Patient Stories

A back brace kept Gina's idiopathic scoliosis in check for years until a growth spurt at age 15. That's when her family sought surgical help from spine experts at CHOP.

Born with severe chest and spine deformities, Keegan's future looked dim until his parents found Robert M. Campbell, MD, and the innovative VEPTR device he created. 

Diagnosed with severe scoliosis and thoracic insufficiency syndrome, Salma traveled from the Middle East to Children's Hospital for life-saving VEPTR treatment.

Megan Ward is the mother of two childhood cancer survivors, Mollie and Grace. Ward's experiences with her two daughters has led her to become an advocate for childhood cancer research. 

Just two days after complaining that her leg hurt, 2 1/2-year-old Hailey Tamagno was with her family at CHOP getting a shocking diagnosis: acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

When a CT scan showed a tumor in Jake’s brain, he was sent to CHOP immediately for surgery. Doctors diagnosed the mass as Ewing sarcoma, a type of cancerous tumor.

Joey was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when he was 6 years old. A year later, he and his family participated in the Parkway Run to raise funds for cancer research at CHOP.

Born with Down syndrome and a congenital heart defect, Alex Volz was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 27 months old.

At 15, Carly Stephens was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. She received several rounds of chemotherapy at CHOP and today, she's a happy, healthy college student. 

When Mary McKernan was 3 years old, she was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare brain cancer. She was treated with surgery and proton therapy at CHOP.