Patient Stories

Elijah Gonzalez has been a “local” since birth, arriving at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, and almost immediately transferring to the NICU.

Immediately after his birth, Isaiah Richardson was struggling to breathe. He was rushed to UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital for treatment and testing.

When Bailey was born, her parents were stunned by the diagnosis, having never heard of Turner Syndrome before, and could only find scant information on the internet. The family was referred to UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital because of the breadth of care available from our Turner Syndrome specialists.

Beckett Genuardi spent his first two months of life at home with his family surrounded by the love of his parents and three siblings. Beckett’s mom, Taylor Genuardi, started to notice what seemed like difficulty with Beckett’s breathing but was told everything was fine.

Walking the streets filled with magic at Walt Disney World, lying outside for hours during the day and enjoying playdates at Gigi’s Playhouse, 4-year-old Amelia King was always on the go. Just starting Pre-K, Amelia was diagnosed with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia this past May.

If you have attended Dance Marathon at UF in recent years, chances are you’ve seen a young girl with braided pigtails in the center of all the action. Meet Kendall Lewis, AKA Miss K.

“Caden has never known a life without hemophilia or Shands. Shands is as normal to his life as daycare,” said Caden's mother, Christina.

The Ramos family recently relocated to the United States for one main reason: treatment for their 10-month-old son, Thiago.

Before leukemia, 3-year-old Luke Lambert was a ‘care-free and fun wild child’ who loved to play with the students at the school where his parents taught.

Like many families whose children are born with serious illness, the Early family vividly remembers the day their lives changed forever.