
When Eli came home from baseball practice this past April with bruises on his body, his mom Jessica, an internal medicine specialist, and his dad Bryan, a trauma surgeon, didn’t think anything of it. “We assumed his coach was just throwing hard pitches, because every time Eli got hit with the ball, his skin bruised,” says Jessica. But 10-year-old Eli didn’t let a few bruises stop him. He continued to play baseball and basketball, work hard in his fifth grade classroom and goof off with his two younger sisters, 6-year-old Anna and 3-year-old Sarah.
Overcoming cleft lip and palate: Aiden finds his smiley sense of humor
As they anxiously awaited the results of an 18-week ultrasound, Bonnie and Adam knew something wasn’t right. “We have a 4-year-old, Michael, and I never remembered having to wait after an ultrasound,” says Bonnie. “The longer we waited, the more I started panicking.” Sure enough, their suspicions were confirmed. The technician told the new parents that their baby, Aiden, would most likely have a cleft lip and cleft palate. …
Miranda Day: More than a diagnosis

Miranda Day was born with a rare type of congenital scoliosis and a tethered spinal cord, a condition where the spine is split into two and entwined towards the tailbone. After her first surgery in her family’s home state of California, it became clear to doctors that it wouldn’t be her last. “Scoliosis isn’t life-threatening, but it can be a detriment to your well-being,” says Day. “My parents’ goal was to give me the best quality of life and not have any setbacks physically or otherwise.”
Helping Olympian Aimee Buchanan get back on her skates
Like many young athletes, Aimee Buchanan dreamed of going to the Olympics. But unlike most athletes, she skated her way to success, overcoming multiple injuries along the way. A dual American-Israeli citizen, Aimee competed for Israel’s figure skating team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She placed 10th in the women’s short program team event and ultimately helped her team finish ahead of both South Korea and France. …