Nyla, 16, had a one in four chance of being born with sickle cell disease due to her parent's genetic makeup. At birth, she confirmed to have the disease and began a lifelong journey of treatment. When Nyla was a few years old, her mother Iriamy decided to take her to see the specialists at Nicklaus Children's Hospital – known as Miami Children's Hospital at the time.
Nyla would be admitted to the hospital with an occasional fever simply for preventative measures. It wasn't until 2018 that she experienced her first real struggle with sickle cell. Nyla traveled to Connecticut with her family where she caught the flu. On her returning flight home, the airplane had to make an emergency landing in Orlando where she was admitted several days for monitoring. She struggled with pneumonia and other complications due to her condition.
Nyla and her family eventually returned home and continued following up on her care. In July of 2020, she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to Nicklaus Children's Hospital where thankfully she did not experience major issues.
“Nicklaus Children's is like a second home to us and we are fortunate to have everything under one roof there. The staff is very attentive, caring and genuine. When Nyla is admitted, I prefer to stay an extra day to make sure everything is fine. That's how comfortable we feel at Nicklaus Children's," said Iriamy.
