Our patients' stories

Hodgkin Lymphoma: Kyle’s Story
A lump in Kyle’s thigh led to a cancer diagnosis. Today, he’s healthy and playing sports again.

Crohn's Disease: Will's Story
Will, 12, has a very complicated form of Crohn’s disease. His symptoms are under control thanks to the Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Hodgkin Lymphoma: Juwan’s Story
After surviving cancer and a stem cell transplant, Juwan, 14, is paying it forward by helping others.

Hepatoblastoma and Medulloblastoma: Justin’s story
Justin, 8, is a happy kid who loves video games and his scooter. He has survived cancer twice.

Ectomesenchymoma: JR’s Story
When chemotherapy didn’t shrink JR's tumor, his family came to CHOP for proton radiation therapy. Today, the 4 ½-year-old loves riding his bike and playing with his little sister.

Rhabdomyosarcoma: Dylan’s Story
After a year of treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma, Dylan shows no signs of the disease and his family is optimistic about the future.

Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia: Arianna’s Story
Diagnosed with leukemia at age one, Arianna spent more than 15 months being treated at CHOP. Now 2 1/2 years old, she’s is back home with her family and her sassy and adventurous spirit has returned full force.

Leg- and joint-sparing surgery for osteosarcoma: Arnav’s story
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma at age 14, Arnav and his family sought the expertise of CHOP, where a limb-sparing surgery gave him a chance to keep pursuing his passion for cycling.

Two Children, Two Very Different Breastfeeding Experiences
When her second son, Kaashif, was born with medical issues that prevented him from feeding at the breast, Alissa found new ways to approach feeding.

CAR T-Cell Therapy for Relapsed Leukemia: Paulina’s Story
Frantic to save Paulina’s life, her family brought her to the Cancer Center at CHOP where an experimental trial of CAR T-cell therapy cured her cancer.

Mitochondrial Disease: Juliet's Story
Juliet is the first patient in the world to be diagnosed with a rare form of mitochondrial disease. The breakthrough discovery led to the diagnosis of 80 additional patients worldwide.

Heart and Lung Transplant: Riley’s Story
As one of a handful of children in the world who have had a heart and double lung transplant, Riley's journey to recovery is remarkable.

Cerebral palsy hand surgery: Lucas’s story
For the first 10 years of his life, Lucas had limited use of his right hand due to cerebral palsy. A surgery at CHOP gave him the mobility and flexibility that Lucas had always hoped for.

Finger Reconstruction: Caleb’s Story
Caleb can now catch a ball with both hands, ride a bike and button up his own shirt, thanks to a series of reconstructive hand surgeries at CHOP to reduce scar tissues that limited his hand’s movement.

Congenital Pseudoarthrosis of the Clavicle: Harper’s Story
Harper was born with a rare defect in her right collarbone. Surgery at CHOP corrected the condition. Today, Harper is a thriving, active toddler who loves to run, climb and shoot hoops.

Hirschsprung’s Disease: Luke's Story
Luke was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease when he was just three 3 days old, and underwent surgery to remove the affected part of his colon at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Fetal Surgery for Spina Bifida: Scout’s Story
The Watkins family traveled from Florida to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia so that their unborn baby girl, Scout, could have fetal surgery for spina bifida.

Giant Omphalocele: Jameson's Story
When Jameson was diagnosed with giant omphalocele before birth, the positive attitude of the team at CHOP made his parents feel much better about the journey ahead.
Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV): Michael's Story
Michael, 3, had a series of heart surgeries at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to correct a rare heart defect: double outlet right ventricle.

Trisomy 21: Kate’s Story
Kate, 18, doesn’t let anyone stop her. Born with Down syndrome, she is a member of the National Honor Society, a cheerleader, and a volunteer at a local food bank.