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Patient Stories

Arianna’s Journey with Bilateral Retinoblastoma (In Mom’s Words)

Para leer este blog en español, haz clic aquí! It all began when Arianna was just one year old. We noticed that one of her eyes was red and had a strange white spot in her pupil. Worried, we took her to her pediatrician, who immediately sensed that something was not right. We were referred to an ophthalmologist and then to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with a large mass in her eye. This mass was pushing her eye outward, so an emergency surgery was performed that same day to remove it. The surgery was successful, or so we thought. However, a few days later, the pathology results delivered the most devastating news: the mass was malignant. It was cancer. Arianna began chemotherapy treatment, going through six exhausting sessions. After that, she was discharged, but unfortunately, proper follow-up was not done to evaluate her other eye. Three years later, […]

An Unexpected Illness: Jason’s Story

Jason’s story began with a seemingly innocent complaint, ear pain. Concerned for her son, Andrea promptly scheduled an appointment with their Nemours Children’s Health primary care pediatrician, Dr. John Clore. Initially, the diagnosis appeared to be a mild outer ear infection. However, later that day Jason began vomiting consistently. The family returned to Dr. Clore’s office, who advised them to seek emergency care at our hospital. Little did they know that this visit would mark the start of a challenging journey. Jason was tested for various illnesses, including strep, flu, and COVID-19, but all the results came back negative. It wasn’t until they reached the emergency room at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida that the real diagnosis was discovered – strep A in Jason’s bloodstream. Jason developed a rare complication from his infection of severely increased intracranial pressure. This led to constant excruciating head pain and double vision. He was at significant […]

Just Keep Swimming: Braelynn’s Story

During Stephanie’s pregnancy, a routine ultrasound at 12 weeks revealed that Braelynn’s left leg was not developing as expected. Shortly after this discovery, the family was introduced to Dr. Louise Reid Nichols. Dr. Nichols delivered the diagnosis of Fibular Hemimelia (FH), a congenital condition affecting the development of the fibula bone in the leg. Stephanie’s doctors referred the family to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware when she was just 20 weeks pregnant. From the moment they stepped through the doors, Nemours became more than just a hospital; it became a place of hope, compassion, and support. After several appointments with Nemours, Braelynn’s family learned that her left leg needed to be amputated. She would receive a prosthetic and attend physical and occupational therapy sessions. What stands out most about Braelynn’s journey at Nemours is the connection that was developed between Braelynn and her care team. “The Nemours Orthopedic Department has been […]

Jade’s Scoliosis Story

Jade has always been passionate about dance and yoga. One of her favorite hobbies is practicing yoga with her aunt. When Jade was 11 years old, her aunt noticed that her left rib was bulging out during one of their yoga stretches. This realization, along with Jade’s complaints of back and rib pain, raised concerns for her parents, especially since her mother was diagnosed with severe scoliosis at a young age. Based on her experience, Jade’s mom knew she had to act quickly so she immediately scheduled an appointment with their pediatrician to get a back check. At age 11, Jade was diagnosed with scoliosis and recommended to Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville. Jade and her family met with Anna Rambo, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville. After their first appointment, they knew they made the right decision in choosing Nemours. They immediately loved everything about Dr. Rambo. […]

Olivia’s Amblyopia Journey

Follow Olivia’s inspiring journey through amblyopia treatment, where patching and glasses restored her vision to 20/20. Discover valuable insights into pediatric eye care and research at Nemours Children’s Health.

Beyond the Paralympics: Sophia’s Story

From the very beginning, Sophia’s life has been intertwined with achondroplasia dwarfism. Diagnosed at birth, she started her medical journey under the care of Dr. William Mackenzie and Colleen Ditro, two dedicated clinicians at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware who have been by her side since day one. Born and raised in Colorado, Sophia was introduced to Nemours Children’s through LPA (Little People of America). Here, she first met Dr. Mackenzie and Colleen and they have followed her since birth, connecting yearly at LPA conventions. As she grew older, Sophia continually defied expectations, becoming a professional athlete and earning medals in two Paralympic games as an elite swimmer. When she retired from professional sports and began exploring new avenues, Sophia took up running. However, she began to encounter some hip issues along the way. This led her to seek medical advice from Colleen who recommended Sophia come to Delaware and see Dr. […]

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Charlie’s Story (In Mom’s Words)

In February 2023, we noticed a sore develop on Charlie’s side. But being a normal 3-year-old little boy, we shook it off as a stick poke or a bug bite from playing outside. As time progressed, not only did the sore get bigger, but Charlie started falling asleep on the couch and experiencing fevers of 102-103 degrees. We took Charlie to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida’s Emergency Room in Orlando where the doctors closely examined him before calling in Dr. Alexander, an infectious disease specialist. Dr. Alexander was very kind and helped us think through different ideas of what this could be. They took a biopsy and sent us home on an antibiotic and instructions to follow up with our pediatrician. A week later, there had been no signs of healing. Charlie’s lymph node in his armpit near the wound had become swollen. After following up with his pediatrician two times […]

Heroic Harry’s Sarcoma Story

Discover Heroic Harry’s Inspirational Sarcoma Journey | A 5-Year-Old’s Courageous Battle Against Adversity and Cancer at Nemours Children’s Hospital.

Lulu’s Cancer Story

In May 2021, the Italiano family was faced with news that would forever alter their lives. Luciana Italiano, affectionately known as “Lulu,” was diagnosed with Stage L2 Neuroblastoma at just three days old. Luciana’s diagnosis came unexpectedly when a tumor was discovered on her neck shortly after birth. “May 19 was a great and exciting day that turned into nightmare,” says, Lulu’s mother, Carey. “It is an intimidating experience when a newborn baby receives a cancer diagnosis,” says Nemours Children’s Health Hematologist/Oncologist, Dr. Andrew Walter. “Instead of simply celebrating the joy of welcoming a new, healthy child into the world, family members must quickly meet with pediatric specialists and consultants to discuss diagnosis and treatment options and undergo a series of test and procedures. The family doesn’t even have the time to go home and rest.” After being transported to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware shortly after Lulu’s birth, the hospital became the […]

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Madison’s Story

“Madison has a history with cancer,” says her mother, Erin. She’s received a diagnosis that no family should have to face not just once, but twice. At the age of 2, Madison was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a type of eye cancer that affects the retina, the inner layer of the eye. A subtle “glow” in her eye caught her parents’ attention, leading them to see an ophthalmologist at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. The journey that followed included six months of chemotherapy and the removal of her left eye. During this time, Madison and her family worked closely with oncologist, Dr. Gregory Griffin. Dr. Griffin played a big part in her journey and their family had a great experience with him. Madison also had amazing doctors from Wills Eye Hospital in Philly. Dr Carol Shields and Dr. Sara Lally were integral in her treatment.   Years later, at the age of 12, Madison faced […]

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Marjorie’s Story

Born at 27-weeks, weighing 1 pound and 15 ounces, Marjorie spent her first two and half months of life in the NICU. Following discharge, she was seen at Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville for hip dysplasia and eye checkups. When she was 7 months old, Marjorie’s parents noticed her belly was very distended. It continued to swell quickly, so her parents brought her to the pediatrician. After an ultrasound confirmed a mass, the family was rushed via ambulance to Wolfson Children’s Hospital where she first met Dr. Gauger. “Following multiple scans and tests, we heard the words you never want to hear, ‘Your child has cancer,’” says Marjorie’s mom, McCall. “Marjorie was diagnosed with neuroblastoma 4S. She spent three weeks in the hospital and was readmitted for more chemotherapy before being discharged on July 11, 2015.” After discharging, Marjorie continued to be followed by her oncology team at Nemours Children’s. “Through […]

Aurelia’s Story (In Mom’s Words)

The day before we were admitted to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, my daughter, Aurelia, had had a bit of a cough, a fever, and was vomiting. I took her to two different urgent cares, and they both told us it was just a virus, and she was fine. That night I slept in the bed with her because I was concerned about her fever.  In the middle of the night, she started having trouble breathing and her lips turned blue. We took her to the emergency room and she was transferred to Nemours Children’s. There, she was diagnosed with septic shock, pneumonia, and heart failure due to strep and human metapneumovirus. She was put on a ventilator but she still wasn’t getting enough oxygen, so she was put on ECMO to see if that would give her heart and lungs time to heal. An ECMO machine is similar to a heart-lung by-pass machine used in […]

Page 9 of 15

Page 9 of 15

Page 9 of 15