Unstoppable Kids

At Shriners Children’s, our patients face challenges that would make most of us stop in our tracks — but not these kids. They bounce back, figure out new ways to do things and light up every room they enter. They are unstoppable.

Making a splash

Kruz’s family calls him “Nemo,” after the plucky clown fish in the movie, “Finding Nemo,” and lovingly refers to his left arm as his “Lucky Fin.” “Just keep swimming” is an unofficial family motto — a phrase that perfectly captures Kruz’s determination. But behind his playful spirit, Kruz has faced challenges that have tested him from the very first moments of life.

Kruz’s birth was difficult, and he was diagnosed with Erb’s palsy, an injury affecting the nerves in his neck and left shoulder. The injury left him with no movement in his left arm, which hung limp at his side. He wasn’t able to crawl or bear much weight on his arms, so he adapted by scooting on the floor to get around.

Everything changed when his family brought him to Shriners Children’s Philadelphia. There, his care team combined surgery with rehabilitation to restore function to Kruz’s arm.

Kruz underwent two surgeries: a closed reduction to push his arm back into the shoulder socket, then an open reduction with a nerve transfer. Combined with physical and occupational therapies, Kruz now has greater rotation of his left arm and improved fine and gross motor skills. He feeds himself, hands out high-fives and is learning to reach his arm out to the side.

Even during weeks in a post-op cast holding his shoulder, Kruz remained cheerful and resilient. At just 2, Kruz is truly unstoppable.

He celebrated his first birthday with a “Finding Nemo”-themed party that included swimming. Sometime soon, no doubt, Kruz will be splashing around with both arms as he continues to gain mobility and rotation in his “Lucky Fin.”

Joy in every step

When you meet Carlotta, the first thing you notice is her radiant smile. Her parents, Mike and Lisa, say the best word to describe her is “joyful.” Despite facing more medical challenges than most children ever will, Carlotta exudes happiness and determination.

Carlotta was adopted from China in 2023 at age 7. At the time, she could not walk and had only limited speech. She had significant orthopedic needs, including arthrogryposis, bilateral club feet and hip dysplasia. Her new family knew immediately where to turn. “We knew she needed a lot of medical care, and we knew Shriners Children’s New England had the expertise to help,” Lisa recalls.

Carlotta began outpatient therapy and quickly became a beloved part of the care team’s world. Her physical therapist, Lynn Taylor Glass, PT, DPT, remembers their first meeting vividly. “She came in sitting in a little umbrella stroller, and we gave her a wheelchair to try. Within minutes, she was squealing with delight, wheeling around the clinic, saying hello to everyone. It was the first taste of independence she’d ever had. It was pure joy.”

Over the next year, Carlotta underwent multiple surgeries — first on her hip, then on both feet. She spent much of 2024 in casts, including a chest-to-ankle spica cast. Yet her spirit never wavered. “Even when she was immobilized, she laughed every day,” Mike said. “Her attitude kept us all going.”

When the casts finally came off, Carlotta was ready to move. In therapy, she practiced using walkers, gait trainers and the Zero G — an innovative ceiling-mounted harness system that allows children to practice walking safely.

One of the most memorable moments occurred on the playground. “She had just gotten out of her casts,” Lynn remembers, “and with her walker, she made her way up the ramp to the slide — for the first time in her life. It took her 45 minutes, but she did it. A few weeks later, she climbed it in four.”

Now 10, Carlotta walks with forearm crutches, pedals an adaptive tricycle and proudly manages daily tasks like using the bathroom independently. “Carlotta reminds us why we do this work,” Lynn says. “Her joy and determination make every challenge worth it. She is truly unstoppable — her journey is only just beginning.”

Game on for Iván

When Iván was 11, his life changed forever after a tragic car accident took his father’s life and left him with severe burns.

His remarkable journey of healing began at Shriners Children’s Northern California, where he underwent nearly 50 surgeries and years of rehabilitation, relearning how to walk and function.

Two passions carried him through the long, painful process: basketball and video games. Shooting hoops gave him a tangible goal, physical exertion and a connection to friends. Mastering a gaming controller required adapting his grip and rebuilding dexterity. “It helped me find my own way of using my hands,” Iván says. These activities became both his escape and his proving ground, showing daily that he could overcome new challenges.

The care Iván received went beyond physical; it reshaped his outlook on life. “My therapists and doctors showed me I don’t have to do stuff the way others do, but to find my own way,” he explains. This mindset unlocked his academic future, giving him the confidence to pursue a psychology degree.

Now 19, Iván’s journey with Shriners Children’s continues. His mother, Paloma, has been a pillar of strength from the start. Early in his treatment, she told the medical team, “You are going to save him, and then you are going to talk about what a great achievement it was.” She has witnessed his unstoppable spirit firsthand. “When Iván was born, I knew that he had a very special reason for coming into this world,” she shares, “and he has shown it to me every day.”

Iván now aims to become a hospital counselor. He is thriving, channeling his loss into a future dedicated to helping others. For Iván, being unstoppable means forever moving forward and honoring his father’s legacy with every step he takes.

Her eyes tell the story

Haylee experienced a serious complication at birth that left her deprived of oxygen. Doctors diagnosed her with quadriplegic cerebral palsy — a condition that affects all four of her limbs, making movement difficult.

Haylee began receiving care at Shriners Children’s Erie in 2021 when she was 3. Now 7, she has come a long way. Occupational therapist Emily Madder, MS, OTR/L, quickly noticed that Haylee understood far more than she could express.

Haylee experiences muscle stiffness, weakness and poor motor control, making it nearly impossible to press buttons or switches. The team turned to an eye gaze device that tracks eye movements to select words or symbols on a screen.

During an early therapy session, when asked to “find the duck,” Haylee’s eyes went directly to the correct toy. When shown a colorful button board, she looked at the right color each time.

Within four months, Haylee learned to request her favorite things. Soon, the screen was filled with words that reflected Haylee’s wishes and personality: “yes,” “no,” “good,” “Grandma,” “ice cream,” “more” — and her most treasured phrase, “I love you.”

“For Haylee, the eye gaze device has been the key to communicating with teachers, friends and family,” said Haylee’s grandmother, Loretta. “It allows her to be actively involved with other students, answering when the teacher asks what the weather is like or what day of the week it is. It has fulfilled our hope that one day Haylee would be able to say, ‘I love you’ to her grandma and papa.”

Lighting the stage

“Every now and then you meet a child who is so remarkable they take your breath away,” said Kristen Carroll, M.D., discussing the first time she met Phippin in 2021. “He’s one of those kids.”

Phippin is no ordinary teen. Born with Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting the brain, spinal cord and immune system, he has faced significant mobility challenges from a young age. Phippin’s mom, Emily, said, “We are fighting against something that is actively fighting against us.”

He has endured strokes, nerve damage and surgeries — obstacles that would have slowed anyone down. But for Phippin, these challenges fueled his determination to try new things and chase big dreams, including his breakout role as Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol.”

Phippin began care at Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City when he was 10. It was there he met Dr. Carroll. At the time, his feet were turned inward so severely that standing and walking were extremely painful. Dr. Carroll performed corrective surgery that straightened his feet and dramatically improved his mobility, allowing him to continue pursuing his love of acting.

By 2023, Phippin experienced a rapid decline due to the progressive nature of his condition and lost the ability to move his lower limbs independently.

Unable to play with friends or participate in theater, the loss was isolating. That’s when inspiration struck, or as he called it, his “big lightbulb.” Wanting to bring people together and create joy, Phippin founded his own theater production company, Phip’s Theater Co.

“I wanted to get kids together and not feel so lonely,” he said. In the process, he created a space where kids can connect, have fun and feel included.

With help from Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City, Phippin didn’t let the degenerative nature of his condition keep him from doing the things he loves. “Shriners Children’s has given me so much and they have helped me through really hard times,” he shared. “I should give back.”

In Phip’s Theater Co.’s production of “Matilda the Musical,” Phippin starred as the infamous Miss Trunchbull. What’s more, he donated the proceeds from that production to Shriners Children’s and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, excited to give back to the organizations that have supported him. That’s true star power.