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Patient Stories

Learn how the team at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, helped Dawson and his family navigate the challenges of a rare spinal tumor.

15-year-old Mackenzie has always been active, with a passion for playing sports. But after a snowboarding accident in 2023 resulted in a meniscus tear in her left knee, she had to take a step back from her favorite activities. After the accident, a local doctor recommended surgery and Mackenzie’s primary care physician referred her to Dr. Su, a sports medicine surgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. “Dr. Su is hands down the best!” shares her mother, Teena. “He explained everything so that both Mackenzie and I could understand.” With Dr. Su’s guidance, Mackenzie underwent meniscus repair surgery for her left knee. But just as she was beginning to recover, life threw another curveball—a second injury, this time to her right knee. Knowing exactly where to turn, Teena says they didn’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Su again. Through both surgeries, Mackenzie found the support she needed at Nemours Children’s, […]

From the day he was born, Elijah has been surrounded by a team of experts at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, who are dedicated to helping him reach his full potential. Born with several medical complexities, Elijah has met each challenge head-on, making remarkable strides every step of the way. “Nemours has always given Elijah a head start with all his goals,” shares his mom, Priscilla. “He’s been with them since day one.” Priscilla first discovered Nemours Children’s when her oldest son, Elias, needed sleep studies for asthma. The exceptional care Elias received made Nemours an easy choice for Elijah’s treatment. Throughout Elijah’s journey, Nemours has remained a constant source of support. Over the years, Elijah’s care has involved many specialists, including neonatologist Dr. Caroline Chua, who cared for him during his early days in the NICU, and plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Kellogg, who has been instrumental in addressing Elijah’s unique […]

“Knowing you have a provider like Dr. Brower in your corner will make all the difference.” — Anthony’s Mom, Lindsey As a first-time parent, I struggled a great deal with feeling capable and confident with breastfeeding my son [Anthony]. I was unsure about all of it — whether he was getting the nutrients he needed, whether breastfeeding was comfortable for him, and if there was anything I could be doing differently as a mom to make him feel fed and safe. While receiving postpartum care at the hospital, I was given a ton of support by a multitude of professionals. Nurses, lactation consultants and the hospital pediatrician all offered tips and tricks for how to support a good latch and know whether my baby was fed. The problem was, most of the information given was wildly different between providers, and at times conflicting with what I was told earlier in […]

When Marissa noticed her 5-year-old son, Brooks, limping in late 2023, she didn’t think too much of it at first. His pediatrician assumed it might be “growing pains,” but when the pain persisted into the new year, Marissa’s concern grew. After a pediatrician visit in January 2024, Marissa’s intuition led her to push for an X-ray. Having experienced Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease as a child herself, she recognized the signs. Still, his doctors had reassured Marissa it wasn’t genetic. That same day, an X-ray confirmed Brooks had Perthes in his right hip, a disease that changes the hip joint and the way bone grows at the top of the thighbone. “I was seen at Nemours as a child and had amazing care, so I immediately knew we wanted to take him there,” says Marissa. A few days later, Brooks had an appointment with Dr. Mihir Thacker, an orthopedic specialist at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. […]

Superheroes often have an origin story, and Noel Christian’s begins before he was born. When his mother was pregnant, an ultrasound showed that he had a heart condition. It wasn’t until he was 3 months old that he was diagnosed with not one but three heart problems: Noel had his first open heart surgery when he was about 6 months old. He says that years later, “I was so incredibly exhausted, tired and out of breath. It was a horrible experience.” Not being able to exercise was incredibly frustrating for someone who always had a desire to be active. Noel wasn’t able to attend the tae kwon do classes he enjoyed, run or even walk very far. “I couldn’t keep up with my friends,” explains Noel, now 23. “Within a few minutes I would stop walking to catch my breath, and I would make excuses because I felt weak. Every […]