Discover 12-year-old Kaylee Hill’s inspiring journey through epilepsy treatment and recovery after groundbreaking brain surgery at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida.
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Patient Stories
Back In the Game: Lucy’s Story
16-year-old Lucy McCloskey knows what it takes to persevere. As a two-sport varsity high school athlete, she never imagined an injury would turn her world upside down. But after a serious fall during a home game, Lucy was diagnosed with an avulsion fracture of the ischial tuberosity, a painful upper leg injury that left her bedridden, unable to attend school, and struggling to perform even basic tasks like walking or sitting. “It was the worst pain of my life,” Lucy recalls. But thanks to a timely referral from a teammate’s mom, Kelly Quaile, Lucy found herself under the expert care of Dr. Brett Shannon and physical therapist Jeffery Ruth at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. Lucy’s treatment journey began with Dr. Shannon, who took the time to understand her concerns as an athlete. “He explained all the steps to surgery and even made non-invasive routes available,” Lucy says, appreciating the way […]
A Resilient Return: Caroline’s Story
For athletes like Caroline, injuries can be both physically and mentally challenging, but with a supportive team and the right care, recovery is possible. A patient at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, Caroline’s journey with ACL tears in both knees tested her strength and perseverance. In September 2020, Caroline tore the ACL in her left knee. Then in May 2023, she faced the same injury on her right knee. Both times, the road to recovery was tough, especially when sports had always been such a big part of her life. Fortunately, Caroline had already been a Nemours Children’s patient for her regular well-visits, so when she got injured the first time, she knew exactly where to turn. “It was an easy decision to go to Nemours,” Caroline explains. When it happened again in the opposite knee, she found comfort in knowing she would receive the highest level of care from familiar […]
A Life Changed by Cochlear Implants: Moksh’s Story
Throughout 8-year-old, Moksh’s life, his mother, Rina and her family, noticed something was different. “He wasn’t able to give a response when we called to him or clapped,” Rina recalls. Concerned, they sought answers from numerous doctors, and one thing became clear—Moksh needed cochlear implants. After a year of searching for answers to help with his hearing loss, Moksh underwent the life-changing surgery that would set him on a new path. Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, became a critical part of that journey. After researching their options online and receiving recommendations from other doctors, Rina and her family turned to Nemours for their son’s care. What they found exceeded their expectations. “They are so intelligent,” says Rina about the audiology team. “They did a really good job with surgery and had accurate results. Everyone, from the nurses to the surgeons, were helpful and kind.” Moksh was born with profound sensorineural hearing […]
A Journey of Confidence: Dani’s Story
Dani has spent the past five years navigating life with Poland Syndrome. Diagnosed at 14, Dani’s journey took her from feeling insecure about her body to embracing newfound confidence, all with the help of the compassionate team at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. Poland Syndrome is a condition characterized by the underdevelopment or absence of chest muscles. For Dani, it began to significantly affect her during puberty. “It really started to affect me when I realized that my left breast was not growing as my other one was,” shares Dani. This physical difference impacted her self-esteem, especially during the summer when finding a bathing suit seemed impossible. “It made me very insecure, and it was hard to find confidence within myself,” she shares. Simple activities like shopping for summer shirts or feeling comfortable at the beach became daunting challenges. Dani’s connection to Nemours Children’s began with her sister, who had been […]
Evander’s Cleft Lip Journey
When Raelyn and James went for their 20-week ultrasound in December 2022, they were expecting to hear that everything was progressing perfectly with their baby boy. For the most part, things were. However, during the scan, the doctor and nurse discovered something unexpected—a cleft lip. They explained that their son, Evander, would be born with a unilateral cleft lip, and there was a chance he could also have a cleft palate. For Raelyn, this news was overwhelming. As a new mom unfamiliar with clefts, she found herself navigating a whole new world. “I knew nothing about clefts before this,” she shares. “I spent a lot of time researching and preparing for any outcome.” Raelyn devoted herself to learning as much as she could, connecting with other families and educating herself about what lay ahead. Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, was the first recommendation Raelyn and James received from their local doctor. […]
Standing Tall: K’den’s Story
At the age of 16, elite basketball player K’den faced the challenge of scoliosis head-on, with the support of Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, and the expertise of Dr. Suken A. Shah. “I was experiencing rib pain, and I didn’t know why,” K’den recalls. After a week of difficulty with walking prompted an emergency room visit, K’den quickly found that scoliosis was the cause of his pain. For K’den, Nemours Children’s has always been a familiarity. “I have been a long-time patient,” he shares. “The way they’ve helped me throughout my life has been amazing.” At a young age, K’den received an asthma diagnosis, marking the beginning of his journey as a patient at Nemours Children’s Health. “I was in and out of the hospital seemingly every two weeks because I was struggling to breathe,” says K’den. “During an Emergency Room visit at Nemours Children’s, an X-ray was taken of my […]
Embracing the Journey: Griffin’s Story
Explore Griffin’s inspiring journey with complex medical conditions and how his family found hope at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.
Marcella’s Story: In Mom’s Words
Marcella was born prematurely at another hospital in May of 2023. She had a fairly uneventful first month, until she developed Necrotizing Enterocolitis at 4 weeks. She had her feeds stopped, was put on the ventilator because her stomach was so swollen it was affecting her breathing, and IV antibiotics were started. But the disease had already progressed too far, and she continued to go downhill fast. Two days after the diagnosis she was transferred to the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware NICU, and the following afternoon she had her first exploratory laparotomy. Things were looking very bleak after this first surgery. Her intestines were put into a silo, basically a clear bag that held them outside of her body so doctors could visualize what the tissue looked like. Based on what they saw, it was very likely that she would not survive as all the tissue appeared to be dead. That […]
A New Beginning: Aubri’s Story
Aubri’s journey at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, is a testament to her resilience and the impact of specialized care. Aubri struggled for over a year with severe gastrointestinal issues, unable to keep food down. Her condition was so dire that she relied on feeding tubes to survive. “Aubri had an emergency tube placed in her nose and later in her stomach directly,” shares her mother, Alanda. “That was her only source of food for so long! It was awful! She was in so much pain and nauseous all the time, everything was hard.” The situation was grim, and their local hospitals seemed unable to provide the answers or care that Aubri desperately needed. The turning point came when Alanda learned about Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida and Dr. Poulos. “It was an absolute Godsend,” she says. A friend, who had glowing experiences with Nemours Children’s, inspired Alanda to seek out the […]
Dwarfism Awareness Month: The White Family’s Story
For the White family, life has been full of unexpected challenges—but also extraordinary resilience and hope. Three of Seth and Hannah’s children, Samuel, Selah, and Stephen, were all diagnosed with Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome (EVC), a type of skeletal dysplasia that restricts cartilage and bone growth and is often accompanied by congenital heart defects. Their journey, which began with the birth of their first son, Samuel, has led them across the country to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, where they found the care they needed for their children’s complex condition. The family’s story begins in Arkansas, where Samuel, now 6, was born. Hannah remembers the uncertainty surrounding Samuel’s diagnosis. “At our 20-week ultrasound, we learned that Samuel had some complex medical concerns, but even after a lot of testing, they weren’t sure of his exact diagnoses,” she said. It wasn’t until after Samuel’s birth that the family learned he had EVC, along […]
Interdisciplinary Care: Nia’s Story
Erica and Antoine Shoemate vividly remember the moment they discovered Erica was pregnant with Nia. It was February 2017, and despite a recent visit to a fertility specialist confirming she wasn’t expecting, she received the surprising news. “I was very shocked, confused, surprised,” Erica shares. This was just the beginning of a remarkable journey filled with challenges and triumphs. Nia’s journey took an unexpected turn during a routine 20-week anatomy scan when she was measuring behind. Initially, doctors thought it might be due to Erica’s petite stature, but a visit to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist revealed a different story. Nia was initially misdiagnosed with short rib polydactyly syndrome, and Erica was advised to terminate the pregnancy. “At this point, I felt like I had to get out of that hospital’s doctor’s office. I felt the walls were closing in on me,” Erica says. After receiving the diagnosis, Erica and Antoine […]
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