Family: Care At Children's Hospital Is Unmatched

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Courtney Hall, 21, loves Facebook and animals -- especially dogs.

She has a puppy of her own named sapphire.

And she loves it when therapy dogs come to visit while she's in the hospital.

Recently, her wish to meet dog whisperer Cesar Millan came true.

"It was fun, we spent a week in LA, one of the days we spent with him we had lunch and everything," Hall said.

When Hall was just 15 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease.

She was on dialysis for several years before undergoing a kidney transplant in 2009.

"My joints were, they like hurt to bend and everything had spots on me," Hall said.

Six years later, Courtney's doing better but she's back in the hospital because she still has complications.

Her mom, Denise, says the family and the care they get here at Children's hospital is unmatched.

"They make me very comfortable with what she has," Denise Hall said. "They explain it to me. And the other thing that I like it they work really well with Courtney."

"Courtney is not the most agreeable kid when it comes to swallowing pills," she said. "So she will negotiate with her doctors over the pills and they're very good. They don't yell at her and tell her she has to do it. They will negotiate back and forth with her so I really like that and they make her comfortable."

One of the many doctors who make Courtney comfortable is Dr. Michael Moritz, a pediatric nefrologist at Children's Hospital.

"It's called Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis," Moritz said. "But basically it is a pulmonary renal syndrome it is an auto immune disease that attacks the kidneys and attacks the lungs so your body is essentially making antibodies that is attacking its own tissues and it's a very aggressive disease."

Thanks to technology and the many knowledgeable doctors at Children's Hospital, Hill and children like her-- are getting the best care possible.

Children's hospital is the only facility in western Pennsylvania for pediatric kidney transplantation.

In addition to the excellent care they give they also do their best to make the experience as much like home as possible.

"They have a lot to help keep you busy while you're here," Hall said. "Activity books, they have the Xbox, movies and I play my computer.

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