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CMN Ambassador Stories

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…

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…

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…

Ambassador Highlight: Isla

Isla Mock was in 4th-grade discovering her passion for sports, taking the field in a dual capacity for soccer and softball, when she faced a life-altering challenge. Two-and-a-half years ago, a traumatic accident threatened not just her future in sports, but in life. Following an ATV accident, Isla’s…

Ambassador Highlight: Ellie

In the early chapters of Ellie Zimmerman’s medical journey, one prevailing theme emerged: against all odds. Her narrative didn’t begin with her birth, however; it took root even before her entrance to the world. Jennifer Zimmerman, Ellie’s mother, found herself unexpectedly relying on the services of UF Health…

Child Life program making difference one patient at a time

Talia Mor looked out at the crowd with a huge smile on her face. She was speaking to students from Dance Marathon at the University of Florida. It was as though she was looking at younger versions of herself. After all, Mor was in their shoes not so long ago.

DM at UF raises $2 million for CMN Hospitals

During its annual 26.2-hour event on April 1-2, Dance Marathon at the University of Florida raised $2,007,079.05 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. Hundreds of dancers worked tirelessly throughout the school year and then took to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center to “Imagine the Day”…

Ambassador Spotlight: Kinsey

Art is more than a hobby for Kinsey. Art is expression. It’s where her passion and creativity come alive. Even on the most difficult of days – such as her weekly dialysis on Wednesdays – 19-year-old Kinsey can be found doing arts and crafts. “She is a very cheerful type…

Where does my CMN gift go? | February 2023

Photo courtesy of Bunnell. Because of your continued support and generosity toward Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, UF Health has purchased two Bunnell high-frequency jet ventilators. The Bunnell high-frequency jet ventilator provides low-flow ventilation. By removing carbon dioxide, this device is particularly effective in treating infants with air leaks. The high-frequency…