Shortly after birth, Finley’s parents learned she had Down Syndrome and a congenital heart defect called complete atrioventricular canal defect. She stayed in the NICU for 19 days at their local hospital and was then transferred to Atrium Health Levine Children’s Brenner Children’s Hospital. Her parents immediately knew Finely was in the right hands. Her doctors took the time to explain her condition thoroughly, guiding her family through a personalized care plan that would give Finley the best chance at a healthy future. At just seven and a half months old, Finley underwent open heart surgery, but she amazed everyone with her resilience, recovering smoothly and returning home just four days later. After surgery, Finley began growing into an active and spunky toddler at home. But a few months later, her mom noticed she had grayish coloring and immediately took her back to the hospital. Her care team discovered she had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an extremely rare diagnosis for children. Over the next few months, Finley endured six rounds of chemotherapy, but her bright spirit never dimmed. Her care team, including social workers and child life specialists worked hard to create a supportive environment. And just as she had with every challenge before, Finley fought hard. She responded well to treatment, and now that chemotherapy is over, Finley’s doctors see a bright future for her. She continues to visit the hospital for routine heart checks, ensuring she continues to stay healthy.

After coming down with a sore throat, 16-year-old Alé was diagnosed with mono. Doctors expected it to clear up quickly, but after several days of bed rest at home, his condition got worse rather than better. Faced with a painful sore throat, constant coughing, and a nosebleed, Alé’s mom decided to take him to the emergency room. Alé wound up at CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital with a 104-degree fever, and after just one night, his spleen became so inflamed he was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). In the PICU, critical care specialists saw he was struggling to breathe and decided to intubate him. This meant placing Alé in an induced coma while a ventilator took over his breathing. Once they regulated his breathing, doctors realized mucus was blocking his airway and inserted a tracheotomy to provide a direct airway to the lungs. Then doctors discovered Alé didn’t just have mono but also had necrotizing fasciitis, a severe, rare bacterial infection that kills tissue. The hospital kept Alé on breathing assistance and provided life-saving medication to cure the infection. A few weeks later, the doctors brought Alé out of the medically induced coma, and he was breathing on his own again. Now, Alé is back in school and plans to play football in the fall! While those few weeks were some of the scariest times for him and his family, his amazing care team helped them all through it. Today, Alé has a brand-new outlook on life, wanting to take advantage of every opportunity that comes his way.

Kennedy was removing her nail polish with a candle lit nearby when suddenly, the fumes and flame met, causing an explosion. She was rushed via ambulance to Shriner Children’s Ohio. Kennedy sustained second and third-degree burns on her hands, arms, thighs, and stomach, covering about 13% of her whole body. Doctors performed multiple skin graft surgeries and procedures. Additionally, her support system of occupational and physical therapists, nutritionists, and care managers worked together to help her heal faster. The teams worked across disciplines to create an individualized care plan tailored to Kennedy’s needs. After just two weeks, was able to go home. She eventually returned to school and is back to doing her favorite activities like cheerleading and playing the saxophone!

Antonio was having a blast at a trampoline park when a misstep left him with a torn ACL. As a track and field star at his high school, he feared his days of sprinting and jumping were behind him. But at AdventHealth for Children, his care team welcomed him with warmth and reassurance that he’d be running again in no time. Antonio’s doctor introduced him to the innovative orthopedic BEAR implant, which is inserted at the tear and helps the body heal its own ligament. AdventHealth for Children is a leading hospital in performing this implant procedure for pediatric patients, so his team knew it could get Antonio back on his feet. The BEAR implant helped him recover smoothly and successfully in less than a year! Today, he’s back on the track doing what he loves, with his sights set on joining a track team in college.

Kellen had always been an active, energetic kid, so when he started feeling under the weather, his family assumed it was just a mild bug. But as days passed, his condition worsened. He found himself making repeated trips to the ER, and on one terrifying morning, Kellen couldn’t stand up on his own. Through a severe blizzard, his family made the 220-mile trip to Children’s Minnesota-Minneapolis in an ambulance. Soon after he arrived, experts discovered that Kellen had a rare spinal cord condition called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). AFM sets in very suddenly, weakening multiple muscles. He was rushed to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), where he required a ventilator, a tracheotomy, and a feeding tube. After eventually leaving the PICU, Kellen embarked on an intensive two-month journey with physical, occupational, and speech therapy programs. When he started, Kellen was only wiggling a few toes, but thanks to his hard work and supportive care team, he started eating and moving independently in just a few months. Once he was cleared from these programs, he continued less-intensive PT and OT to keep improving. Eight months after that first visit to Children’s Minnesota, Kellen’s progress is remarkable. He’s not only standing and walking again, but he’s also playing sports, something he was unsure would ever be possible again. Today, Kellen is back on the swim team, forever grateful for his life-saving care. 

When Jace started preschool, his teacher quickly noticed something was off—he struggled to articulate words clearly and often seemed to misunderstand those around him. Concerned, his family took him to Boys Town National Research Hospital for a hearing evaluation that revealed moderate hearing loss. He received hearing aids and began excelling in school, finishing kindergarten at the top of his class. But as things were looking up, Jace’s hearing started to decline again, leading to a progressive bilateral hearing loss diagnosis. With profound hearing loss in one ear and moderate hearing loss in the other, Jace wasn’t able to hear all sounds with his aids. His care team determined a unilateral cochlear implant was the best solution, but this also meant frequent hospital visits to perfect the device. Living two hours away from Boys Town National Research Hospital, Jace’s family was concerned he would have to miss out on too much school and activities. Thankfully, after a successful cochlear implant surgery, the team was highly accommodating, working around their schedule and offering virtual therapy appointments. Now, Jace is thriving with his cochlear implant and experiencing a world of sound he had never fully known before. His care team continues to support him, helping him refine his hearing and language skills.