Zaiden Burbrink: Against the Odds

By: Lillian Henninger

Zaiden Burbrink entered a world where the odds were stacked against him. He was born with NAS (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome), the sickle cell trait, the alpha thalassemia trait, and a cleft palate. Although he faced unique challenges in his early years, Zaiden was born a fighter.

Due to his other conditions, his cleft went undetected until he was about 4 months old. However, when pediatricians noticed it, they immediately sent Zaiden to Riley Hospital for Children. At 2 1/2, Zaiden underwent a successful cleft palate surgery, and now with the help of ongoing speech therapy, he is quite the talkative little boy.

Following his surgery, Zaiden has regular check-ins with his cleft team to monitor his progress. Recently, he had a scope procedure which fortunately did not call for any additional treatment.

Today, with the help and support of Riley Hospital for Children, Zaiden is a talkative, energetic, fun 4-year-old boy who loves animals, fishing, and being on the go! While it is unknown if Zaiden will need any more surgeries in the future, he and his family find comfort in knowing they are in the trusted hands of the Riley Hospital for Children team.