“My name is Victor. I was at Nicklaus Children's Hospital when I was seven years old due to my broken femur bone on my left leg. I missed an entire year of first grade and that is something that I will never forget. Being seven years old, it was difficult for me to realize what was going on. But the staff at Nicklaus Children's Hospital were there for me every step of the way, helping me get better.
To my recollection I was admitted for about five months. They had my leg on a stretcher and would come in everyday and pull on it until my leg was erect. The nurses and doctors there made me feel so at home. I was also homeschooled at the hospital. I remember that when my parents needed to work I would have a nurse or someone from the kids department play games with me or anything else that I asked for. As much as this was painful for me it will be something I will never forget because it made a mark in my life and every day that I wake up I am so grateful for everyone that helped me to walk again.
When I got my cast that was from my neck all the way down to my ankle and got sent home to restart my life and begin rehab in the hospital, I was scared because not being able to walk again was a huge dilemma I was going to face. I remember starting my rehab at Nicklaus Children's Hospital and crying about not being able to walk but again the staff at Nicklaus Children's Hospital helped me every step of the way. It took me about six months to regain strength in my left leg in order to walk again but I did it.
My parents to this day are so grateful for the people at Nicklaus Children's Hospital and every now and then I remember those days as I sit with my parents and we talk about the things that have happened in my life. I am now a twenty seven year old man who’s a teacher and currently working on my MBA at FIU. To this day I thank everyone there for helping me walk again.”
Victor - Miami, Florida