Patient Stories
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
Published on November 11, 2016
How CHLA helped one teenager overcome scoliosis to soar in gymnastics and in life
Scoliosis surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles gave 17-year-old Danielle Drake new hope for her aerial gymnastics career—and two inches on the height charts.
Danielle, a... Read More
Published on November 2, 2016
On an uncharacteristically cold and blustery day in Miami this year, Adam Wolf did something that doctors—and he himself—once thought impossible: He got up out of his wheelchair and walked.
He walked for two miles—the last two miles of the Miami Half-Marathon. For the... Read More
Published on October 12, 2016
When Caiden Moran was born, he failed the newborn hearing screening, a standard test given to all babies before they leave the hospital. So his parents brought him back for a recheck. And he failed again.
Caiden, it turned out, was born with underdeveloped cochleae and... Read More
Published on September 27, 2016
I am Kate Schumacher, and I am honored to have the chance to share my story and my journey. I am 15 and a freshman at Marymount High School. I have a twin brother Joe, and he goes to Loyola High School. I am currently on the Marymount Freshman Volleyball Team and... Read More
Published on September 22, 2016
Emboldened by tales of his warrior ancestry, Jeremiah Succar takes the fight to a rare and menacing cancer
“The Succar bloodline is a bloodline of warriors,” his father told him, sitting beside him in his hospital room that evening. “You’re strong. You’re powerful. You... Read More
Published on September 8, 2016
Carmella Cruz, 8, shows it’s not how you dance that matters, but that you’re dancing at all.
Despite all the surgeries, despite the grim prognoses—despite the odds, really—8-year-old Carmella “Ella” Cruz just keeps dancing.
It’s a dance all her own, more of a... Read More
Published on September 6, 2016
Karen Hayhurst was giving her daughter Emily a piano lesson one day when Emily, then 7, piped up with a question.
“Wouldn’t this be a lot easier,” she reasoned, “if I had five fingers on each of my hands?”
Her mother’s response was matter-of-fact. “I told her, ‘... Read More
Published on August 30, 2016
Surgery for hip dysplasia leaves Leana Vardanian pain-free and ready for a bright future.
For Leana Vardanian, the first moment she knew something was terribly wrong came in sixth grade, when she stood up from her desk at school and immediately fell to the floor. Her left leg... Read More
Published on August 18, 2016
All parents face tough questions from their children, but Cynthia Harkins has had to answer some particularly poignant questions from her son, David.
“He asked me once if he really has half a heart,” Cynthia recalls. “I told him that, for some people, this is the easiest... Read More
Published on August 5, 2016
Three knee surgeries followed by a meniscus transplant sidelined the young soccer player for 2 ½ years. He’s now on the verge of returning to the field.
From inside her son’s examination room at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Teresa Torres could hear orthopaedic surgeon... Read More
Published on August 4, 2016
Every time 6-year-old Zayden Rainey comes to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, something magical happens: He grows a little taller.
It happens quickly—in less than two minutes—but no hocus-pocus or magic spells are involved. Even better, there’s no surgery. Instead, David... Read More
Published on August 2, 2016
Dieter Stelling is back in the swim, thanks to the specialized skills of the Children's Orthopaedic Center's Hip Preservation Program.
Dieter Stelling feels right at home in the ocean, where he loves to dive and snorkel, exploring marine life. Out of the water, he prefers... Read More
Published on July 28, 2016
Until the day her family got a surprise phone call from Mitch Seruya, MD, Heather Murillo had been at a loss.
Murillo’s youngest daughter, Stella Carrillo, had brachial plexus palsy—also called Erb’s palsy—a condition that rendered her unable to use her left arm. The... Read More
Published on July 21, 2016
Lying in the back seat of his parents’ car on July 3, 2012, 13-year-old Nathan Newman had no idea just how much his life was about to change.
Up until that summer, when his headaches started, he’d always been happy and healthy. Sports were his life, and he played on club... Read More
Published on July 12, 2016
Since Elise Martinez was 2 years old, she was debilitated by a condition that could not be properly diagnosed. It caused severe impaction in the bowels, arthritis and malnutrition. The many pediatric specialists she saw before coming to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles... Read More
Published on June 13, 2016
A prosthetic leg can’t keep the exuberant 4-year-old from dancing, bike-riding, or hiding from her mother when they’re out shopping.
Don’t believe what Fiona Ashe may tell you. Her parents did not purchase her at Target, though after hearing that claim enough times, her... Read More
Published on June 13, 2016
World Blood Donor Day is a day to acknowledge the individuals who have sacrificed their time to donate blood, and encourage others to do the same. Blood is an essential part of the body that is often overlooked and underappreciated. That is, unless you have an illness such as... Read More
Published on May 18, 2016
Last May, Ava Cardoso-Smith, then 14, strode across the stage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, took the microphone and belted out a rendition of “You Raise Me Up.”
Her performance was part of a charity gala benefiting programs for Los Angeles-area foster children, and the... Read More
Published on May 5, 2016
Hearing the news that you’re about to have your first-born is an exciting time. You might wonder about what your child will look like, or what you’ll name him or her, but there’s a lot to worry about as well. You hope that your child will be a healthy infant and that your... Read More