Personalized Care

We're committed to providing individual attention, compassion and care to help children pursue their dreams and thrive as adults.

That's why we develop carefully considered, individual care plans focused on each child's unique needs and long-term well-being. A key part of that care plan is our specialized, multidisciplinary care team – the physicians, surgeons, nurses and staff who will support your child along his or her journey. Your care team will take a collaborative, family-centered approach to treatment, and you'll be involved every step of the way.

We take the time to build a relationship with each child and their family, understanding their interests and goals, helping them develop self-esteem, and encouraging them to have faith in their dreams. And we often go beyond medical care to make those dreams come true. We encourage children to actively pursue their interests and provide information on programs they might enjoy, such as special summer and winter camps, the Patient Ambassador program, and adaptive sports opportunities – modifying an existing program to fit a child’s individual needs. Through these efforts, we help children gain the confidence to become active participants in their schools and communities.

At Shriners Children's, we never stop looking for ways to enhance the quality of life for children. Many of our patients come to us after the family has been told that nothing can be done for the child. We're here to prove otherwise. Our entire team is committed to finding ways to improve children's lives and give them the resources and determination to succeed.

In addition to building meaningful relationships with a child, our personalized approach includes partnering with their family. We'll guide you through the process, explaining the complexities and implications of your child's medical condition, reviewing all of your options, and providing you with helpful resources, so you can make the best decisions for your child's health. And then, we stay in touch as your child gets older, to address any changing needs.

We're always looking for ways to enhance quality of life for children. From pioneering research and medical treatments to forming connections that build their confidence, we are committed to helping children overcome their challenges and move forward with grace and strength.

Some have said that Shriners Children's performs miracles. It’s not that the care provided – whether it be any of a range of therapies, a surgical intervention, or creation of a prosthetic or orthotic device – is a miracle. It’s that our staff doesn’t give up, believes improvement is possible, knows what kind of treatment to offer, and spends the time and effort necessary for each patient.
Mary


Read How We're Helping Our Patients

We are committed to giving each patient our full attention, supporting their goals and dreams and doing all we can to ensure they receive the care needed to have a full, productive life. Here are a few patient stories that demonstrate this commitment.

Personalized Care Across Generations

Follow Kendyl's journey, fueled by specialty care to treat her clubfoot and a remarkable bond with her father, who was also treated by Shriners Children's for clubfoot.

A Long-term Relationship with Lasting Impact

See how Hadley's brittle bones never broke her spirit – thanks to her close relationship with her orthopedic surgeon.

Embracing His Superpowers

Watch Liam transform into his favorite superheroes as he triumphs over scoliosis.

Relentless Hope: The Stories of Carlota and Brandon

Every year, Shriners Children's selects two International Patient Ambassadors to represent the healthcare system's patients. We are proud to introduce our 2025-2026 International Patient Ambassadors Carlota and Brandon, and share their incredible stories.
View Transcript
Carla, Carlota's Mother:
Well, the story of Carlota starts in a very nice and beautiful way because I wanted to wait to have another child until my first was old enough to be independent. So I waited seven years and a half and we were expecting Carlota.

Tata, Carlota's Grandmother:
[in Spanish 0:27 – 1:00]

Carla:
Carlota was a baby that needed a lot of stuff. She was crying from start to the end.  I told the doctor, Please make her all the exams necessary to know that everything is correct. He told me like, Okay, Carla, you were right. Carlotta has a brain palsy. He told the name that now it's easy for me to say my name. It's Emi Paredes, espastic, spastic, hemiparesic. 

Carlos Armando Velasco-Hildago, MD, Orthopaedic Surgeon at Shriners Children's Mexico:
[in Spanish 1:37 – 2:30]

Carlota:
In Shriners, they treat you the best way possible. All the attention, the help, the medical feedback, it's amazing. You wouldn't get that anywhere else. Every single person there, they make you love yourself more.

Carla:
To be blessed to have Carlotta as my daughter has inspired my life because nothing has been easy. But we've been there to support each other for the good for the bads. 

Carlota:
I'm really proud of myself. I feel confident. I feel strong. I feel capable of showing the world what I want to show. I'm looking forward to being an Olympic champion and the best international patient ambassador that they have had in Shriners's history.

Kathleen, Brandon's Mother:
Brandon was a healthy, active six-year-old boy. In fact, he had just finished playing his last baseball game of the season, and we had noticed he had a little dribble, so maybe start of a cold or something. By Tuesday, his teacher mentioned that he had had a really bad headache, and Wednesday, he He woke up with a fever. So, of course, kept him home from school that day. Thursday, things were just progressing. You could tell he just wasn't feeling great. Saturday morning, Brandon woke up, and I was downstairs. We heard a loud bump. 

Brian, Brandon's Father:
I ran into his room, and he told me he couldn't move his arm, and he couldn't move his leg. And I scooped him up.

At that point, we did take him, and I remember carrying him into the emergency room and telling him what was going on, and just the complete feeling of helplessness. 

Dan A. Zlotolow, MD, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at Shriners Children's Philadelphia:
Acute flacid myelitis is what he has, or we call it AFM. It's basically the new polio. It was 2014 when AFM really made its debut. Brandon, he was the second year of acute flacid myelitis that we saw in the US. 

Keith K. Gettys, MD, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at Shriners Children's Greenville:
Acute flacid myelitis, which can mean that you have some weakness and you lose the ability of some of your nerves to work. It primarily affected his lower extremities and his upper one arm. He's received lots of treatment for that at various trines along the way, lots of therapy.

Brandon: 
The hardest thing I've ever done was learning to walk again, not only physically, but also mentally. It was one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things. As a six-year-old, it was a really big thing to be able to just even do something as simple as walk.

Brian:
One of the OTs shared with us about some of the new developments that Dr. Z and Dr. Cozen were doing in Shriners in Philadelphia.

Brandon:
Before the surgery, I had zero function in my arm, and I couldn't do anything with it. I can now do a bicep curl, and I can function and eat almost like normal.

Dr. Zlotolow:
I think Shriners occupies a very special place in the medical system.We have become the center for acute flacid myelitis in the world. It just shows you how if you have the right resources, you can tackle really difficult problems that other people are not able to tackle.

Brandon:
I've never been anywhere that I feel the same way I do at Shriners. Everybody knows you. Everybody is doing their absolute best to make sure that you to get what you need, and that is one of the greatest feelings.

Learn More

About Shriners Children's

Shriners Children's is an innovative health system that's changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education.

Patient Services & Resources

Learn more about patient services and resources at Shriners Children's.

Our Mission

Shriners Children's is committed to compassionate, high-quality care that improves children's lives, in a family-centered and collaborative environment.

Research at Shriners Children's

Learn how Shriners Children's is using innovative research to advance pediatric health care.

We're always here for our patients, regardless of a family's ability to pay.