Because of a congenital condition called hemifacial microsomia that causes one side of the face to be underdeveloped, Luca was born without a left ear and ear canal and had complete hearing loss on the left side. As a toddler, he used a special hearing aid and attended a school for deaf students to develop social and communication skills. While he was doing well, his parents wanted a new solution to help Luca build his confidence. After exploring their options, they met with a pediatric plastic surgeon at Cohen Children’s Medical Center who had performed the world’s first ear reconstruction using cadaver cartilage a few years prior. Using a 3D-printed model of Luca’s right ear, the doctor shaped a similar ear from cartilage and surgically attached it in only an hour. When Luca returned to his kindergarten class, he was beaming with confidence. A few months later, the doctor repositioned Luca’s ear and will continue to add details in the months to come. Today, Luca always has a smile on his face and loves that he can wear sunglasses just like his mom, dad, and little brother.  

Karson was born prematurely at 24 weeks, weighing only one pound. He was rushed to the NICU at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, where he faced numerous challenges, including being intubated, battling infections, undergoing blood transfusions, and struggling with retinopathy of prematurity. Thanks to his committed care team, Karson fought hard and went home after four months. A few months after being discharged, he was diagnosed with stage four subglottic stenosis, a narrowing of the airway between the vocal cords and trachea. His condition required a trach tube, which severely limited his movement. That’s where Le Bonheur’s Collaborating to Help Everyone Effectively Recover (CHEER) Program truly saved the day. The initiative provided essential support to mobilize Karson and help him become more independent, promoting early recovery. Team members worked with his family to forge a trusting relationship and ensure they understood every part of Karson’s condition. Now three years old, Karson is doing well in school and is set to have his trach tube removed and reconstruction surgery shortly after!   

Marcela was born in Guatemala with cardiac and abdominal malformations that reduced her oxygen flow and caused her heart to form outside of her chest cavity. Doctors told her parents, Isabel and Edgar, that Marcela would not survive, but her parents refused to accept this outcome. Fortunately, a TV interview about Marcela’s condition connected the family to Boston Children’s Benderson Family Heart Center. The cardiac surgery team closed the hole in her heart and relieved the obstruction of blood flow. In a separate surgery a year later, doctors placed her heart inside her chest cavity. Today, Marcela is happy and healthy and enjoys playing with her family. Her family is forever grateful for the care she received at Boston Children’s and all the support everyone provided through Marcela’s journey. 

When Kennedy was only six years old, she was diagnosed with a heart defect that required open-heart surgery. Her mom brought her to AdventHealth for Children, where doctors guided Kennedy and her family through every step of the surgery. Kennedy was a superstar during the entire procedure and recovered in just a few days. Soon after Kennedy underwent surgery, she connected with an unlikely friend who was going through a similar experience. Her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Honor, had a heart attack and was taken to AdventHealth for cardiac bypass surgery. When Kennedy returned to school, she ran up to Mrs. Honor with a huge hug. With matching heart scars, Kennedy and Mrs. Honor bonded over their journeys, calling each other their heart-twins. As Kennedy learns more about her heart defect and advocates for others with congenital heart disease, she has a strong role model in Mrs. Honor, who understands what she’s been through. 

During a 20-week ultrasound, Georgia was diagnosed with bilateral fibular hemimelia, a rare birth defect where part or all of the fibular bone is missing. When doctors delivered Georgia, they discovered her right fibula, part of her right foot, and her left toe were missing. After much prayer and research, Georgia’s parents brought her to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The hospital’s pediatric orthopedic surgeon laid out multiple options for the family, ultimately deciding that Syme’s amputation would provide Georgia with the most mobility. At only eleven months old, Georgia successfully underwent the surgery, emerged from her hip spica cast in just two weeks, and was soon fitted for her first prosthesis. Now, at six years old, Georgia is thriving and leading an active life! She loves playing soccer, swimming, tennis, and gymnastics. And her care team left such an impact on her that one of Georgia’s favorite activities is playing doctor!

On a typical summer day at the pool, 15-month-old Caroline was not acting quite like herself. She wasn’t using her right arm correctly and kept falling over. Her parents took her to Wolfson Children’s Hospital Emergency Room, where a brain MRI revealed a complex giant aneurysm, which consisted of balloon-shaped bulges scattered along a blood vessel. A blood clot broke off, causing a stroke, explaining Caroline’s abnormal symptoms at the pool. Doctors at Wolfson Children’s discussed a few treatment options with her family and ultimately determined a craniotomy was the best operation for her case. Two months after Caroline’s initial symptoms, doctors performed the surgery using clips to remodel the blood vessel. The procedure went smoothly, and six days later, Caroline was discharged and feeling like her usual self again. Since surgery, follow-up appointments have shown a minimized risk of another stroke! Today, Caroline is a silly and energetic toddler who loves playing with her older brothers. She has no limitations from her stroke and will continue to visit Wolfson Children’s to monitor her aneurysm.