ARTICLES RELATED TO:
Nemours Children’s Health, Florida

In the world of competitive dance, every movement is crucial. For Kiara “Katie” Rodriguez, her dance journey took an unexpected turn when, at the age of 15, when she began experiencing hip pain. What felt like a pulled muscle led her to Nemours Children’s Health, Celebration, where she met with her pediatrician, Dr. Janette Magarino. “We all agreed it might be a pulled muscle,” says Katie. “So, we were told to rest and ice the area and take an anti-inflammatory. However, being the type to not complain, I would just dance through the pain.” As a dedicated dancer, Katie spends five hours a day, six days a week perfecting her craft. As she continued to dance, the pain got worse. “When I was home, the pain was unbearable and at times would leave me screaming or crying,” says Katie. “I couldn’t deal with the pain so I often would lose […]

Jason’s story began with a seemingly innocent complaint, ear pain. Concerned for her son, Andrea Salicia vividly remembers the moment she first suspected something was wrong with her son Jason. While feeding him, she noticed that he was twitching, and it didn’t appear to be normal newborn behavior. A few days later, in a terrifying incident, Jason began gasping for air during a feeding, followed by a more severe twitch. Panicked, Salicia rushed him to the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida emergency room. It was there that a nurse informed her that Jason’s “twitches” were actually seizures, prompting further investigation. This nurse also thought that he might have a condition called DiGeorge syndrome but didn’t want to say anything until it was confirmed. The medical team then performed a spinal tap and various tests, which led to a diagnosis of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also known as 22q or DiGeorge syndrome, at […]

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, […]

This National Physical Therapy Month, we have the privilege of spotlighting Erin Baker, a Physical Therapis (PT) and Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. Amber Yampolsky, Nemours Children’s Rehab Manager, Erin’s co-worker, and one of Amber’s direct reports, shares her perspective on what makes Erin such an outstanding Nemours Children’s Physical Therapy team member. Erin and Amber’s journey began before their time at Nemours, back when they were acquaintances working at a different hospital in Central Florida. However, their professional paths converged when they both joined the rehabilitation department at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. Erin’s journey at Nemours began before Amber’s. She arrived with a clear mission: to specialize in Assistive Technology practice within the rehab department. Shortly after, Amber came to Nemours, determined to make a mark in the field of pediatric inpatient rehabilitation. Erin’s dedication is second to none. She has not only specialized in Assistive Technology […]

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. […]

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 […]