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(Click on photos to read more about our heroes)
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Lizzie Bell
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Michelle Griener
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Gavin Achilles
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Emma Nichole Miller
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Ronnie Sharpe
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Michael Bass
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Lizzie Bell
"Finally - a medical center just for kids!" said Lizzie Bell. "This is going to be so cool!" Lizzie should know. Diagnosed with Diamond-Blackfan anemia when she was six weeks old, Lizzie has spent a great deal of time in the hospital. "I've been coming to UMC every couple of weeks to receive blood transfusions, so UMC is like a second home to me."
Lizzie's mom was delighted when she heard about Diamond Children's Medical Center. "We've had to travel out of state for some specialized services," said Mrs. Bell. "We've been in children's hospitals, and you can definitely see the difference. Kids love them."
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Michelle Griener
"It's really rough having cancer," said Michelle Greiner. Michelle was a senior in high school when she was diagnosed with Granulocytic Sarcoma in 2005. "Being at UMC made it that much easier. Everyone was so compassionate, took time to get to know me. This was so important to my recovery."
After rounds of chemotherapy, daily blood transfusions, eight weeks in the intensive care unit and two surgeries, Michelle was not only able to return home - she started college at The University of Arizona in August 2006. "The doctors and nurses at UMC are incredible. They inspired me to want to become a nurse."
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Gavin Achilles
"UMC is where we first found comfort regarding our son," said Erin Achilles, Gavin's mom. "We were concerned and scared parents who needed answers. And at UMC, answers we got." Gavin was four months old when Dr. Fayez K. Ghishan first saw him at UMC. Dr. Ghishan is head of the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Arizona College of Medicine and director of the Steele Children's Research Center. He found that Gavin had a digestive disorder called Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis.
"We were completely taken aback by all the amazing staff and their extensive knowledge. All the staff understands that when a child is a patient, the whole family is the patient," Erin explained. "We have always been treated with nothing but kindness, respect and honesty."
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Emma Nichole Miller
Emma was due June 4, 2008. But her mom, Jennifer, had a seizure the morning of March 16. Emma was born prematurely at UMC a few hours later. Weighing in at just two pounds, five ounces, Emma spent her first months of life in the neonatal intensive care unit. "We had a scare," said Robert Miller, Emma's dad. "Dr. Heather Cahan and the UMC staff have been just great. They were very helpful and informative. Emma and her mom are doing very well now."
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Ronnie Sharpe
"UMC is a great hospital," Ronnie said, "and the Cystic Fibrosis Center there is absolutely phenomenal - so much so that most CF sufferers from Southern Arizona and many from Maricopa County are treated here.
One of my UMC physicians, Dr. Wayne Morgan, has been treating me for over 27 years. When I'm being treated by people who know both me and my illness well, I know that I'm getting special care."
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Michael Bass
Michael Bass is an athletic 9-year-old boy who loves football and playing with his dog. Born with only one heart chamber, known as tricuspid atresia, Michael underwent open heart surgery at UMC when he was just 15 days old and subsequently had two additional surgeries.
Michael has been cared for by Steele Center pediatric cardiologist and researcher Dr. Scott Klewer. "Through every step in his heart care, Michael has shown tremendous determination and resolve. It's inspiring to see what Michael is accomplishing with his single pumping chamber," said Dr. Klewer." Today, Michael is an active little boy with a big heart," says his mom, Laura. "We're so pleased with the care he has received."
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