“I will never forget the first time I met Fabian,” shared child life specialist Jackie Raftery.
“His entire face lit up as he described his daughter Dianelys’ strength, calling her a beautiful shining light. As he spoke about his family’s faith and fortitude, I knew from that moment we had a family who would work tirelessly to support their daughter’s recovery.” Dianelys, then 8, arrived at Shriners Children’s Boston in critical condition, with her breathing supported by a ventilator. A few weeks earlier, she had been burned over 80% of her body in a catastrophic house fire at her home in Puerto Rico.
“There are no words to describe how I felt when I first saw Dianelys in the hospital in Puerto Rico,” said Fabian. “When I saw her burns and how raw her skin was, I asked myself if she would survive.” The local doctors knew that Dianelys needed specialized burn care to save her life. Researching hospitals with the best outcomes for children with major burns led the family to Shriners Children Boston in early November 2022.
Dianelys immediately became a patient of the acute burn care team led by Robert Sheridan, M.D., chief of staff and medical director of the burn service. Dianelys was fighting a life-threatening infection. Dr. Sheridan surgically removed the damaged skin, and ordered antibiotics and topical treatments to control the infection and stabilize his young patient. Over the next several weeks, the team went through the long process of skin grafting to close Dianelys’ burn wounds. Once the open areas were closed, she was able to come off the ventilator and move into the next phase of her care.
Throughout her first months at Shriners Children’s Boston, Fabian and his wife, Dianelys’ stepmom Marizabel, remained at her side. Their devotion and unwavering faith in their little girl was evident to every member of the care team. As November turned into December and the hospital buzzed with holiday activities, the couple was determined that their daughter would not miss out, though she was unable to leave her inpatient room. They stopped by the holiday parties and visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus. They posed for pictures with the Red Sox and Bruins players who came to bring holiday cheer to patients. They were determined to capture these experiences and create a memory book for Dianelys – as a reminder of the people and events that made her stay at Shriners Children’s so special.
When Dianelys was finally off the ventilator, she was able to begin the rehabilitation phase of her recovery. She worked closely with physical therapist Hilary Smith-Chong, who Fabian said is one of Dianelys’ favorite staff members. Dianelys had lost strength and muscle tone from being intubated for months, yet Hilary was impressed with how quickly she was able to bounce back once she started moving. “Dianelys enjoys drawing and painting, so setting goals for therapies to improve the function of her hands was a big motivator – not to mention the reward of getting her nails done,” said Hilary. The rehabilitation team helped Dianelys transition from the bed to sitting up in a wheelchair and eventually taking her first steps post-injury. That was an emotional and happy achievement for this young girl.
