Florida Children's Hospital (see more articles like this)

WHAT: Nine-year old Julissa Fuentes is playing Twister, jumping on the trampoline, and most importantly going to the bathroom by herself.  On Wednesday, September 1, she will head home to Honduras with a new lease on life.  In June, Julissa came to the United States from Honduras to undergo an eight-hour procedure to correct her rare birth defect and receive extensive rehabilitation.

Julissa suffered from a condition called exstrophy of the bladder, a rare birth defect where her bladder was on the outside of her body.  On June 21, Julissa underwent an eight-hour procedure, which included breaking her pelvic bone, to correct the condition.  On August 6, she began rehabilitation and was only able to take 10 wobbly steps with a walker.  Now after only a month of rehabilitation, Julissa can walk without a walker, balance on a trampoline, and play Twister. Monday, August 30 was her last rehabilitation session and she will go home to Honduras on September 1.

Julissa was able to undergo this procedure free of charge thanks to the efforts of Florida Children’s Hospital, a non-profit medical mission organization called “Mountain of Hope,” Nemours Children’s Clinic, several renowned physicians, and many others. 

WHEN: JULISSA LEAVES ORLANDO ON SEPTEMBER 1

VISUALS: Video with interviews and b-roll available today

• Catch up with Julissa as she exercises and plays Twister in rehab
• Julissa talks about how her life has changed after this surgery
• Interview with Florida Hospital physical therapist, Jill Rosenberg, on Julissa’s quick recovery