By Sherrona Steward

Gavin is an 11-year-old sixth grader whose charisma and sense of humor brighten the lives of those around him. He loves riding roller coasters, swimming, reading and has a zest for all things golf related. He now is the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital local champion in the Children’s Miracle Networks Hospital program, advocating for the hospital’s charitable needs.

You would never know by looking at Gavin that he spent the first five years of his life battling debilitating ailments and undergoing countless tests and treatments for an undiagnosed disease.

Gavin was just 3 months old when he started experiencing persistent high fevers, rashes, vomiting and blood in his stools. Gavin’s mom, Christina, was alarmed and immediately sought treatment. Early tests confirmed elevated liver enzymes and inflammatory markers in his blood. Gavin received treatment for his symptoms, but nothing seemed to cure the cause.

When he was just 2 years old, Gavin had surgery for his kidneys, as they were believed to have been the reason for his ailments. Gavin’s surgery took place at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. The surgery was successful, but Gavin continued to suffer from his ailments.

Impressed with Johns Hopkins All Children's level of care and specialized treatments, Christina chose to transfer all of Gavin's care to the hospital after his surgery.

Juan Dumois, M.D., a pediatric infectious diseases physician, was the first specialist at Johns Hopkins All Children’s to see Gavin and played an instrumental role in getting Gavin one step closer to finding a diagnosis — reassuring Christina that he was not going to stop until he figured it out.

“A lot of it was him not giving up on us or dismissing me,” Christina says.

It wasn’t until 2018, when Gavin was 5 years old, that he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. While preparing for a liver biopsy, Gavin was experiencing a high fever and diarrhea. Christina rushed Gavin to Johns Hopkins All Children’s where he was admitted into the hospital for several weeks. 

During his stay, Sara Karjoo, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist, was rounding and reviewing Gavin’s chart. After examining him, she suspected Crohn’s disease — an inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic inflammation in the intestinal tract.

Karjoo ordered scopes to be done and they revealed that Gavin’s intestinal tract was riddled with ulcers and Crohn’s disease was confirmed. Crohn’s disease is rare in young children and often undetectable.

Gavin finally received a diagnosis and started treatment. He’s currently receiving IV infusion treatments every four weeks to treat Crohn’s disease. His liver enzymes and inflammatory markers in his blood are no longer elevated and he’s living a much healthier life.

Christina didn’t know what would have happened if Karjoo hadn’t come to the hospital that day.

“She saved his life,” Christina says.

Look for Gavin and the yellow balloon this year to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals including Johns Hopkins All Children’s.