Michael Michael was diagnosed with a brain tumor called Fibrillary Astrocytoma, Grade II at the age of eight, when he had begun to show significant symptoms; he had lost the use of his right arm and was dragging his right foot. Michael’s parents had been given…
Lauren is the sole survivor of triplets. She was born 14 ½ weeks early, weighing only 1 pound 12 ounces and she was about 12 inches long. Her brother Matthew was born that day as well; however, he survived less than 24 hours. Their sister Lily died before birth. Lauren…
Kristin was five years old when she experienced her first seizure. While it only lasted for a few minutes at first, her seizures eventually became more frequent and lasted longer in duration. Obviously, this was of immediate concern to her parents as they were frightened about the health of their…
Kasey, Kevin and Kyle were born with more than the genetic trait that made them identical triplets. They were also born with the same potentially fatal, congential heart defect known as tetralogy of the fallot. University of Florida physicians worked closely with the community physicians who delivered and initially diagnosed…
From the time he was born, Josef had trouble breathing and suffered from colds every month. When he became sick again shortly after his family moved toFlorida, Josef’s doctor sent him to the hospital for x-rays which showed fluid in his lungs and liver and an enlarged heart. They were…
Jessica was born into the world eight weeks premature. Shortly after her birth, she was diagnosed with an intra-ventricular hemorrhage in her brain. Intra-ventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a type of bleeding from the fragile blood vessels in the brain. These blood vessels are especially fragile in premature infants. In…
Grace At birth, Grace did not cry, wake to feed, or suck her bottle properly. Physicians described her as “floppy” due to her low muscle tone and identified her with “failure to thrive.” Grace was diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a complex genetic disorder that affects…
Garrett Garrett was born with a Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). He was only 24 hours old when he first began showing signs of heart problems and he was airlifted from the hospital in Lakeland, Florida to Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida in…
Elmira is a vibrant and talented young lady. She enjoys swimming, playing basketball and bicycling in her neighborhood. She enjoys all of the normal activities of a typical teenager, despite having been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. Several years ago, Elmira’s parents noticed that she was constantly thirsty, and that she…
Dylan Dylan was a typical four-year-old boy who loved to run and play. However, all of that changed one day when Dylan’s foot was nearly severed in a terrible lawnmower accident. The lawnmower blades sliced through the muscle and bone of Dylan’s shin. It had also…
