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At three years old, Willie was diagnosed with infantile idiopathic scoliosis, a condition that caused a curvature in his spine. Willie’s journey began when his mother, Breana, took him to see several specialists because he wasn’t hitting developmental milestones on time. Willie started walking and crawling later than other children his age. He also began to experience chest pain and shortness of breath. At first, Willie’s specialists thought he might have cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis. It wasn’t until they went to Nemours Children’s Health in Jacksonville that he was diagnosed with scoliosis. Willie underwent a rigorous treatment plan that included wearing a halo and using traction to stretch his large curve before surgery, a rare process reserved for special cases. He also had many occupational and physical therapy sessions. With the help of Dr. Kevin Neal, Willie is in complete recovery at 10 years old. It was a tough […]

Madelynn was 7 days old when the pediatrician called her mom, Rebekah, around 6pm in the evening (never a good sign). Rebekah knew right away that something was amiss. The pediatrician mentioned cystic fibrosis and said they should do some testing on baby Madelynn. She was 14 days old when she went for her first sweat test. Rebekah was petrified holding her newborn while electromagnetic currents were taped on Madelynn’s arm. Then, they had to sit in a hot room, hoping for Madelynn to produce enough sweat to test for sodium chloride levels. The waiting was awful. Early the next morning, they received a call from the pediatrician, stating they had a 3pm appointment with the pulmonologist. This is when Madelynn’s journey with CF began. When Madelynn was 7 years old, her family found out that one of her original CF doctors was retiring. Additionally, her family had recently moved to […]

At the young age of 15, Kalianne never expected to receive the challenging diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Overnight, her world changed. When Kalianne woke up sweating with chills and couldn’t feel the right side of her face or body, her dad immediately took her to the local ER. Kalianne was so nervous to be heading to the hospital, she got sick in the car on the way there. Once they arrived, Kalianne was whisked away for blood tests and a CT scan. After looking at her test results, the ER staff concluded that Kalianne was having severe headaches, which was causing the vomiting and other symptoms and then they sent her home. A few days had gone by, and Kalianne’s symptoms continued to worsen. She was experiencing numbness in her face and tongue, her limbs felt heavy, and she was losing the ability to write clearly. After researching her symptoms […]

From using a walker to taking unassisted steps, Mari has come a long way on her journey with cerebral palsy, proving that having a condition does not define who she is or what she can accomplish.

Shortly after his arrival into the world, Aiden was whisked away to the NICU. He was born with an array of complex health concerns, which led doctors to diagnose Aiden with 22q deletion syndrome (AKA DiGeorge syndrome or velocardiofacial syndrome). 22q deletion syndrome results from a small, missing part of chromosome 22. This deletion affects several body systems during development and can cause heart problems, kidney problems, a weak immune system, low calcium levels, hormone imbalances and speech problems, among other issues. Like up to 90% of children born with 22q deletion syndrome, Aiden struggled with nasal sounding speech. Because of this, it was hard for his parents to communicate with him and understand him, leading to frustration. After meeting with Dr. Kellogg and the rest of the 22q Team at Nemours, Aiden’s parents decided to pursue surgery to improve Aiden’s speech. When Aiden and his family arrived for his […]

Mercy was diagnosed with a giant omphalocele and pulmonary hypertension, received exceptional care from the medical team at Nemours Children’s Hospital, made her parents feel comfortable and provided attention from every department that cared for them.