Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Kept Sabrina and Her Dreams Alive
Twice in 18-year-old Sabrina’s young life, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital has come to the rescue.
When she was 6 years old, her appendix ruptured and the infection spread through her body. For nearly two weeks, family and friends were at the little girl’s bedside at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
“Sabrina almost died,” says her mother, Felicia. The family credits Gary Birken, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, and the hospital’s remarkable healthcare team with saving Sabrina’s life.
“I can’t say enough about Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital,” says Felicia. “They are just tremendous, especially when a parent is going through a frightening experience with a young child. I would recommend Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital to anybody.”
The family especially appreciated the open visitation that allowed Sabrina’s friends and teachers to visit, and the supportive care and understanding the staff extended to everyone.
“Her room became a home away from home,” Felicia says. “It took the fear out of being at the hospital and it became a wonderful place. We felt so much love.”
Sabrina remembers that childhood hospital stay, too.
“They just took such good care of me and made me feel really important,” she says.
Dancing Toward the Future
In the years since that extraordinary recovery, Sabrina has become an accomplished dancer. Her repertoire encompasses different styles, and the demanding practice schedule keeps her busy four hours a day, six days a week, at two different dance schools in South Florida. The only thing that’s ever slowed her down is her bad knee, but not for long. Under the care of orthopedic surgeon Randy Cohen, MD, and the pediatric orthopedics team at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, she has recovered by leaps and bounds.
“When I was 15, I dislocated my knee at the Orlando Ballet summer program in 2005,” Sabrina says. “I was in a cast for six weeks, and then I had six weeks of physical therapy. A year later, my knee started making this popping sound.”
An X-ray determined the source of the problem: two small bone fragments that were embedded next to her kneecap, causing abrasion and discomfort. Dr. Cohen scheduled her for surgery to remove the bone chips and tighten the tendons on the side of her knee, which had stretched out like a weakened rubber band. As a dancer, Sabrina needed those tissues to move or “track” with utmost precision so she could perform confidently and without risking injury.
Sabrina was in and out of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in less than a day. “The nurses were sweet,” she says. “They taught my parents and me everything we needed to know about what to expect during my recovery at home.”
After the operation, Sabrina’s leg was kept immobile for two weeks in an adjustable brace. During week three, Dr. Cohen adjusted the brace to increase the motion in her knee, and every week thereafter he adjusted it until week six, then the brace was removed and Sabrina could exercise her knee in physical therapy.
“My knee is perfect since the surgery,” she says. “It tracks perfectly, even better than my other knee. I’m now doing Pilates to keep both legs strong. It all came back.”
Today, Sabrina hopes to become a professional dancer, and she thanks Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for helping her keep that goal in reach.
“I’ve always been able to count on Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital,” Sabrina says. “First they saved my life, and then they saved my dreams.”
Real people. Real stories. The Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Experience.
To find a physician who is committed to putting the patient first, call Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Physician Referral Service toll-free at (866) JDCH-DOC. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
