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Nemours

When Aila was just 2 years old, her parents started to notice that something was off. Each time Aila tried to walk, she was always holding onto something. She seemed to struggle when she wasn’t gripping her toy stroller. After going to see a local physical therapist, Aila’s family found out that she had SMA. SMA, or spinal muscular atrophy, is a genetic disorder that can affect your muscles, nerve cells, and spinal cord. People with SMA may experience a decline in strength and limited mobility. As Aila grew older, she had to use a wheelchair. She discovered that she could not complete tasks, like basic hygiene actions, on her own and frequently needed assistance. When she was about 7 years old, Aila began seeing doctors at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. Her family was making 6-hour drives for Aila to be treated at Nemours Children’s. After countless hours of research […]

While Hudson’s parents were out of town, his grandmother noticed that something seemed a bit off with his ankle. She thought it looked funny, bigger. When his grandfather agreed, and also expressed concern about his ankle, they immediately booked a doctors’ appointment for Hudson when his parents returned home. “I took him in thinking, ‘I don’t know what’s going on,’” says Hudson’s mom, Elizabeth. “He hasn’t complained about anything, doesn’t have any pain, he thinks he’s fine. But, let’s go get his ankle checked, just to rule anything out.” That’s when they first met pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joseph Khoury at Nemours Children’s Health, Lakeland. After his first examination, Dr. Khoury explained to them that Hudson had flat feet. This didn’t come as a surprise to Elizabeth as her husband also has flat feet. “He then went on to do an X-ray,” says Elizabeth. “He looked at the results and Dr. […]

After years of searching for answers, Katelyn finally receives a diagnosis at Nemours Children’s Health with lymphangiectasia, a rare condition causing protein loss

When Courtney was pregnant with her son Brendan, her physician noticed something was off. During an ultrasound, they discovered that Brendan had an enlarged bowel, which can be a sign of cystic fibrosis. When Brendan was born in November of 2022, he was immediately placed in the NICU. “This was already planned and why we delivered in the Advanced Delivery Unit at Nemours Children’s Hospital,” explains Courtney. “The team was remarkable. Dr. Chou and our nurse, Mo, made a nerve-racking delivery as easy and seamless as possible. It was nothing but a great experience, considering the circumstances.” At only a day and a half old, Brendan had surgery. “During the surgery, they found that a part of the bowel had twisted on itself, causing it to not function properly,” says Courtney. “That day, they removed 30 cm of bowel and started the use of a colostomy bag. Then we had a 6-week healing […]

When Gaby was four years old, her family noticed that she was barely talking, was frequently losing her balance, and experiencing severe migraines. After going through many tests, including a sleep study, they found out that she had Chiari malformation. As Gaby continued to grow, her doctors uncovered more diagnoses including scoliosis, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), Tethered Cord, Syringomyelia, secondary Hydrocephalus PTSD, among many others. Gaby was seeing a plethora of doctors and undergoing several different therapies, surgeries, and medications. However, her family was having difficulty finding doctors that specialized in Gaby’s conditions in Tampa. After doing some research, Gaby’s mom, Diana, found Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. Their first visit at Nemours Children’s was with the neurology team in Orlando when Gaby was about nine years old. “As a parent who has dealt with so many doctors, I have experienced doctors who don’t even know how to pronounce her […]

Discover the inspiring story of Julieth, who was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at a young age. Learn about her treatment at Nemours Children’s Health and the impact it had on her life.