A big personality from the start
Giada Nella has always possessed that undeniable extra spark. She’s bold, curious, and deeply creative, always drawing, crafting, or dreaming up an elaborate pretend-play scenario with her friends.
A fan of all things pink, purple, silver, and gold, she adores jewelry, glitter, and makeup. She is a proud big sister to her younger sibling and naturally commands any audience.
“She’s always had what we like to call a flair for the dramatic,” says her mother, Erin Lavin, a dietitian at UC Davis Health. Erin’s husband is also a UC Davis Health physician assistant, making the family’s connection to the hospital a personal one long before Giada was born.
That strong connection would prove essential just over a year into Giada’s life.
A swift and sudden change
Giada’s early health history had already tested her family once, during a complicated delivery that included an emergency C-section and a low Apgar score at birth. She recovered quickly, and life continued normally until she was 15 months old.
After a routine ear infection, Giada was prescribed antibiotics. But instead of improving, she grew increasingly lethargic. Her parents also noticed something else, unusual swelling in her hands and feet.
“She’s not a sleepy child,” Erin says. “It was very unusual for her.”
The family brought Giada to UC Davis Health’s Glassrock clinic, where bloodwork revealed something serious. Giada’s primary care physician, Dr. Jennifer Naidu, called personally to tell Erin to bring Giada straight to the pediatric emergency department at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, and to let her know the team there was already expecting them.
The right team, right away
Giada was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune response attacks the kidneys during routine illnesses. For a family that already worked inside the hospital, the diagnosis was still overwhelming.
“I actually love being in a teaching hospital,” Erin says. “It’s great to have so many eyes on you. Everybody’s thinking independently about her and what’s going on.”
Even in the chaos of that first hospitalization, Erin says she never doubted the care Giada was receiving.
“I never felt worried,” Erin says. “I knew they already knew what they were doing.”
Meet Giada’s pediatric nephrologist, Dr. Gia Oh
A treatment plan built for her
Giada’s early treatment relied on high-dose steroids, but her condition proved steroid-dependent, relapsing every time doctors tried to wean her off. Her care team transitioned her to an immune-suppressing medication called tacrolimus, which controlled her disease effectively for the next three years.
Because tacrolimus required lifelong use and came with its own risks, Giada’s nephrologist began looking toward a longer-term solution: rituximab infusions, a treatment more commonly associated with cancer care, adapted here to calm Giada’s overactive immune response.
The transition wasn’t completely smooth sailing. During Giada’s first infusion, she experienced a serious reaction that required the care team to act fast, administering IV medication and preparing emergency equipment as a precaution.
Through it all, Giada stayed unshaken.
“Everybody was like, Giada, how are you doing?” Erin says. “And she said, ‘I would like french fries with ranch.’”
Staying connected
Since starting the new infusions, Giada’s disease has been well controlled, and her family is now weaning her off altogether, leading to one less daily medication and one less early-morning lab draw to manage.
Throughout years of appointments, infusions, and emergency visits, one relationship has remained constant. It’s Giada’s bond with her nephrologist, Dr. Gia Oh, also known to the family simply as Dr. Oh.
“She always takes the time. Whether Giada needs a note for school or I have a question about her care, she explains everything and lets us ask as many questions as we need.”—Erin, Giada’s mom
Dr. Oh has even offered her direct line for weekend emergencies, telling the family to call the hospital operator and ask for the on-call pediatric nephrologist by name.
Adding color everywhere she goes
Today, Giada is shining as bright as ever, doing everything from playing soccer at the park near her house to filling her days with crafts, costumes, and imaginative games with her baby sister.
Her family credits UC Davis Health’s support — from the phlebotomists who never struggle to draw her labs to the nephrology team that treats her like one of their own — for making a rare and complicated disease feel manageable.
“Dr. Oh is our person,” Erin says simply.
For a little girl with a flair for the dramatic, that steady, expert care has made all the difference, freeing Giada up to do what she does best: dream big, in every color of the rainbow.