Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals ambassadors for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, Izabella Neira and Nathan “Nate” Ferrell, are featured in the latest “Help Kids Today” commercials. The commercials are part of a national campaign that features messaging around the need for community support to fund local CMN Hospitals’ most urgent needs.
Izabella was diagnosed with a rare form of surfactant deficiency, a lung disorder that causes respiratory problems. The 2019 national CMN Hospitals ambassador survived on life support for nearly nine months in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PCIU) before receiving a heart-lung transplant at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. At the time, Izabella was one of the youngest patients in the United States to receive a heart-lung transplant.
Nate, a CMN Hospitals Florida champion in 2014 and national CMN Hospitals champion in 2018, was also highlighted in the campaign. Just weeks before his first birthday, Nate was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, a disorder that attacks the mitochondria – which creates energy for the body to sustain function and grow. He sees nine specialists and continues to visit UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
Izabella and Nate remain active as local ambassadors through UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. And, they both continue to spread smiles to everyone they meet. Thank you to Izabella and Nate for representing UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital!