Impact Report 2024

INSPIRING CARE You fuel dreams that change lives.

Kandace Stratton was 11 years old when she first walked through the doors of Shriners Children’s Lexington. Diagnosed with scoliosis, she spent time in a restrictive brace, and at 14, she underwent spinal fusion surgery. Yet, through the warmth and compassion of her care team, Shriners Children’s became more than just a hospital; it became a family. Now, nearly two decades later, Kandace is the nurse manager of surgical services, overseeing the very place where she once healed. “Having scoliosis led me to this job and this career that I love,” Kandace said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Her personal experience allows her to connect deeply with her patients, offering a unique level of empathy and reassurance. “When they are in pain, and I say, ‘I know how you feel,’ I really mean it,” she shared. “I’ve been in their shoes, and they can see where I am now. That gives them hope.” For Dr. Nahomi Barragan-Carmona, hope came in the form of critical burn care at Shriners Children’s Northern California. As a teenager, she suffered a kitchen accident that left her with burns over 70% of her body. Local doctors in Mexico told her

family there was nothing they could do to help. But thanks to Shriners Children’s and her physician, David Greenhalgh, M.D., then chief of burns at the hospital, Nahomi received care that saved her life and inspired her future. “The physical scars don’t even matter when you know your child is alive and emotionally healthy,” her father once wrote in his journal. Determined to pay it forward, Nahomi became a physician and recently returned to Shriners Children’s to further her training in burn care. She is passionate about bringing this new knowledge back to emergency departments in Mexico to improve burn treatment. “Dr. Greenhalgh and the team at Shriners Children’s saved my life,” she said. “Now, I want to save others.” The amazing care these women received at Shriners Children’s inspired their journeys from patient to caregiver. Your generosity doesn’t just fund medical care; it fuels dreams. Because of you, children facing the most difficult challenges can grow up to change lives—just like Kandace and Nahomi. •

KANDACE STRATTON

DR. NAHOMI BARRAGAN-CARMONA

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