Meet the Kids
Bulls for Kids is very fortunate to have 3 amazing families. Our families are true inspirations and the pinnacle of what Dance Marathon stands for and constantly remind us of the true meaning behind “For The Kids". Our organization is honored to have these amazing families attend Dance Marathon every year and support our students. Take a moment to meet the heart and soul of our student led philanthropy.
If you have any questions about Shriners Children's Florida or our families, please contact our Family Relations Director at bfkhospitalrelations@gmail.com
Bentley Rogers
Bentley was born prematurely at 29 1⁄2 weeks with quadriplegia cerebral palsy, also known as
spastic quadriplegia; a condition that affects the movement in all four limbs of the body. After
two months in the NICU and a year of being told “he was just behind but would catch up,”
Bentley’s parents sought out physical therapy. A year later, they still were not seeing the results
they wanted and that is when his parents learned of Shriners Healthcare in Florida. His first
appointment was in 2013.
Evelyn Sharrow
With an official diagnosis of Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy, Evelyn became a patient at Shriners Healthcare for Children — Florida when she was just 2 years old. The trusted professionals from our Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) department have provided Evelyn with ankle-foot orthoses (AFO’s) over the years to help provide her stability while walking. She initially started with AFO’s on both sides, but now only wears it on her left leg.
Zavi Gonzalez
an unexpected diagnosis discovered five months into his
Aleisha’s pregnancy meant the challenges Zavi and his family would face would be a little
different. At the same time they heard the words, “It’s a boy,” Aleisha and Arnoldo learned that their son had fibular hemimelia; a rare condition in which part or all of a leg’s fibular bone is missing. Zavi was also born with a little foot that had only three toes and nearly no ankle. Upon receiving this
news, his parents immediately started researching care options for their son. Zavi spent his first 2.5 months after birth at a local hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with tracheal
esophageal fistula (TEF). His esophagus didn’t connect to his stomach, so doctors performed surgery at two days old to repair it. During this time, a nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit introduced Aleisha and Arnoldo to Shriners Healthcare for Children — Florida. After recovering from his first surgery, Zavi went for an evaluation at
the Tampa facility, where doctors recommended amputating his foot.