All Posts by

Andrew Hile

Minecraft and Miracles: Introducing Our 2025 CMN Champion, Ella Grace! 

Building worlds in Minecraft and racing through virtual bridges are just some of the ways 9-year-old Ella Grace Ramondetta keeps her spirit high during hospital stays. Now, as the newly named 2025 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, she’s building something even more…

The Sound of Life

When Darwin Dias visits the United States, he always makes time to sit in the Garden of Hope near UF Health Shands Hospital to recharge, reflect, and listen to what he calls “the sound of life.”

Made to move mountains

Life was normal for soon-to-be high school senior Riley McFadden. An active student leader, Riley was a competitive swimmer with dreams of competing at the collegiate level. She was healthy and thriving. That all changed during her senior year when she was diagnosed with Stage 2B Bulky Hodgkins Lymphoma, a…

Aflac grant helps fund care packages for siblings of children with cancer

The Child Life program at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital has been awarded a 2024 Child Life, Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders grant from the Aflac Childhood Cancer Foundation, Inc. The $1,000 award will help fund psychosocial care packages for siblings of pediatric cancer patients. Research suggests that…

Tallahassee community comes together to make Miracles on Madison

Despite near record-high temperatures, supporters of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals flocked to Madison Street in Collegetown, downtown Tallahassee, for the return of Miracles on Madison on Saturday, June 22. Over 150 people enjoyed the festivities of the Miracles on Madison block party, which was last held in 2019.

Ambassador Highlight: Ella Grace

Ella Grace Ramondetta was nearly 3 years old, about to celebrate her birthday, when her family first noticed something was wrong. She had developed a limp, quickly prompting a visit to an orthopedic specialist. It was at that appointment in June 2018 that she and her family’s lives…

Fishing for Kids catches event-best fundraising effort

When 80 boats departed Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee, Fla., at 6:30 a.m. on April 27, the Fishing for Kids fundraising effort was already surging behind the scenes to support UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. The 19th annual Fishing for Kids Saltwater Trout Tournament kicked-off with a low…