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MIRACLE MONDAYS – Arayna Riech

When Arayna Riech began losing weight and experiencing symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea and pain, her parents had no idea what was happening.

“The beginning was scary,” said Julie Riech, Arayna’s Mom. “We were watching her weight plummet and nothing was working. We had no idea what was causing it and how to make it stop! We were worried she was going to die.”

The scariest moment for the Riech came when they were told that surgery would be necessary. “We were told that the medicine was no longer working and surgery was the only option,” Julie said.

With time, The Riech family finally got answers. “We found out she has Crohn’s disease. That was a happy moment when we knew what was wrong! It could finally be controlled.”

Today, Arayna is 14 years old and has dreams of becoming a nurse or a dance instructor!

“The care at St. John’s was amazing! I cannot event begin to say all the good things that have happened here. They are family now. We joke that they are our people and we can’t imagine doing this without the nurses, interns and doctors that we have.”

Do you have a miracle child that was treated as HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital? Facebook message us or email dave.newton@hshs.org and tell us your story! #miraclemondays