06/24/2026
Meet Harrison, or “Prince Harry” as he is fondly known by his team here at Nationwide Children’s.
Born in Long Island, New York in June of 2016, Harry’s parents were concerned about him from the first time he breastfed. When he was just 23 hours old, his belly became distended and he was rushed into surgery just a few hours later. He was diagnosed with an anorectal malformation and came out of surgery with a not-so-perfect ileostomy. He was scheduled for a second surgery at just eight weeks old. After going into septic shock, his parents spent nearly five days fearing he would not recover. But Harry proved his resilience, coming out of his surgical stay even stronger.
After his second surgery, Harry’s parents researched even more about his condition and came across Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Dr. Richard Wood. They traveled from New York to Columbus, Ohio to ensure their son was receiving the best possible care.
Harry is now a healthy, active nine-year-old and his family is incredibly grateful to Dr. Wood and the Center for Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction (CCPR) team for making that possible!
His mom shares, “Harry has had 24 surgeries in total now and countless procedures. In the end, we’ve come to be so grateful for our now (thanks to Dr. Wood!) nearly perfect ileostomy. It’s given Harry normalcy and health. He plays soccer, tennis and nearly any other sport that’s available to him. He eats well. He lives well.”
Harry’s family has now moved to London but come back to Nationwide Children’s for regular check-ins. His mom continues, “Things aren’t always easy, we’re not saying that. But I think we expected to always live a ‘hospital life’ with a ‘hospital kid’. And CCPR has allowed for Harry’s medical needs to be part of our life but not to define it. We’re ever so grateful to you all. THANK YOU from Prince Harry and from all of us.”
Learn more about CCPR care on our website: https://bit.ly/3XexyhB.
