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Imagination Come to Life: 8-Year-Old DMD Patient Gets Special Tour of Arkansas Children's Construction
Liam Solis, an 8-year-old with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, enjoyed a special tour of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock construction site. What’s being built inside ACH is more than new spaces and walkways. It’s a hospital designed with kids like Liam and their families in mind.
Liam Solis, 8, smiled under his hard hat and safety glasses, marveling at the construction zone inside Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock, as construction workers explained everything from the giant saws they use to sharing what a new ramp will look like that will help patients just like him navigate the hospital more easily.
On Aug. 5, Liam was given a special behind-the-scenes tour of the changes happening at ACH.
“I like it a lot,” Liam whispered shyly inside the reimagined space at ACH.
In September 2025, Liam was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a progressive genetic disorder with no cure that causes loss of muscle mass.
During his last appointment with Arkansas Children's Neurology in February, his father, Alejandro Solis, a craftsman for the Fort Smith branch of Nabholz, was speaking to a construction colleague about the $371 million expansion underway in part at ACH. But Liam wanted to do more than ask questions — he wanted to see it.
“Ever since then, Liam was like, ‘I get to see it? I get to wear a hard hat?’ He’s just so excited to see what they’re doing and what progress they’ve made,” his mom, Rachel, said ahead of the tour.
Six months later, his dream became a reality: He toured the construction zone with his parents and sister on the same day as his appointments.
“It’s difficult to put into words the joy and gratitude that I feel,” Alejandro said. “Not only for allowing my son to tour the facility, but for the extensive care that Arkansas Children’s has provided for my son and for the support I’ve received from Nabholz as an employee.”
His mom said Liam has always had an engineering-focused mind.
"We could be driving down the road, and he would say, ‘Look at that fast car. The engine does this and this.’ My husband and I would look at each other and say, ‘How does a 4-year-old know that?’" she said. "For Liam, seeing things built in real life is getting to see the visual aspect of a puzzle.”
The family makes the five-hour roundtrip from their home in Barling every six months to see Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, M.D., known as “Dr. Panda,” an ACH pediatric neurologist, director of the comprehensive neuromuscular program and the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy Certified Duchenne Care Center, as well as co-director of the Pediatric Muscular Dystrophy Association Care Center at ACH and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
“Liam reminds us why we do this work. Every child with Duchenne has unique dreams and interests, and our role extends beyond providing expert medical care — we strive to help them achieve the highest quality of life possible," Dr. Panda said. "Seeing Liam's excitement reinforces the importance of creating an environment where children receive not only exceptional treatment, but also compassion, hope and opportunities to simply be kids."
Liam is on steroids to manage his DMD symptoms. He sees several other specialists to monitor all systems in his body.
“As a specialist, you anticipate your doctor being knowledgeable and understanding the research. Dr. Panda exceeds those expectations. He has a great bedside manner and talks to Liam directly,” Rachel said.
An estimated 15,000 boys in the United States and 300,000 worldwide live with DMD. It is the most common type of muscular dystrophy, caused by a gene mutation that prevents the body from making dystrophin, a protein needed for strong muscle fibers.
“The more frustrating part about all of this for Liam is not that he can’t keep up with his peers, but people trying to slow him down,” his mom said.
A few years ago, Liam was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, and his parents requested a physical therapy evaluation. Red flags soon popped up, most prominently that he had well-defined calf muscles, but with low muscle tone. Testing at Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale confirmed DMD.
“He doesn’t run as fast as the kids his age, and he gets a little more tired than they do. He loves soccer; it’s one of his favorite things on earth. But he’s content to watch his cousins play,” Rachel said.
His parents researched the best place for Liam to receive DMD care, looking at out-of-state hospitals, parent groups on social media and reviews.
“We think the best quality of care he’ll get is in Arkansas because of the expertise, attention and quality of care he’s gotten from every person — nurses, lab techs, doctors — they’ve all treated him like a person. We’re not going to waste our time traveling to a different state,” Rachel said.
The Solis family said it meant so much that Arkansas Children’s is investing in the future of patients like their son.
“For Arkansas Children’s to take a moment to say, ‘We’re doing all of this work on our facility, but we’re going to pause and let a kid who wants to see the construction see it,’ that’s an extra step because the kids are what’s important to them,” Rachel said. “It’s a great reminder that it’s not just a friendly facility; it’s a compassionate facility. It says a lot about who they are as an organization.”
* This article was written by the Arkansas Children’s content team and medically reviewed by Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, M.D.
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