Maddy's Success Story

September 14, 2015 – When Maddy was only 12 hours old, she was flown to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to undergo the first of several surgeries to treat spina bifida, a congenital condition that affects the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. Thanks to a multidisciplinary team approach, Maddy received coordinated care by an array of subspecialists. 

Patient of the Month: Dayana

August 24, 2015 – At the age of 6, Dayana's life changed forever when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She didn’t immediately know what that meant, but the realization that the rest of her life would consist of finger pricks and monitoring her sugar level was a hard one.

Kimberly's Scoliosis Success Story

July 13, 2015 – Kimberly was 14 years old when she started noticing an unevenness of her shoulders and rib cage, as well as the shortening of her torso. Her whole upper body was beginning to look disfigured, so her pediatrician referred her to the Orthopedics Department at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

Patient of the Month: Felix

June 20, 2015 –

When he was just a young boy in Nicaragua, Felix’s mom noticed that he often complained about pains and not the usual pains for an active boy his age. After he was taken for blood tests, doctors discovered that Felix had sickle cell disease.

A Car Ride for Trevor

June 11, 2015 – Neurosurgery procedure improves quality of life for 14-year-old, Trevor.

For the Love of Soccer

May 04, 2015 – For some kids, playing sports is not only fun but it also a passion. For Esteban Leon, 14, soccer is always on his mind; but when he was only 10 years old, his dreams came to a halt while on the soccer field one afternoon.

Young Boy Regains Ability to Walk

March 04, 2015 – By the time he was 13, Gerard was unable to walk. He was also experiencing seizures which prevented him from attending school. Gerard required surgery in order to decompress his spinal cord and repair the bone. The doctors at Nicklaus Children's Hospital were hopeful that surgery would be successful and Gerard could regain the sensation in his legs.

Making a Difference for Michael

January 23, 2015 – Michael Hadler is a busy high school student, an ambassador and volunteer for the Best Buddies Program and Miracle League athlete whose favorite subjects include creative writing and world history. Oh, and Michael also has spastic cerebral palsy.

Leondre's Success Story

January 19, 2015 – Leondre was born at just 24 weeks old weighting only 1lb, 9oz. A week after his birth, he was flown to Nicklaus Children's Hospital, formerly Miami Children's Hospital, to receive advanced care in the hospital’s Level 1 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Felix's ECMO Success Story

November 07, 2014 – Little Felix was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and had to undergo extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a procedure that saved his life.

Sabrina's Bone Marrow Transplant Success Story

July 01, 2014 – Thriving after undergoing bone marrow transplant from two donated umbilical cord units, Sabrina celebrates her 15th birthday after sucessfully recovering from the transplant to treat her Leukemia.

Patient of the Month: Ralphie

July 01, 2014 – Just a day after being born, Ralphie was rushed to Nicklaus Children's unable to breathe on his own. His doctors tried various methods to help him start breathing, but nothing succeeded. It was at Nicklaus Children's Hospital, one of few hospitals in the region at the time with an ECMO program for pediatric patients, that Ralphie was able to receive the critical care he needed.

Mauricio's Success Story

June 19, 2014 – 5-year-old Mauricio and his parents were transferred from Puerto Rico to Nicklaus Children's Hospital to treat a rare congenital condition as well as a gallbladder removal surgery.

Patient of the Month: Alexis

June 01, 2014 – Alexis has suffered more fractures in her short life of life than what the average person will in their entire lifetime. This is because Alexis has a very rare disease called osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as "brittle bone disease." 

Patient of the Month: Andrew

May 01, 2014 – Andrew Lorenzen had always been a healthy, happy child, who enjoyed playing all types of sports. So, when his mom brought him to Nicklaus Children's to get a free EKG screening, neither of them believed the results would actually come back showing something was wrong with Andrew. Imagine their shock when after the screening, Andrew's mom received a call from the hospital telling her to take Andrew in immediately because they found he had a rare condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Avery's Success Story

April 30, 2014 – While in Miami for Spring Break Avery became ill and was later diagnosed with an ovarian torsion. She underwent emergency surgery with Dr. Cathy Burnweit at Nicklaus Children's Hospital.

Patient of the Month: Leslie

April 26, 2014 – Nine months after first being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Leslie Rodriguez is getting back to being a healthy, happy kid. She's in school and accumulating honors happily. 

Austin's Success Story

March 19, 2014 –

Austin was born blue, floppy and unresponsive. Immediately rushed to Nicklaus Children's Hospital, the nurses and doctors treated him back to health.

Robert's Success Story

March 19, 2014 – Robert was born in respiratory distress. Nicklaus Children's Hospital sent a mobile unit to pick him up to transport him back to their brand new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He is now an extremely successful computer engineer with two beautiful boys of his own.

Nolan's Success Story

March 19, 2014 – At only 4 years old, Nolan had cavities in both of his front teeth. He visited the Nicklaus Children's Hospital Dental Clinic. Dr. Tanya, Nurse Ivette Garcia, and the incredible Hulk made it a pleasant experience for him.