I think I can do.” Elly, who is 10, said “He’s fun, smart and makes me feel better. He’s like a part of our family.”
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Kajren Dohrmann had trouble keeping his formula down when he was a baby. After seeing a doctor who gave Kajren a couple different medications that didn’t work and then trying chiropractic medicine without success, Kajren’s mom, Kari, decided to take him to see Dr. Todd Twogood, a Medcenter One pediatrician. “When we went to see Dr. Twogood, I thought he would tell us the same thing and we would be walking out the door with more medicine to give this little baby. He actually listened to us and what our concerns were,” Kari said. “We did leave with another medicine to try, but this one worked. We had our little boy back, happy and content.” But the story doesn’t end there. Two years ago when Kajren was four, Kari was diagnosed with a genetic heart condition. Kajren was diagnosed with the same heart condition. “I knew that the Mayo cardiologists come to Medcenter One for outreach. Dr. Twogood told me he has been working with Mayo for quite a few years now and feels confident that we could take care of things right here in Bismarck,” Kari said. Dr. Twogood was right. Kajren has been given medication to help and is doing great. Kari happily reported that “he is as active as any other 6-year-old.”
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Like most preschoolers, Katie Schmidt loves to play in the sandbox, dance, sing, play on the computer, pretend to read books and find adventures with her siblings. But, unlike most preschoolers, she has a team of doctors who work closely to make sure she maintains her wellness and overall performance. That’s because two-and-a-half years ago, she had a 90-minute seizure that left her temporarily paralyzed. Today, Katie is considered medically to have made a full recovery from her seizure. She was dismissed from physical and occupational therapy in August 2009. She was taken off all daily seizure medications in July 2010. “She now attends preschool and can’t wait to get there each day and ride the school bus home. She is mommy’s little helper. She doesn’t miss a thing. She has a very delightful personality and wit to boot. Her sparkling blue eyes and quick smile are sure to melt your heart,” said Katie’s mom, Sherry Schmidt.
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Landon Avery Phillips was born March 21, 2003, a seemingly healthy baby boy. Within weeks, that would change. When Landon was just seven weeks old, he underwent emergency surgery for left hydronephrosis—a condition created when urine flow is blocked, causing the kidney to enlarge.
Shortly after his kidney surgery, Landon’s mom, Erin Kading, noticed changes in Landon’s breathing. She said it seemed labored and sounded raspy. The tiny baby also had an audible wheeze, an alarming gurgle and a constant cough. The color of his skin varied from ashy gray to bright cherry red. “We knew something was not right,” Erin said. One month later, Landon was diagnosed with asthma.
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This pintsize whirlwind of nonstop motion could steal your heart with just one little grin. Joy is written all over his face. Four-year-old Levi Kordovsky, affectionately called Mister Man by his mom, frequently breaks out in contagious giggling. The only giveaway that Levi has leukemia is his bald head. His playfulness can fool you. “Kids are so resilient. When they’re feeling good, they just go for it,” said Sara Kordovsky, Levi’s mother.
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“I just want to be like my friends,” lamented 11-year-old McKenzi Wehri to her mother when Guillain Barré syndrome, a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves, stole away her childhood in March 2009. The fifth grader, normally an active participant in elementary sports and music within her home community of Mott, suddenly discovered she had no feeling in her fingers or her feet. She found herself unable to climb the stairs to her bedroom, ride her two-wheel bike around the neighborhood or even walk the halls of her school without stumbling and occasionally falling. She said it was humiliating and she was terrified.
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When her daughter’s blueberry-colored eyes turned gray, Lisa Reichenberg said she knew something was very wrong. The family raced the 40 miles from their home in Center to Medcenter One with 7-year-old Tabitha in the back seat. Dr. Parag Kumar, a Medcenter One pediatrician, quickly ordered an X-ray. Lisa said she could tell by the look on his face as he read the X-ray that her daughter was in trouble. Indeed, Tabitha had a rare form of pneumonia and nearly 80 percent of her lungs had already filled with fluids. An ambulance transported Tabitha and her mother to a children’s specialty hospital in Minneapolis where she was given adult-quantity doses of antibiotics for one full week. The therapy continued for six weeks after Tabitha returned home.
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Jaime and Brooke Mosbrucker, New Salem, were more than distressed to learn that their infant son would be born with a cleft lip. This abnormality had not been seen on either side of their families. After Will was born, Dr. Rafael Ocejo, a Medcenter One pediatrician and neonatalogist, examined him. “What a wonderful doctor. I remember him saying that the cleft was severe but we shouldn’t worry because there are so many ways to fix this problem. My husband and I both appreciated the way he cared not only for Will but for our entire family,” said Brooke. In the beginning, feeding Will was the most challenging. Without an upper lip or palate, he was unable to nurse. According to Brooke, all one could see was his medial gum line and a cleft on both sides of his gum line. She says they literally had to squeeze milk into his mouth. Unfortunately, and far too often, it would come right back through his nose. The tiny baby cried frantically because he was so hungry and uncomfortable.
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