NAME: YEHEE
CONDITION: CEREBRAL PALSY
LOCATION: SHRINERS CHILDREN’S SHREVEPORT
Yehee, 28, a self-described math nerd, works as an educator in the education technology field. A former patient of Shriners Children’s Shreveport, Yehee was 6 when she moved with her family from South Korea to Houston, seeking a better life and treatment for cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture.
Her family first heard about Shriners Children’s when Yehee was in second grade through their church pastor, who knew about the healthcare system’s reputation for bringing families hope and healing. Although there was a Shriners Children’s location in Houston at the time, it was determined that the Shreveport, Louisiana, hospital would be the best fit for Yehee and her family.
Every year, for the next several years, Yehee’s family would make the trek to Shreveport. She had a major surgery from her hips to her toes when she was around 8 years old.
“Shriners Children’s was a great community, provided a lot of support and I met some amazing people,” Yehee said. “I had great physical therapists. They taught me how to tie my shoes and put my braces on, things you don’t really think about that are really crucial to my day-to-day life.”
Thanks to the wrap-around care provided by her team at Shriners Children’s and her family’s support, Yehee became more independent.
Her dreams are big. In September, she started a podcast called “Hello, My Darlings,” with the goal of amplifying the voices of the disability community and helping people feel unified in their human experience no matter what their background.
She received her U.S. citizenship this year and hopes to work for the Department of Education with a focus on social education by creating opportunities for the disability community. “Some things you miss if you’re not in that community,” she said. “I want to be the person from the inside making that change.”
