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
Our Hero Imanie
It’s been quite a year for mom Stephanie and 1-year-old Imanie. According to mom, Imanie is her “crazy baby.” Stephanie never knows what to expect next, but it is a wonderful, joyous journey together. Stephanie learned about Imanie’s diagnosis with Down Syndrome while...
Hero Logan Learns to Communicate
Maria worried when her son Logan wasn’t babbling or making noises at 15 months. By 18 months, with no vocabulary, she was fearful. She was desperate to communicate with her toddler. Logan wasn’t pointing or gesturing for things. The only sound he made was “mama.” But...
Hero Bradley Finds Support in our Medical Home
Bradley’s mom describes his health as “very fragile” when he was born. Minerva had difficulties during her pregnancy. Bradley was born by emergency c-section at only 28 weeks. Arriving so early, his lungs had not fully developed. Doctors placed him on a tracheostomy...
Vriana is Our Hero in the Dental Chair
Nine-year-old Vriana has been coming to see Dr. Alonso in CDTC’s Dental Clinic for most of her life; six years to be exact. During Vriana’s first visits to the clinic mom would lift her little girl out of the wheel chair onto her own lap. Today, Vriana’s big enough to...
Parker Graduates with CDTC Honors
Nominated by Kristen Ely, Patient-Centered Medical Home & Quality Manager Parker arrived for his first appointment with Dr. Maria not long after he was born. He was very fragile coming out of the NICU. That was 21 years ago. Today, Parker has graduated from High...
Michael’s Heroic Family
Love. Acceptance. Dedication. Understanding. For Michael’s family, this gets them through their hard days. Michael, now 21, was born with Cerebral Palsy. He is quadriplegic, bound to his wheelchair or bed throughout the day. He also requires extensive medical care,...
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...