Taking Time to Listen Makes a Huge Impact

Image of Bethany's children sitting in front of their Christmas tree.

We’ve been patients with UPMC CCP – South Hills since July 2013 when our son was born. Our care transitioned to Eric Friedlander, MD when Dr. Bickel retired. We were truly amazed by Dr. Friedlander’s knowledge, compassion, and thoroughness. We were blessed with a healthy son, and only saw Dr. Friedlander for well visits and the occasional sick visit.

Fast forward to October 2020 when our daughter was born prematurely – and we knew that Dr. Friedlander was going to be the best pediatrician for her care. Brynlee spent 19 days in the NICU at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh after an intestinal obstruction repair. While in the NICU, questions and concerns were addressed, but no answers were achieved.

Once discharged, we took our concerns to Dr. Friedlander. He was very supportive and immediately referred us to genetics. Brynlee was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Beckwith Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS), which occurs in approximately 1 in 11,000 births. BWS is an overgrowth disorder. Brynlee underwent tongue reduction surgery in January 2022 due to her large tongue size. She also undergoes abdominal ultrasounds & bloodwork every three months due to having a higher risk of developing certain childhood cancers, such as Wilm’s tumors & hepatoblastoma.

Dr. Friedlander remains very active with Brynlee’s care. We truly feel that we would not be as far along with Brynlee’s care today if it wasn’t for Dr. Friedlander. He did not discredit our concerns and we are incredibly thankful to have a pediatrician that listens and is so well versed in the field, especially with genetic disorders.

Thank you to Dr. Friedlander for the amazing knowledge and care you provide, and to Melissa Richey, CRNP, who has also been very active with Brynlee’s care. We are so thankful for our CCP family! They are truly the best!

Bethany, UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics – South Hills

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