Kid Captain: Bentley Erickson

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The family of Bentley Erickson takes pride in his strength and determination, tested after years in and out of the hospital and nearly two dozen surgeries.

Bentley was transferred to University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital just days after he was born early at 31 weeks. Diagnosed with several rare and serious disorders, his parents emphasize that none of his conditions define the Minnesota boy.

“We were told before he was born that he had a hole in his heart, a mass in his lung, and some heart defects that may need heart surgery,” his mother, Kris, recalls. “After he was born, everything we found was much different.”

Read Bentley’s story here.