Jacob Garland

College: Western Michigan University - Fall, 2026

His CDH Story: Jacob has spent much of his life navigating the lasting effects of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, but those challenges have helped shape both his resilience and the future he envisions for himself.

As a result of CDH, Jacob developed scoliosis and underwent fundoplication and G-tube surgery at a young age. Starting school with a back brace and a visible G-tube made him feel different from his classmates. While the questions from other children were usually innocent, they made it difficult not to feel self-conscious. Over time, Jacob learned to accept those differences and, more importantly, refused to allow them to define him.

That resilience was tested again during his junior year of high school. Jacob had been accepted into a competitive healthcare program that required strict attendance and academic performance when his former G-tube site unexpectedly reopened. For more than a week, he dealt with an open abdominal wound while waiting for surgery, changing bandages between classes and managing significant discomfort from the stomach acid irritating his skin. Despite everything, Jacob continued attending school until the day of his surgery because he was determined not to fall behind.

For Jacob, the experience became another reminder that his medical challenges did not have to limit his ambitions. Instead, they strengthened his confidence in his ability to persevere when things become difficult. As he put it, the experience taught him that he could “handle anything thrown at me.”

Hobbies and Interests: Jacob has paired that determination with exceptional academic achievement. A 3.9 GPA student, he was named a Senior Scholar and earned President’s List honors during all four semesters at Kellogg Community College. Through the Branch County Early College program, he will graduate with an Associate Degree in Science and approximately 75 college credits before continuing at Western Michigan University.

Outside the classroom, Jacob works as a pharmacy technician and volunteers with the Smithsonian Institution and a local free health clinic. His commitment to medicine has also included clinical rotations through seven different hospital departments, including outpatient surgery and the operating room—experiences that further solidified his desire to become a physician.

Professional Aspirations: Perhaps the most lasting influence of Jacob’s CDH journey has been his relationship with the orthopedic surgeon who cared for him through years of scoliosis treatment, bracing, and multiple spinal surgeries.

Jacob initially received MAGEC rods, which could be lengthened using a powerful magnet and required visits with his orthopedic surgeon every three months. Through those frequent appointments, the two developed a close relationship. What Jacob remembers most was not simply the treatment he received, but how he was treated. His surgeon directed questions to him, involved him in decisions about surgeries and treatment options, and made him feel that his voice mattered.

That experience inspired Jacob to pursue a career as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. His goal is to one day care for children facing orthopedic complications from CDH and other conditions, bringing to them the same compassion and respect his surgeon showed him. He ultimately hopes to work at the Mayo Clinic, contribute to emerging treatments and technologies, mentor future medical students, and continue serving patients who lack access to healthcare.

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