Porter’s ongoing battle with lymphoma, supported by the dedicated team at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, highlights the importance of compassionate care and family strength.

When Leah was 16, she couldn’t think of a single reason to live. Leah was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes the previous summer, and since then, she and her parents had been constantly fighting about what she ate, her diabetes care, and how she spent her time. Leah started cutting herself to cope with the stress of her diagnosis and her relationship with her parents. Things only seemed to get worse. She felt like she couldn’t really trust the few friends that she had, and she seemed to always be fighting with her peers and teachers. When her girlfriend broke up with her, she decided she was “done.” Leah was hospitalized after an overdose, but during her inpatient stay, she was introduced to a psychologist from Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. This psychologist suggested that Leah might benefit from participating in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, one of the few interventions proven helpful […]

Eric’s brave battle with cancer led him to an unforgettable moment at the Phillies Childhood Cancer Awareness Night

Reagan’s journey with epilepsy and cerebral palsy has been strengthened by the care she received from Nemours Children’s and her advocacy efforts.

Born in November 2013, Savannah passed her initial hearing screening at birth, leaving her parents unaware of any hearing issues. It wasn’t until a playful moment during a game of telephone at age 6 that they discovered Savannah’s hearing impairment. Her father, Gabe, recalls the moment: “I whispered something into her left ear, and she said, ‘Oh no, Daddy, you have to whisper in my other ear. That ear doesn’t work.’” This revelation was the start of Savannah’s hearing journey. This casual game confirmed their initial suspicions. Gabe shares, “When she told us she couldn’t hear out of that ear, it made sense. She was always a loud talker, and her speech curled towards the ear that worked.” The family sought help from hearing specialists, but the initial results were disheartening. “We tried a hearing aid, but it only boosted her hearing from 4% to 12%. It just wasn’t enough,” […]

At the age of 17, Kagan’s life took an unexpected turn when the symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis manifested, leading her to the care of Nemours Children’s Health. Kagan’s diagnosis unfolded in early October 2021, just two months into her senior year of high school. Suffering from months of severe abdominal pain, bloody stools, rapid weight loss, vomiting, and more, Kagan’s health was severely affected. She was scheduled for a colonoscopy to address her symptoms, but upon having labs done in the preparation room, it was discovered that she was too iron deficient anemic to have the procedure. Kagan was then hospitalized at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. There, her care team from Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville diagnosed her with Ulcerative Pancolitis and she was scheduled to receive blood transfusions, later have a colonoscopy, and develop a treatment plan once. Overall, this resulted in a 9-day hospital stay. Before making that long trip […]