Patient Stories
Published on August 1, 2017
Marnie Blakey doesn’t remember anything about Feb. 5, 2007—anything before 10 p.m., that is. The phone call came at 10. She will always remember it, and of course, everything that followed.
Prior to that call, though, the day is a blank. Did she force herself out of... Read More
Published on July 31, 2017
Miguel Torres is a 14-year-old center midfielder with a big dream: to one day play professional soccer.
“I love soccer. I like moving the ball around and having the ball at my feet,” the Gardena teen explains. “And I really like running.”
While a lot of kids love to run... Read More
Published on July 13, 2017
This story originally appeared in the TroDent, the official publication for the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. Read more stories like this in their Summer 2017 issue.
Madison Carmenate can easily call Children’s Hospital Los Angeles her second home... Read More
Published on June 22, 2017
The ancient rabbis decreed there are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood and the crown of royalty. But the crown of a good name surpasses them all.
Some of these children come to him without names, so this most faithful Muslim does what the old... Read More
Published on June 8, 2017
Palmer Naftal wasn’t supposed to jump that day.
It was the first track meet of the 2017 season, and the 17-year-old Calabasas High School junior was standing on the sidelines, watching his teammates compete in the long jump—and growing increasingly restless.
Last... Read More
Published on May 31, 2017
The way 16-year-old field hockey sensation Abigail “Abby” Jackson sees it, the same Children’s Hospital Los Angeles doctor changed her life twice.
The first time, James Stein, MD, now chief medical officer, operated on a 3-day-old baby. The second time, more than a decade... Read More
Published on May 18, 2017
One toy can make a world of difference.
After nearly three years of extended stays at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, this was one of the most enduring takeaways for 6-year-old Valentino Ricciotti and his family. From early 2012 till late 2015, Valen, as his family calls him... Read More
Published on May 11, 2017
By Sarah Brown
For a 4-day-old infant, 3½ hours is a long time.
For his mother, it feels like a lifetime—when he is having open-heart surgery to correct a congenital heart defect.
Benjamin Clark was born at a healthy 9 pounds, 12 ounces on April 15 in Bakersfield,... Read More
Published on March 28, 2017
There was a time, not so long ago, when 15-year-old softball standout Devin Waddell might have let a bad game get her down. When she’d sometimes head home upset if her pitches hadn’t hit their mark, or she’d had an 0-for-4 weekend at the plate.
But that was before she found... Read More
Published on March 13, 2017
Brian Hacker had never met anyone else with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a disease he was diagnosed with when he was just 2 weeks old. That is, not until he came back to visit the hospital that diagnosed him, to volunteer at a camp specifically designed for kids with the... Read More
Published on March 9, 2017
Thomas Hoag was 6 years old in 1967, and getting sicker by the day. As a little boy, he remembers being carted around from one doctor to the next. None of them could figure out what was wrong.
“My parents have told me that I didn’t want to play or do anything,” Hoag... Read More
Published on February 23, 2017
In May 2011, at her grandmother’s birthday party, Viviana Flores did something nearly unheard of for a 6 year old: She turned down a piece of cake.
She and her mom, Diana Hernandez, had just come from the doctor’s office because Viviana had a stomachache. Her cousin... Read More
Published on January 20, 2017
Imagine a newborn so small you can hold her entire body in one hand. Then imagine the overwhelming concern and responsibility you would feel for her fragile life if this were your own child. For Nicole and Danny Castro, it doesn’t take any imagination; their daughter, Indi,... Read More
Published on January 20, 2017
A muscle disorder has frozen her body and impaired her speech, but with every academic achievement, the straight-A college freshman delivers a message to those who can't see past her disabilities.
You have to fight the inclination to ignore Connie Morales. Diminutive,... Read More
Published on November 29, 2016
A Family Fighting Leukemia Finds Answers, Care and Hope
The signs were subtle. A less persistent person might have listened to the advice from the first few doctors, and just chalked it up to a sinus infection and the overactive imagination of a new mom. But Ashley Kramer... Read More
Published on November 29, 2016
When 15-year-old Jenny Cheng learned that she’d been accepted to a prestigious summer ballet and language program in Russia—earning a significant scholarship—she was beyond elated.
But on that same day in April 2015, Jenny and her family also learned that her scoliosis (... Read More
Published on November 29, 2016
Kennedy Rae Lewis’ mom expected her first ride to be in the back seat of her car on the way home from the hospital. Instead, it was in a helicopter, just hours after she was born—and it was a ride on which her life depended.
Kennedy arrived ten weeks early via emergency... Read More
Published on November 29, 2016
In October 2009, Megan and Christopher Pierson welcomed daughter Saylor at a local hospital near their home in Newport Beach, California. Even though their little one was born six weeks early, the proud parents were thrilled. “She was pink and crying and looked perfect,”... Read More
Published on November 28, 2016
Carter Holt is the hero and protector of his little brother, Forrest, who suffers from vascular malformations and kidney failure.
“You’re doing a good job, buddy.”
Those are the loving words 5-year-old Carter Holt whispers to his little brother, Forrest, whenever he... Read More
Published on November 21, 2016
A twelve-year-old's golf dream made possible by bone marrow donor sister.
Immediately after watching “The Short Game,” a documentary about elite 7-year-old golfers descending on the world-famous Pinehurst Golf Course to determine the next world champion, Marley Franklin... Read More