Occasionally, you come across someone that changes your life forever. If you’re lucky, that person is the doctor of your child with exceptional needs. Dr. Stacy McConkey is not just a doctor, she is a person that will change your life forever.

For the first few years of my son’s life, he had many illnesses and oddities. He was constantly in and out of doctor’s offices for various reasons and my instinct told me that some of his behaviors, or lack thereof, were not typical. However, with each visit to the pediatrician(s), I was assured that my son was a “typical little boy” who did “typical boy things.” I was told time and time again that I was a “young, first-time mom” and that I needed to “relax, not worry and accept that boys are boys.” Each time that these statements were said to me by medical professionals, I was left thinking: “Ok, maybe I AM overreacting? Am I imagining this? These are professionals and I’m just a new mother - they would know if something was wrong.”

After some time, I tried to believe that everything really was “OK” and that my son was displaying behaviors of a “typical boy.” However, I could not ignore the medical symptoms and behaviors that kept telling me that he wasn’t “just typical.”

My son was (and is) very smart, funny, energetic and loving; but my son was also very small for his age. He had a lack of teeth, hair and muscle tone, digestive issues, and many other symptoms that were alarming to me. Every doctor we went to tested him for the same thing: a milk allergy. Although tests revealed that he did NOT have a milk or dairy allergy, the doctors assured me that it WAS his diet, he was just “small,” and would “develop at his own pace.” In addition to these physical symptoms, behaviors such as “head-banging,” “meltdowns,” and sleep regressions had also started to pile onto my “mom list.”

Around the time that I had stopped looking for a new pediatrician, I pulled into a Publix shopping center that I had never visited. While parking, I found myself directly in front of the Center for Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. After much hesitation, I thought “Ok, one more try.” I walked into the office to find a variety of business cards at the front desk. I quickly grabbed the cards, my phone, and started to look up each doctor. In doing this, I came across Dr. Stacy McConkey. After reading her biography and specialties, and having a brief interaction with the office staff, I knew I was in the right place. I thought, “surely there will be a long wait to see Dr. McConkey as a new patient.” To my surprise, there was a cancellation for the very next morning!

My first experience with Dr. McConkey was much different than any office visit I had not only with my son, but with ANY doctor. Unlike the others that we had previously seen, Dr. McConkey came in the room and LISTENED to my concerns. She spent an incredible amount of time LISTENING. She never interrupted me or stopped to tell me that my thoughts and concerns were unwarranted. She took notes, made eye contact, and acknowledged everything that I wanted to discuss. When I was done speaking, she repeated my concerns back to me, went over her notes, and began observing my son. When she observed and examined my him, it was in a way that NO other doctor had looked at him before. She didn’t rush, she was meticulous, engaged, and was not dismissive like we had experienced. She did not simply look in his ears, feel his neck, and then tell me that “this sounds like a milk allergy and the behaviors of a little boy.” She didn’t approach myself or my son as just another patient and parent. Her care was extremely personalized to MY child. She wasn’t treating us as though she had to immediately leave the room to get to her next, more important patient. After she had taken the time to listen to my son’s full medical history, my concerns, observed and examined him, she shocked me - once again- by asking me: “how are YOU feeling? How are YOU managing these challenges?” I was speechless. I was fully prepared to accept the usual comment: “You’re a young, first time mother.” I was NOT prepared for a doctor to acknowledge that I, the young – first time mother, was in fact very broken from all the worry and build up of years of dead ends.

Dr. McConkey continued to shock me in that initial appointment when she explained, “I do see why you would be concerned.” I thought, “What? Is this doctor possibly seeing what I am?” This PERSON was seeing what I did. This PERSON was treating me like a PERSON. She saw my medical concerns and listened to my stories about my son’s behavior and his long-winded history. I could tell by her facial expressions that she was truly studying him. She was using all the tools she had to provide me with helpful information; to provide me with any information she could. And then, she said the most shocking thing a doctor would say: “I’m not positive WHAT this is, but I agree, your concerns are legitimate, and I will do my best to find out what is going on.” She continued with “I am going to consult with my colleagues, do some research with the information and history you’ve given me, and we will go from there.” SHOCKING, I know!

And that is EXACTLY what she did. From there, Dr. McConkey armed us with an abundance of knowledge and resources. It was evident that she was not only invested in my son’s case, but with our entire family. With every appointment, we left with more information, handwritten recommendations, and personalized treatment plans. She referred us to the very best specialists, would call us to check-in (What doctor personally calls to “check-in???), and always continued to use all of her resources to ensure that our concerns were addressed and that my son was receiving the best medical care possible.

Dr. McConkey changed our lives forever. She showed our family that we weren’t just “another patient.” Her care and treatment were always tailored to not only our son, but to our family. She didn’t treat me as a “young, first-time mother,” she treated me as an educated parent with information about her patient. She was kind, thoughtful, and set a very high level of standard for any doctor we would see from then on.

Thanks to Dr. McConkey and her fellow colleagues, my son was finally diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency. This explained SO much about his medical history and development and was the answer to years of questions. With the help of an incredible Endocrinologist, my son began his treatment. This treatment consists of daily injections of growth hormone therapy, as his pituitary gland only works at a rate of 30%. It has been about 4+ years now and my son is still on his daily injections and continues to be regularly monitored by Dr. McConkey and her referred colleagues. We have experienced several other diagnoses with Dr.McConkey over these years, and with each one came the same level of personalized, kind and detailed care.

Dr. McConkey has since moved on from the Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine to Coordinated Care for Kids program at AdventHealth for Children in Downtown Orlando. At Coordinated Care for Children, Dr. McConkey focuses on providing primary care to children with special healthcare needs, a personal passion and interest of hers.

Dr. McConkey, a board certified General Pediatrician and Director of the Pediatric Residency Program, continues to treat both of my children with the same approach she did over four years ago. She continues to listen and observe, conduct research, consult her colleagues, and complete meticulous examinations. She STILL picks up the phone to call with important information or to “check-in,” when needed, and she continues to take the time to ask how WE are doing.

As the years have passed and we have become engulfed in the exceptional needs community, our experience with Dr. McConkey is much like that of many of her other patients. I have yet to come across a family that didn’t feel as if they were her one and only patient. Dr. McConkey has shown Central Florida families what true healthcare is and we are extremely fortunate to have her in our community.

If you feel as though your concerns for your child are not being heard, are being dismissed, or you are being treated as though you aren’t the expert on your own child, I urge you to keep looking for another doctor. If your instinct is telling you that something is not right, keep talking until someone listens.

“Children with special healthcare needs hold a very special place in my heart, and I feel that they can best be served in a clinic setting like Coordinated Care for Children, where we can offer more comprehensive whole person/family care services.” – Dr. Stacy McConkey, MD, FAAP.

To learn more about Dr. McConkey click here .

Dr. Stacy McConkey has been practicing for 22 years and can be reached at the Coordinated Care for Kids program at AdventHealth for Children. Their office address is 2501 N Orange Ave, Suite 586, Orlando, FL. The best way to make an appointment is to call their office at (407) 303-6920.

Jessica Barisano, IEP and Parent Advocate, Parent of an Exceptional Child
Founder of Collaborative Corner for Exceptional Children
jessica@collaborativecorner.org

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