Patient Stories

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Patient Story

‘Nothing will stop me’

Little Zinnia DeMaria has defied the odds since Day 1. Now the 7-year-old is in 'turbo mode' after 22 surgeries and months in the hospital.

Patient Story

‘You’ve given her a new life’

Shoulder pain haunted 84-year-old Julie Meiste every moment of every day. After shoulder replacement surgery, she looks forward to living pain-free.

Patient Story

Helping Grandpa, bead by bead

A 10-year-old’s craft project becomes a source of motivation for people receiving stem cell transplants.

Patient Story

‘He can do the impossible’

Henry Brown is defying the odds and working to beat a rare cancer with the help of his sidekick Jack-Jack and a whole team that loves him.

Patient Story

‘You saved my life, man’

A Michigan State Police trooper in need of a new liver gets a living donor transplant—from a friend on the force.

Patient Story

‘I would not put limits on him’

There are many things medical experts thought Everett Oostveen would never do. This spunky 3-year-old is defying all odds.

Patient Story

Healthy and grateful

During a trip to her Michigan cottage, a burst aneurysm lands a Dallas woman in the emergency department. Two surgeries later and she's up and running.

Patient Story

‘An amazing, strong kid’

Jaelyn, a 4-year-old with spina bifida and limb differences, proves she’s a warrior—just like her military dad.

Patient Story

‘A small, big miracle’

Hurtling down the road to amputation, a funeral director undergoes a last-ditch endovascular intervention to save his leg.

Patient Story

The right pace

Joint replacement surgery meant Tom Tellier had to give up running—but he ultimately gained a pain-free life with plenty of activity.

Patient Story

The vestiges of war

Vietnam veteran Patrick Wilson, a former smoker, underwent surgery for lung cancer—only to learn he had an enlarged aorta, too.

Patient Story

‘I knew I was down and out’

When knee pain meant she had to give up walking her beloved dog, Elizabeth Winstanley realized the time had come for surgery.