Pediatric ENT Patient Stories

Read inspiring stories of hope from patients and families treated at Nicklaus Children's Hospital.

Have your own inspiring patient story to share? If you’d like to share your Nicklaus Children's story to inspire hope, and help other families find answers to questions they’re seeking for their child, please contact us at: info@nicklaushealth.org.

Leonardo Finds His Voice

Leonardo’s vocal cords were fused from birth, causing him difficulty breathing with any type of common cold and preventing the child from speaking. Fortunately, his condition was treatable and involved a surgery to separate his fused vocal cords into two healthy vocal cords.  Read this story.

A New Beginning for Victoria

A move to Miami in 2019 led to a happy transformation for little Victoria Carias and her parents. Victoria, who was born prematurely in 2015, still had the tracheostomy tube that was placed in her neck to support breathing when she was an infant. Thanks to the Airway Program at Nicklaus Children's Victoria successfully went through a trach tube removal (decannulation), which would make a big difference in her life. Read this story.

Jarel Santiago: A Cardiac and ENT Success Story

Jarel was born healthy, according to the doctors, but in the days following his birth, Maria Lourdes and her husband began having concerns about Jarel’s breathing. His respiration was rapid and he seemed to have trouble breathing. Read this story.

Peyton's Airway Reconstruction Journey

Peyton was born with a congenital heart defect that led her to spend months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Like many infants who are born premature and with congenital health issues, Peyton had to undergo a tracheostomy to help her breathe and eat.
Thanks to advances in medicine, Peyton recently underwent airway reconstruction surgery, performed by pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Brian Ho, and can now breathe on her own. Read this story.

South Florida surgeon helps children with airway disorders breathe easy

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely every year. Among the many complications these little ones face are airway disorders. Thanks to airway reconstruction performed by Dr. Brian Ho, little Elijah is able to breathe on his own without the support of a medical device. Read this story.

Patient of the Month: Piero

Meet our August Patient of the Month, Piero. Born at just 27 weeks old, Piero had to be admitted into the NICU at the hospital where he was born and was intubated to allow his lungs to continue developing. Read this story.

A Limitless Life for Piero

Weighing only 2.9 pounds, Piero was intubated to help his developing lungs receive oxygen. The baby boy was transferred to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, a referral center for some of the most critically-ill infants in the state with a Level III and II NICU, to undergo specialized care and evaluation. Read this story.

Elizabeth's Success Story

Elizabeth began working for Nicklaus Children's Hospital in 1985. A past patient herself, during her time as an employee, both her daughters were patients, and she feels blessed to have offered tehm the best pediatric care. Read this story.

Sebastian's Success Story

Within ten hours of being born, Sebastian was diagnosed with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF). The day after he was born, he was flown to Nicklaus Children's Hospital where he had an operation to repair his esophagus. Read this story.

Leila's Success Story

Leila had suffered for years with complications to ear infections and was constantly on antibiotics. A heavy snorer and also afflicted with severe sleep apnea, she had her tonsils removed at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. Read this story.