FRESNO, Calif. (KMPH) -
4-month-old baby Danae Padilla has already had two major heart surgeries in her short life. Both at Children's Hospital Central California.
Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Owada says, "She was transferred here by ambulance where she had that emergency angioplasty."
And just like baby Danae, most patients at Children's come in through the emergency room. They could be airlifted, come by ambulance, or walk in themselves.
Registered Nurse Kristen Day says, "Absolutely anything you can think of and a lot of things we don't know of at the time come through the door at any minute."
10-year-old Jasmine's wrist was dislocated playing soccer.
She says, "I can't explain how it felt. It hurt really bad."
Now a doctor will pop it back into place.
Alexis' mom drove nearly an hour because her son can't keep any food down.
She says, "I want everything to be okay. I don't want them to find anything bad."
The medical staff never knows what it's about to see, but is ready.
Day says, "We have diaper rashes, we have rashes we don't know, we have fevers that end up being very critical, we'll go to the ICU, we have injuries, falls, we have some drownings, appendicitis."
TV shows try to capture the intensity of an ER.
Registered Nurse Mark Fung says, "Sometimes it can be a lot of drama."
Day agrees. She says, "When a patient is fighting for their life, the medical team is fighting alongside them."
At Children's Hospital Central California, kids have access to every kind of medical specialist straight from the ER.
Fung says, "Everybody here really cares deeply about children, and providing a really safe place for them for a scary situation."
