Patient Stories

Meet the young patients who inspire us to do our finest work. Twins who needed lifesaving surgery while still in their mom's womb. A teenager whose new lungs helped her return to cheerleading. A toddler who faced and beat an aggressive form of leukemia. Follow their journeys here.

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4-Year-Old Has a Total Pancreatectomy

A 4-year-old with pancreatitis and damage to her lungs and heart was one of the youngest U.S. patients to undergo a total pancreatectomy. Read her story.

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A Cure for Boy's Frightening Epileptic Seizures

A boy with hallucinations was diagnosed with epilepsy. After pediatric neurosurgery at UCSF to remove an abnormal growth on his brain, he's seizure-free.

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A Lifesaver for Baby: Specialized Pulmonary Hypertension Care

A baby with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) has hernia repair surgery and infusion therapy for PH at UCSF.

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After AVM Brain Surgery: From Stroke Patient to SnowFest Queen

A girl born with arteriovenous malformation (AVM) has a stroke, undergoes pediatric brain surgery at UCSF, and returns to school and snow skiing. See more.

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After Two Lung Transplants, Teen Gets Her Life Back

A high school cheerleader with severe pulmonary hypertension returns to the sidelines after two lung transplants. Read her inspiring story.

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Bone Marrow Transplant Helps Baby Beat Aggressive Leukemia

A girl with difficult-to-treat leukemia (AML) recovers, thanks to care from a pediatric leukemia expert at UCSF. See the whole story.

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Boys' Friendship Began in UCSF Dialysis Unit

Boys with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis met in our pediatric dialysis unit and have supported each other on their kidney disease journey ever since.

Critical Heart Support Helps Baby Thrive

The family of a baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) gets critical support from the Single Ventricle Home Monitoring Program between critical cardiac surgeries.

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Dad's Liver Donation Saves Baby With Biliary Atresia

A father donates part of his liver to save the life of his baby son born with biliary atresia. Find out why a liver transplant was the only option.

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Dramatic Recovery for Teen With Pulmonary Hypertension

Follow a teen's pulmonary hypertension journey, from always out of breath to walking a 5K, and the nationally recognized pediatric team that helped her.

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Fetal Surgery Saves Boys with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome

Boys with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) have lifesaving fetal surgery at 17 weeks and become happy, healthy babies. Read their story.

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Fetal Surgery Saves Her Twins' Lives

A woman whose unborn babies had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) has healthy, full-term babies after close monitoring and a fetal laser procedure.

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Finally Leukemia-Free at Age 6

Family-centered care helps parents cope with their young son's acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) diagnosis. Find out how he made a full recovery.

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From Tiny Preemie to Nonstop Toddler

A 3-pound preemie with tracheoesophageal fistula and unable to swallow had surgery hours after birth. Now he's a toddler who loves animals.

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Girl With Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Breathes Freely for the First Time

A girl with cystic fibrosis (CF) is given an innovative drug under UCSF pediatric pulmonologists' care and goes from zero energy to Zumba classes.

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IMRT Radiation for Bone Cancer Saves Her Leg

A 5-year-old with aggressive bone cancer receives high-dose radiation therapy (IMRT) from pediatric cancer specialists to save her leg. Read more.

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Intensive Migraine Headache Treatment Gives Teen His Life Back

A teen with severe migraines gets long-term relief after intensive inpatient treatment from our pediatric migraine specialists. See the story.

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Lydia's Lung Failure and How Doctors Saved Her

A girl with lung failure fully recovers after UCSF pediatric doctors remove a blood clot from her chest and open her collapsed left lung. Find out more.

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Myasthenia Gravis: BMT Enables Boy to Walk Again

A boy with myasthenia gravis was running out of care options. Pediatric doctors at UCSF pushed for a bone marrow transplant. Now he's going to college.

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Pacemaker Lets Boy Play Sports, Live a Normal Life

A boy born with an abnormally slow heartbeat returns to his favorite activities with the help of a pacemaker. See how it changed his life.

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Preemie With Pulmonary Hypertension Saved by Intensive Care

Intensive pediatric cardiac care saves the life of a young girl with heart failure from pulmonary hypertension and a severe respiratory infection.

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Repairing a Baby's Diaphragmatic Hernia, Before and After Birth

Newborn's congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is repaired by a world-renowned UCSF pediatric and neonatal surgeon shortly after birth. Find out more.

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Stapling Surgery Reverses 9-Year-Old's Scoliosis

A girl with progressive scoliosis now has no signs of spine curvature. Here's how vertebral body stapling (an alternative to fusion) reversed the problem.

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Teen Battling Ulcerative Colitis Wins Sports Award

A teen athlete and aspiring journalist with ulcerative colitis has surgery to remove and reconstruct his colon. Follow his journey back to wellness.

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Teen Soccer Star Back on the Field After Heart Surgery

A teen soccer player with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome gets back in the game after a catheter ablation procedure to correct his heart arrhythmia.

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Teenage Dystonia Patient Pain-Free After Surgery

A dystonia patient's mother tells his story of muscle spasms, disruptive pain, and the deep brain stimulation surgery that restored his quality of life.

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Teen's Blood Cancer Story and Award-Winning Documentary

A teen beat dual blood cancers (AML and MDS) via a UCSF pediatric bone marrow transplant. See the award-winning documentary she made about her experience.

Three Surgeries for Baby With a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

Born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a boy undergoes multiple procedures by UCSF pediatric and fetal surgeons to repair it. Read more.

Trauma Team saves teen surfer from paralysis

When 15-year-old Marcos Ornellas broke his neck surfing, spine surgeons were able to save him from paralysis. With physical therapy, he was able to walk again.

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Treating a Baby With Neuroblastoma

A 6-month-old boy with neuroblastoma is cancer-free after surgery and chemotherapy at UCSF's pediatric cancer program. Find out more.

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Treatment for Leukemia Saves Baby's Life

A baby with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and a 10 percent chance of survival makes a miraculous recovery after a pediatric bone marrow transplant.

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Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome Success Story

Unborn babies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome have lifesaving fetal surgery at UCSF and are born healthy.

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