Patient Stories

Slaton Spinks was small when he was born, but he seemed healthy. As the Texas baby grew, however, his parents, Brandee and Kevin, started to note some peculiarities. “He was delayed, and he just did things differently,” Brandee recalls. “He’d do the...
This Texas teenager found relief from relentless head pain after traveling 1500 miles to reach the right neurosurgeons in New York
Amanda Wiggin, 34, of Albany, New York, wears a lot of hats: She writes poetry, does volunteer work for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and NAMI Mental Health, plays a lot of bingo, and is an avid reader. One of her most important...
Matilde Anacoreta moved to New York from Portugal at age 7 with her parents, Maria and Miguel, and her brother, Mateus. By middle school Matilde was a typical American girl, enjoying skiing and surfing. But at age 13, Matilde had to take a break...
From the outside, anyone would think Bethany Blonder is a typical 12-year-old: she loves swimming, playing with her brother, Dylan, and their dog, Bailey, hanging out with her friends, and playing video games. In fact, Bethany is anything but...
Cole Sparks was never one to complain. The active 12-year-old Long Island boy lived and breathed lacrosse, and his hard work had earned him a place on the local youth travel team. His proud parents, Chris and Marisa, describe him as “stoic,...
Joe and Christine Pecoraro write about their son Caleb, who underwent surgery with Dr. Greenfield for basilar invagination and Chiari malformation.
Cali Halperin was just 16 years old during the summer of 2016, when she got a headache that wouldn’t go away. A normally healthy and active high school student from New York City, she didn’t know what to do about it except take ibuprofen and hope it...
With those words, a neurosurgeon assured nervous parents that their little girl was in good hands. With an orbital tumor removed without disfiguring their daughter's face, the parents could not be happier.
Ashleigh and Patrick Kennedy spent four years trying to find out why their little girl was so sick. She was already being treated for a blood disorder, but doctors said her headaches were not related to that. Her eventual diagnosis and treatment for...

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