Meet a Patient
Meet Arielle
Arielle Is Dancing Again After a Life-Threatening Spinal Injury
Thanks to pediatric neurosurgeons, a team of specialized therapists and her own determined spirit, the big-hearted 11-year-old is thriving
Eleven-year-old Arielle has had to overcome some pretty big hurdles in her short life. In 2020, Arielle and her mom, Shakira, were driving to her school when they were involved in a head-on collision. Shakira was transported to the hospital, unconscious. And Arielle was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with life-threatening injuries.
“Ariel had a fractured femur, a large scalp laceration and a significant spinal injury,” says Children’s neurosurgeon David Wrubel, MD. “In 50% of cases, people with this type of injury don’t survive. Arielle was very lucky.”
Arielle required a series of surgeries, including a complex procedure to stabilize her head and spine. Then came the arduous recovery.
“She had to learn how to walk again, dress herself and do other everyday tasks,” says Shakira. “Thanks to speech, physical, occupational and music therapists at Children’s, and many hours of hard work, Arielle is back to her normal self.”
Today, Arielle enjoys dancing, acting and playing the violin. She’s also an active volunteer and started her own charity called Ari’s Angels that collects and distributes care packages to kids at Children’s.
“Arielle is a true miracle and wants to spread light, love and kindness to other children,” says Shakira.
“Dr. Wrubel and Dr. Bruce saved my life. Giving back to Children’s is the least we can do,” adds Arielle.
Meet Eli
With Resiliency, Hard Work and Expert Care, Eli Triumphs Over Epilepsy
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta neurological specialists stopped his seizures with meticulous medical management and precision surgery
For more than five years, Eli Boley has been free from the seizures that disrupted his early childhood. The 10-year-old plays football, wrestles and has made the honor roll at school. These are successes and milestones that Eli and his family were fearful might never be possible.
In 2017, physicians at Children’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center diagnosed Eli with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a mis-wiring of the brain that caused him to have frequent and severe seizures.
“Eli spent months at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, receiving a meticulously constructed series of medications to manage the seizures, while his physicians collaborated with the surgical team to determine if Eli would make a good candidate,” says his mom, Sarah. “We were scared to death, but throughout the whole process, we never felt alone.”
One of the surgeons standing by the Boley family was Joshua Chern, MD, division chief of neurosurgery at Children’s. He carefully considered all treatment options for Eli before performing a craniotomy to remove a walnut-sized lesion located in the front of Eli’s motor cortex.
“Surgery was delicate because the lesion was in the part of the brain that controlled his left arm and leg,” says Dr. Chern. “Disturbing healthy tissue while trying to remove the lesion could significantly affect the left side of Eli’s body.”
With the help of intraoperative MRI, which allows surgeons to more easily distinguish the tissue to be removed, Dr. Chern completed the surgery successfully. Eli had to continue taking anti-seizure medications and endured intense physical and occupational therapy at Children’s to re-learn to walk and regain his strength. But he overcame every challenge he faced.
“The resiliency of Eli reverberates louder than his voice,” says Sarah. “Eli has had a lot of life in his 10 years—from this diagnosis, brain surgery, recovery and losing his daddy suddenly in 2021. But through it all, he remains tender and sensitive to others and knows what a miracle he truly is.”
Meet Eva
Despite OI, Eva Makes Every Day Her Best Day Ever
A genetic disorder might weaken her bones, but nothing breaks the spirit of this inspiring OI Clinic patient
Nine-year-old Eva Fulmer has osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic condition that causes her bones to be extremely fragile and break easily. Eva’s first bone fracture occurred even before she was born. “I was 34 weeks pregnant and went for an ultrasound,” says her mom, Tera. “Doctors told me she had a broken femur.”
Many more bone fractures would follow—around eight in total—in her wrist and in both legs. Each were so severe that they required orthopedic surgery to repair them. “The thing with OI is that you might break a bone just running around on the playground being a regular kid,” says Tera. “Eva has to be her biggest advocate and weigh the risks.”
For Eva to be scared and disheartened would be understandable, yet she is anything but. Her motto: “Today is the best day ever.”
“Despite her OI diagnosis, Eva has never seen it as a disability,” says Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta physical therapist, Melvin Sam. “She is fearless and has a positive attitude in life. She is a constant reminder to me that every day is a gift and you should take full advantage of it.”
“She just loves life,” adds Tera. “She is so adventurous and wants to do all the things. To experience as much as she can.”
With the steadfast support of her family and friends, as well as the quality care she gets from the multidisciplinary team of pediatric specialists at the OI Clinic at Children’s, Eva can live her life to the fullest. “With Eva’s spunkiness and her drive to be successful and not let anything hold her back, I think her possibilities are endless,” says Children’s orthopedic surgeon Jill Flanagan, MD. “I think she’s a miracle child because she represents the next generation of kids with OI.”
Meet Noey
Noey Bravely Battles Leukemia and Helps Other Kids With Cancer Do the Same
The six-year-old tackled her fears and is in the final stages of treatment thanks to the support of her Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta care team
Noelle “Noey” Springer is just six years old, but she knows a thing or two about the power of positive thinking. After fainting suddenly at the breakfast table one morning in 2022, her hometown pediatrician in Pickens County sent her to the Scottish Rite Hospital Emergency Room, where she was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
“I was amazed at how fast everyone reacted,” says her mom, Diane. “They got her back immediately and started testing. We got to the ER around 3 p.m., and she was in her room with an official diagnosis of leukemia by 11 p.m.”
Noey spent weeks at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta receiving multiple tests and treatments. There were some pretty challenging side effects, not to mention the countless pricks and pokes that were especially tough for a girl who’s not a fan of needles. But Noey had a lot of encouragement from her family and the skilled support of her Children’s care team.
“It’s not uncommon for children her age to be nervous,” says Noey’s primary oncologist Lauren Raney, MD. “Our child life specialists, music therapists, nurses and others all worked together to improve her experience and make it as pleasant as possible.”
Also on Team Noey: two very special bears named Bear Bear and Bravery. “Because she’s brave like me,” says Noey.
Noey is now in the “maintenance phase” of treatment at Children’s, receiving a milder chemotherapy monthly to, in her words, “kick cancer’s butt.” She’s definitely gotten her spunk back, and she’s helping other pediatric cancer patients do the same.
“She worries and cares so much for others,” says Diane. “She’s brought kids her blanket, her stuffed bear and even sang to them to help them relax. It amazes me she can be there to support them despite battling with [cancer] herself.”
Meet Samerah
When the sudden onset of acute liver failure required Samerah to undergo an emergency liver transplant, the confident teen approached the complex procedure and challenging recovery with strength and optimism.
In a matter of days, 18-year-old Samerah went from an active, vibrant high schooler to a patient whose condition was so severe, she was put at the top of the liver transplant list. “Her eyes and skin were getting darker yellow. Her speech got a little slower. That was on a Monday. By Friday, she was unresponsive,” says Samerah’s mom, Starla, a Children’s nurse.
Samerah had developed acute liver failure, according to Children’s hepatologist Rene Romero, MD. “Unfortunately, we don’t really know the cause,” he says. “Kids can quickly go from very healthy to in danger of dying. So with Samerah, we knew we had to move fast. Fortunately, we were able to identify a liver donor within 24 hours of putting her on the list.”
Before the six-hour surgery, Samerah was confident, as always. “When the surgeon told us to say our goodbyes, I busted out crying because I didn’t know if I’d see her later. But she was like, ‘Mom, don’t cry. I’m fine.’ And that made me cry even harder because she’s stronger than me.”
Samerah’s tenacity made all the difference during her recovery. “She bounced back super quick. She was only in the hospital for three weeks, which is unheard of,” says Starla.
Today, Samerah is finishing up her senior year, working and spending time with friends, all while managing the tasks needed to maintain her health. A liver transplant was not part of her plan, but she’s determined to use her experience for good.
“I’m thinking of being a motivational speaker, going to schools,” she says. “I want to tell kids that your world can stop at any minute, so don’t take anything for granted.”
Meet Locklyn
When newborn Locklyn was diagnosed with Down syndrome, a heart defect and an underdeveloped nasal septum, her parents turned to Children’s for comprehensive care across multiple specialties. During her pregnancy, Lindy had a premonition her daughter would have special needs. She told her husband Kevin about the realistic dreams she’d been having. But it wasn’t until Locklyn was born that Lindy’s suspicion became more than a hunch.
Locklyn was born with Down syndrome. While the new parents weren’t entirely surprised, the diagnosis still took some time to accept.
“You have an expectation of what your child’s going to be like. I had to grieve that child. But I was in love with this little human being that actually was our reality,” Lindy says.
Lindy and Kevin were quickly bombarded by information about Down syndrome. And then came more difficult news.
“We got the curve ball that evening that she was diagnosed with a heart condition,” Kevin recalls.
Locklyn had an atrial septal defect (ASD), a hole between the heart’s two upper chambers, as well as pulmonary hypertension. Then doctors discovered that she had choanal atresia; her nasal septum had not fully developed.
Locklyn required several surgeries and procedures in a short amount of time, including two open-heart surgeries and a surgery to repair her nasal septum. But through it all, she’s been a ray of light. She’s also proven to be quite determined.
“Somehow she learned to walk while she was hooked up to oxygen and a feeding tube,” says Lindy. “I have no idea how she did it.”
“Locklyn is a miracle child considering how much she’s been through,” adds pediatric otolaryngologist April Landry, MD.
Meet Ariella-Faith
Ariella-Faith had been receiving care at another hospital for a month but was not getting any better. Her mother, Gloria, knew she had to take drastic action. And since Ariella-Faith’s father had died while the toddler was battling her mysterious illness, it was just Gloria and 21-month-old Ariella-Faith on the journey to Atlanta, Ga., in November 2014.
“Upon arriving in Atlanta, they headed straight to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta,” said Rene Romero Jr., MD, Medical Director of the Liver Transplant Program at Children’s. “She was one of the most chronically ill appearing children I’ve ever seen in my career.”
Ariella-Faith’s diagnosis included liver failure, hyperbilirubinemia, Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), failure to thrive, bleeding gums and more. She underwent several rounds of chemotherapy treatments and had many stays in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Children’s. She also underwent a liver transplant at Children’s in April 2017.
“I remember a time in the ICU when there was a complication. It was like all the doctors and nurses were in our room. They did what they know how to do best and she became stable,” said Gloria. “Someone who knew her when she was very sick saw me one day and asked, ‘How is Ariella?’ I said, ‘There she is over there.’ I could see shock on her face, then she whispered in my ear, ‘Gloria, I must confess, I thought she wouldn’t make it.’ That is how bad she was.”
It’s not lost on Gloria what a miracle it is that her daughter is alive. It’s also not lost on 9-year-old Ariella-Faith, who wants to become a doctor when she grows up she can give back.
“She’s been a warrior, you know,” said Gloria. “With what’s she’s been through, I’m so happy she’s here alive today. She’s all I’ve got. I thank God for Children’s and the doctors, nurses and the whole care team at every stage of her progress.”
Dr. Romero said the key to Ariella-Faith’s successful journey is the collaboration and coordination of care across numerous service lines at Children’s, and that the team never gave up Hope that they would help heal the young girl.
“It was a very long journey to get her well, but we never gave up hope, we just kept going through the stages and taking it day by day,” said Dr. Romero.
Now, Ariella-Faith visits Children’s Egleston Hospital every week to check in on how her liver is doing and her overall well-being.
Meet Lex
Celebrating remission, Lex embodies strong will
Lex Stolle had just started fifth grade when he started experiencing symptoms like loss of appetite, fatigue and body aches.
After exams and tests at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Lex was diagnosed with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia in September 2019 at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s. He underwent chemotherapy treatments once a week and in October 2019, Lex celebrated going into remission. After going into remission, Lex continued weekly treatments at Children’s until moving into monthly maintenance chemo treatments in July 2020.
After the toll that treatment took on his body, Lex returned to the activities he loves, such as attending Atlanta United games with friends, acting, and helping the environment.
Lex is now 13 years old and has started the 8th grade. He rang the bell this January to complete his treatment and now has routine monthly checkups. Lex is also an Honorary Construction Manager for Children’s at Arthur M. Blank Hospital.
Lex embodies the Will that patients at Children’s use every day to overcome difficult diagnoses or injuries.