Little girls often dream of princess crowns, but sometimes life isn’t a fairy tale. Instead of carefree childhood days playing with her sisters, seven-year-old Aralynn Falcon found herself in so much pain that she could barely walk. Doubled over with abdominal pain, her family sought answers, but the last thing on their minds was cancer. […]
If there’s proof that love can grow even under the most stressful circumstances, one would find it in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. When Thomas and Brittany first met the child who would become their daughter, she was just a few weeks old and fighting to overcome a heart condition and […]
Thanks to the progress nine-year-old April Garcia has made with the assistance of Driscoll’s Rehabilitation Services Department, she has not only increased her strength, but also her self-confidence. April was diagnosed with Kabuki Syndrome in the Summer of 2020. Kabuki Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder occurring in approximately 1 in 32,000-86,000 births worldwide. Children […]
While childhood milestones are often marked by first words, first steps, first school days and last ones, Elisabeth Harris’ were framed by firsts of a different kind: the first of 59 surgical procedures, like her kidney transplant, the nine times when she almost died, and the days she chose to live each moment to the fullest.
Blowing out candles and making a wish is the way Preston Simpson should have celebrated his second birthday. Instead, an ATV accident nearly robbed him of the life he’d only just begun. Prayers replaced birthday wishes as Preston’s medical team spent days, weeks and months fighting to not only save this little boy but to […]
Life wasn’t supposed to amount to much for John Josiah Martinez. Since his third day living, he has been on medication to control his seizures. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and scoliosis, they said he would never walk, he would never talk. He’d have to be fed through a tube. “They pretty much told me […]
Just imagine: after months, the day you’ve waited for has finally arrived. But instead of holding your new baby in your arms, you’re told there’s been a problem as she’s whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Your joy and hope is suddenly replaced with fear and despair. When the unthinkable happens, families […]
Scarlett and Ximena Torres celebrate turning 8 on May 16 in a much different way than life began. Conjoined at birth, these twins now lead distinct lives not unlike most other children. And they get to blow out their candles every year knowing wishes really do come true. But this might not have been their […]
The Gutierrez family fought hard to save their baby, but when he was born 25 weeks premature, they said their goodbyes. Little Marcelo could fit into the palm of his mother’s hand. And while many new parents are quick to count 10 tiny fingers and 10 tiny toes, Marcelo’s delicate fingers had not yet formed […]
For Preston Simpson, the journey to recovery has been a long one with a happy ending. The Rockport boy has made an amazing recovery from a near-fatal ATV accident he had at 23-months-old on December 8, 2020, thanks to the expertise and resourcefulness of the staff at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. Two years later to the […]
Twin nurses care for the tiniest patients in the same hospital where they once fought for their lives When your newborn is admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), one of the hardest parts to endure is the waiting. There’s endless waiting for vitals to reach critical numbers. Waiting with bated breath to see […]
John J. Martinez has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and scoliosis, but his diagnoses do not define who he is. He is quite the character who will win anyone over with his smile and infectious personality. The soon-to-be high school graduate loves baseball, being outdoors, and spending time with family. At the time of his birth, however, […]
Kidney transplant patient defies the odds by reaching graduation milestone. Seeing a child don a graduation cap and gown brings a mixture of joy and relief for all parents. For Tiffanie Harris, it was a triumph. Tiffanie, of Corpus Christi, Texas, didn’t expect to see her daughter, Elisabeth, live to her graduation from Flour Bluff […]
He’s a kicker. For the parents of most infants, that’s a minor detail, a given. For the parents of Andre Caden Rodriguez, that is a sign from God that miracles can happen. Faith is what has gotten Linda Salas and her husband, Jairo Rodriguez, through a journey that began when Linda was 20 weeks pregnant. […]
What started as a fever and suspected ear infection led to a life-changing diagnosis for 9-month-old Audrey Garza. After months of searching for answers, Audrey came to Driscoll Children’s Hospital where physicians diagnosed her with acute transverse myelitis, a rare condition that causes swelling of the spinal cord, leaving her unable to walk. Now five, Audrey […]
James Strauss was born with a bicuspid valve in his heart with severe stenosis. “It can be rapidly fatal for children if it is not diagnosed in time, so the fact that we caught it soon after he was born was really pivotal because his heart wasn’t struggling for too long,” said Jerry Michael, MD, FAAP, FACC, Pediatric […]
Ziarra Estrada was at a routine prenatal ultrasound when she learned something was wrong with her baby’s heart. She was referred to Driscoll Children’s Maternal Fetal Medicine, which specializes in the detection, evaluation and management of fetal conditions prior to a baby’s birth. Driscoll’s Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists worked hand-in-hand with Driscoll Children’s Heart Center’s pediatric cardiologists and surgeons to determine […]
Two years ago, Coast Guard member Scott Ferguson and his family received the diagnosis that his 8-year-old son Xavier had Leukemia. On Friday, January 7, now-10-year-old Xavier and his family came to Driscoll Children’s Hospital for Xavier’s final chemotherapy appointment. Xavier’s big milestone was celebrated by ringing the bell in the Driscoll Children’s Cancer and Blood […]
Fourteen-year-old Jeremiah Cardona from Weslaco is now able to stand tall thanks to Driscoll Children’s Hospital. Jeremiah was born with congenital scoliosis, which was causing a curvature in his back. He was having difficulty sleeping and it would hurt to lie down. Sochic Contreras, Jeremiah’s mom, said, “He was not a regular little kid. He […]
