Each month, CDTC staff nominate one of our children as our Hero of the Month. Each of these special boys and girls are heroes in our eyes. They show strength, perseverance, determination and a positive outlook while facing great challenges.
Their stories are powerful and heartwarming and reflect the impact CDTC and you, our community, has on their daily lives.
Our Heroes
J’lynn’s Heroic Habits
Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center’s (CDTC) Dental Clinic is an exciting place when J’lynn has an appointment. The loquacious eight-year-old looks forward to her visits. J’lynn first sat in the dental chair when she was two. Even at that young age, she was...
Giulia & Her Mom Make a Heroic Team
“Giulia’s mom is the perfect example of how Early Steps moms should be,” shares Riane Santa Cruz, one of the Center’s forty Early Steps Care Coordinators. The Early Steps program provides therapy in the home when possible because we see better results when a child’s...
Yusuf’s Heroic CDTC Journey
June 2020 | Primary Care Center Telehealth has been a gift these days for Whannda, mother of three, including 9-year-old Yusuf who is living with Autism. The new format adopted by CDTC during the pandemic is a convenience for the mom who usually has to travel with...
Braylon’s Heroic Heart
Braylon is a Hero for many reasons, but the one that stands out the most is his happy, always smiling disposition. Braylon had a tough beginning coming into the world. He was born weighing just 1lb and 4oz and spent the first five months of his life in the NICU. He...
Heroic Hailey’s Smile
Six-year-old Hailey is both a hero and a role model according to her Dental Team. As you can imagine, this happy little girl wasn’t always so happy to be in the dental chair. Her first visit with Dr. Alonso was an exam from mom’s lap when she was only one year old....
Don’s a TAFT Hero
Don Simms grew up dealing with a wide range of complicated health conditions including cerebral palsy, seizures and asthma. Although Don is twenty, he is non-verbal and needs constant care and oversight by his family. Don was the family’s first child and mom had a...
Isabella & Madison
Isabella and Madison were born at only 23 weeks, 6 days. The impossibly tiny micro-preemies weighed just over one pound, Isabella weighing only 1.4lbs and Madison even smaller at 1.3lbs.Being born so early, both girl’s systems were underdeveloped. Isabella had blood...
Sophia
The day just got better in CDTC’s Dental Clinic. Seven-year-old Sophia is coming today! This jubilant little girl is a little ray of sunshine for our dentist Dr. Alonso and her team. They look forward to her chatty, happy visits. “Instead of us cheering her up (during...
Zoe
Eleven-year-old Zoe was born with Down Syndrome. Her journey has been challenging, but she’s proven that nothing will hold her back. Zoe’s milestones were tough. Communicating was a barrier; she was only pointing until the age of three. Early intervention would be key...
Octavio
Eleven-year-old Octavio just won his debate competition. It was his team’s first time competing. They argued on topics from bullying to immigration. Their success is sweeter when you realize the members of his team are hearing impaired. Like all parents, Miriam and...
Sarah is Looking Toward the Future
Twenty-one-year-old Sarah is about to successfully complete the CDTC TAFT Program and age out of our care. She is stepping into adulthood as a confident, prepared young woman. Sarah and her family moved to Florida when she was in her teens. She began seeing Dr....
Our Hero Vivienne
South Florida was supposed to be a bright new start for Vivienne’s family. They moved here in sunny July to be closer to the her grandparents. Dad was starting a new job. Mom Sarah was enjoying spending time with her two-year-old. Everything seemed normal, Vivienne...