Big Miracles for Little Patients

What does it mean for your child to be treated by our medical experts? Our patients and their families share their stories.

We combine state-of-the art facilities, the latest research-backed care and University of Miami Health System physicians with staff who are focused on the full wellbeing of each child and their family and caregivers. There is no better way to understand the UHealth Jackson Children’s Care experience than through their stories.

Young man on hospital stretcher smiling next to a sign

Young Man Thrives While Receiving Dialysis at Holtz Children’s Hospital

Timothy Torres, 22, has suffered from chronic kidney disease his entire life. He sustained damage to his kidneys while in his mother’s womb, leading to him being born with posterior urethral valves – a blockage in his urinary tract. Torres’ first kidney transplant took place when he was 6 years old.

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Boy sitting in hospital room with oxygen valve

After Three Cardiac Arrests and a Ventricular Assist Device Placement, 9-Year-Old Boy Receives Heart Transplant at Holtz Children’s

When Lina St. Preux, 44, was six months pregnant, her doctor informed her of devastating news – her baby had a congenital heart defect.

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A young boy, man, and woman in a medical room, the young boy has medical devices around him

Bulgarian Boy Born with Congenital Heart Defect Travels Across the World to Receive a Transplant at Holtz Children’s Hospital

Seven months ago, Maya Ilieva and Kalin Kamenov didn’t know if their 6-year-old son, Venelin Maev, would be alive today. Originally from Bulgaria, Venelin was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

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A closeup of a woman holding a baby within a medical room

Baby Born with Congenital Heart Disease Receives Treatment at Holtz Children’s Hospital

Yelsi Consuelo Sosa Fermín was just 19 weeks pregnant when she was given the news all expecting mothers dread – there was something wrong with her baby. During a scheduled ultrasound, a doctor noticed the baby’s heart was beating too fast.

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A woman and young child smiling at the camera, they are both sitting outdoors

Young Boy Undergoes Life-saving Neurosurgery at Holtz Children’s Hospital

When Christina Belboda looks at her son, Zayne Obileye, she’s thankful to have him in her life after he nearly died. In October 2018, when Belboda picked up her then 13-month-old son from her local daycare, she knew something was wrong with him.

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A group of people and medical professionals standing in front of a colorful wall, they smile at the camera

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at UM/Jackson Enables Injured Orlando Gymnast to Return to Her Sport

Ella Chase was in the middle of her gymnastics season, getting ready for a state competition, when she began feeling a pain in her back. “Nothing I did was making it better, but I felt I had to push through the pain,” Ella said.

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A young patient sitting down next to a medical professional who is standing behind him

11-year-old Boy Overcomes Brain Tumor Diagnosis

11-year-old Samir Rahman started complaining of sharp pains in the back of his head whenever his parents drove over speed bumps. His mother, Shanta Reza, initially dismissed her son’s concerns. Over time, Samir’s pain went away.

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A group of medical professionals, a woman, and a young boy, they all look towards the camera, they are all wearing face masks

A Mother’s Unconditional Love Gives Son a Fighting Chance to Receive a Life-saving Kidney Transplant

When Araceli Cantero Obregón was seven months pregnant, doctors in Nicaragua told her that her son Edgard Sequeira would have hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the ventricles of the brain.

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Young woman and physician standing next to each other within a medical office, they are both wearing face masks

Young Woman Reconnects with Physician Who Saved Her Life as a Baby From an Airway Disorder

“I was high-risk in my second trimester,” said Rivera. “I was given steroids to try to speed up the development of Tyani’s lungs but my kidneys were failing at the same time, and I was rushed into surgery.”

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Two young girls standing next to Santa Claus, there is a sign that reads Thank You Miami Transplant, hashtag donatelife

Naples Twin Celebrating Her Third Transplant Anniversary after Rare Diagnosis of Alagille Syndrome

Three months after delivering healthy twin girls, the new parents noticed that one of their daughters, Ella, was developing differently than her sister, Lacy.

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