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My name is Jillian Franko, and I am 26 years old. I was born with several physical complications including club feet, dislocations of the knees, hips and elbows, and severe cervical kyphosis. As parents, my mom and dad wanted to ensure that I received the best care. They scheduled an appointment for me with an orthopedic specialist, who recommended serial leg casting for my club feet. This procedure meant weekly visits to have my feet repositioned and cast. Not seeing any results from serial leg casting, my mom contacted a local children’s hospital. She made appointments with specialists in genetics, orthopedics, and neurology. Unfortunately, they were unable to determine a diagnosis, and thus, could not provide proper care or treatment plans. Unsatisfied with the outcome of these appointments, my mom contacted the Schuylkill County Society for Crippled Children. She spoke with the organization’s director, who informed her of their free […]

While Hudson’s parents were out of town, his grandmother noticed that something seemed a bit off with his ankle. She thought it looked funny, bigger. When his grandfather agreed, and also expressed concern about his ankle, they immediately booked a doctors’ appointment for Hudson when his parents returned home. “I took him in thinking, ‘I don’t know what’s going on,’” says Hudson’s mom, Elizabeth. “He hasn’t complained about anything, doesn’t have any pain, he thinks he’s fine. But, let’s go get his ankle checked, just to rule anything out.” That’s when they first met pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joseph Khoury at Nemours Children’s Health, Lakeland. After his first examination, Dr. Khoury explained to them that Hudson had flat feet. This didn’t come as a surprise to Elizabeth as her husband also has flat feet. “He then went on to do an X-ray,” says Elizabeth. “He looked at the results and Dr. […]

After years of searching for answers, Katelyn finally receives a diagnosis at Nemours Children’s Health with lymphangiectasia, a rare condition causing protein loss

When Courtney was pregnant with her son Brendan, her physician noticed something was off. During an ultrasound, they discovered that Brendan had an enlarged bowel, which can be a sign of cystic fibrosis. When Brendan was born in November of 2022, he was immediately placed in the NICU. “This was already planned and why we delivered in the Advanced Delivery Unit at Nemours Children’s Hospital,” explains Courtney. “The team was remarkable. Dr. Chou and our nurse, Mo, made a nerve-racking delivery as easy and seamless as possible. It was nothing but a great experience, considering the circumstances.” At only a day and a half old, Brendan had surgery. “During the surgery, they found that a part of the bowel had twisted on itself, causing it to not function properly,” says Courtney. “That day, they removed 30 cm of bowel and started the use of a colostomy bag. Then we had a 6-week healing […]

When Gaby was four years old, her family noticed that she was barely talking, was frequently losing her balance, and experiencing severe migraines. After going through many tests, including a sleep study, they found out that she had Chiari malformation. As Gaby continued to grow, her doctors uncovered more diagnoses including scoliosis, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), Tethered Cord, Syringomyelia, secondary Hydrocephalus PTSD, among many others. Gaby was seeing a plethora of doctors and undergoing several different therapies, surgeries, and medications. However, her family was having difficulty finding doctors that specialized in Gaby’s conditions in Tampa. After doing some research, Gaby’s mom, Diana, found Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. Their first visit at Nemours Children’s was with the neurology team in Orlando when Gaby was about nine years old. “As a parent who has dealt with so many doctors, I have experienced doctors who don’t even know how to pronounce her […]

Descubre la inspiradora historia de Julieth, quien fue diagnosticada con displasia de cadera a temprana edad. Conoce sobre su tratamiento en Nemours Children’s Health y el impacto que tuvo en su vida.