June 2026 – David, 17, has the best views from his “classroom”, where he works on his finance class project with Leola, a home/hospital teacher at La Rabida Children’s Hospital.
The assignment is to develop a business plan, and David has it all measured out. He’s an aspiring chef who hopes to open his own diabetes-friendly restaurant.
“One thing I’m really good at is cooking,” says David. “It’s really calming and helps me feel like I’m in control.”
In September 2025, David started his journey toward recovery from organ failure and severe type 1 diabetes. As part of his medical management plan, David couldn’t eat any food at all, but it still didn’t deter his passion for cooking and sharing his creations with others.
“He came in with a complex injury that damaged his intestines and muscles, and was TPN dependent, and only getting IV fluids,” says Dr. Tulsi Patel, our inpatient hospitalist. “La Rabida is a unique place, and we’re able to provide continuity of care and acute medicine. Our goal was to get David strong enough mentally and physically so he could have the ostomy reconnection to restore his normal digestive process.”
From the moment David came to La Rabida through months of rehabilitation and education, his optimism about his future continues to grow.
“I remember the first day I met him in our session,” says Megan, physical therapist. “He’s a tough kid. He is motivated to get back to walking and living his life. He was the one who asked to walk with the walker for the first time a few months ago, even though he was only able to stand for a little bit.”
Our clinicians care for each patient with individualized attention, which is integral to building trust and communicating a care plan effectively.
“There’s an emphasis on what you see from the outside that isn’t what’s going on inside or what he’s feeling in our teen patients like David,” says Megan. “There were certain educational components that would call for repetition, like helping him understand that small decisions on snacking can amount to a healthier lifestyle.”
David and his family had the ingredients for a successful recovery trajectory. Paired with his tenacity and the expertise and collaborative efforts of his care team, David is now able to eat food up to three times a day. Xavier, child life specialist, says David always had the determination to accomplish his goals, but it’s the experience he’s had at La Rabida that’s made the biggest difference.
“It’s awesome to see those moments where he even surprises himself,” says Xavier. “He has such confidence, and that’s going to help him stay disciplined in what he’s learned during his care.”
Since David’s surgery in June, he’s weaned down on his TPN hours and other medications, which has freed him up to spend more time creating more dishes in the kitchen, and he can taste them too!
