Inspiring Patient Stories

First Surgery in Griffin Surgical Tower: Keily's Story

October 04, 2024 – Keily became our first patient to undergo an operation, a cleft lip-and-palate surgery, in the Kenneth C. Griffin Surgical Tower.

Patient of the Month: Luciana

September 02, 2024 – Despite being born prematurely, Luciana has always been a fighter and was determined to succeed. 

Santi Beats the Odds: A Story of Perseverance

August 30, 2024 – Santi brings joy to everyone around him, despite his medical limitations. At only age 7, Santi has memorized the telephone numbers of all his favorite people, including some of his nurses at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

Olivia: A Brave Princess Celebrates Completing Cancer Treatment and Finds New Dreams for the Future

August 12, 2024 –

When Olivia and her parents arrived at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for the first time in May 2023, they were shocked to receive the news that Olivia had a cancerous growth in her left femur bone.

Jasiah's Journey

July 01, 2024 – For Kimberly, the journey began 26 weeks into her pregnancy when she received life-changing news: her unborn son, Jasiah, had a cleft lip and palate. Just two weeks later, Kimberly developed severe preeclampsia and had to give birth immediately. Jasiah's story is one of hope, healing, and the power of perseverance.

Patient of the Month: Grethell

April 30, 2024 – Grethell had a large and extremely rare tumor under her jaw that required surgical resection. Thankfully, Adilia, Grethell's mother, found Nicklaus Children's Hospital and from Nicaragua, they made the journey for treatment. 

Logan's Inspiring Journey: Breakthrough Pediatric Cancer Treatment

April 30, 2024 – Meet Logan, 8, and his journey battling a relapsed acute myeloid leukemia, which yielded groundbreaking pediatric cancer treatment results.

Samuel's Journey: Triumph Over Unimaginable Challenges

April 26, 2024 – At just three months old, Samuel's life took a turn that would test the strength, faith and resilience of his family. Diagnosed with intractable epilepsy (when seizures can't be completely controlled by medicines), Samuel faced an uphill battle characterized by frequent and severe seizures, developmental delays and numerous health complications that puzzled even the most skilled doctors.

Patient of the Month: Roberto

March 27, 2024 – Roberto was born smaller than average and required further evaluation and testing at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. After being diagnosed with Wolf-Hirschhorn (4p-) syndrome, Roberto was cared by Dr. Parul Jayakar and Dr. Paula Schleifer at the Nicklaus Children's Brain Institute, and would continue treatment at the Rare Chromosomal Disorders Clinic at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. 

Liz: Growing inch by inch

February 12, 2024 – Liz was completely dependent on others to eat, bathe, and dress because of a condition known as a achondroplasia that impacts the growth of bone in the limbs. After learning of limb lengthening surgery, she met with Dr. Ruggles at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Orthopedic, Sports Medicine, and Spine Institute. Now, Liz enjoys the little things like combing her own hair and carrying a bookbag to school.

Patient of the Month: Barbie

January 22, 2024 – Barbara (aka Barbie) was living in Venezuela undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia when her family decided to travel to Nicklaus Children's Hospital for targeted therapy and additional care at the Nicklaus Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute.

Patient of the Month: Wildaline

November 21, 2023 – Wildaline’s had a fast-growing benign tumor on her face was impeding her speech and about to cut her airwaves. She had just days to live.A multidisciplinary team of doctors and specialists moved swiftly to devise a plan and perform life-saving surgery so Wildaline could survive. 

Patient of the Month: Kaylee and Family

October 31, 2023 – A truly remarkable example of not just a brave patient, but three members of the same family overcoming cancer.

Zayia's Success Story

October 02, 2023 – Zayia was diagnosed with pre-B acute lymphocytic leukemia when she was 14 years old. With support from Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, Zayia decided to spend her day giving back to other children undergoing cancer treatment at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. 

Patient of the Month: Stephanie

September 29, 2023 – Born in Puerto Rico and brought to Miami for a fighting chance at life, Stephanie needed to be placed on a ventilator for breathing assistance immediately after birth. Despite prematurely arriving, she's exceeded all expectations and is well on her way to adulthood!

Patient of the Month: Mikaela

August 31, 2023 – Treatment options for Mikaela's scoliosis diagnosis was severely limited in Paraguay during the pandemic, so Mikaela's parents brought her to Nicklaus Children's Hospital. Thankfully, after undergoing a successful operation on her spine, Mikaela has restarted school and lives a more comfortable and confident life. 

Ella's Epilepsy Success Story

August 21, 2023 – Ella, diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy in sixth grade, underwent brain surgery. Now, she's seizure free and sharing her experience via her own TED talk. Inspired by the team at Nicklaus Children's, she aims to become a neuropsychologist.

Hope and Healing for Noah

August 15, 2023 – Soon after Noah's birth at 33 weeks, the tiny neonate was struggling with a persistent high bilirubin count. He underwent numerous tests at the hospital where he was born to try to determine the cause. High bilirubin is common among premature babies, yet standard treatments did not help Noah, suggesting an unusual diagnosis.

Happy News for Patrick

August 02, 2023 – Maria and her husband, Brian learned that their son Patrick had a gene/variant of unclear significance for a rare genetic disorder called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) which causes damage to nerve cells. What remained unknown was whether Patrick had the more serious form of the disorder – a condition that could end his life before he reached adulthood.

Sofia's Inspiring Journey with SMA

July 26, 2023 – Sofia was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2, a genetic condition that affects the spinal cord’s ability to control the muscles, decreasing and limiting mobility. In Sofia’s 6 years of life, she has already overcome more medical challenges than most adults.