Shriners Hospitals for Children® Patients are ‘Heroes Among Us’
TORONTO – Shriners Hospitals for Children® patients Taylor Long, 19, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Danny Happy, 13, of Cincinnati, Ohio, have been selected as this year’s official patient ambassadors for the health care system. As patient ambassadors, Taylor and Danny represent the thousands of children Shriners Hospitals for Children® help every year. Their stories are featured in the Shriners Hospitals for Children® patient success video “Heroes Among Us,” which premiered on Wednesday, July 7 at the 136th Imperial Council Session – the annual international Shriners convention – in Toronto.
Taylor was born with bilateral fibular hemimelia, which means the absence of the calf bones in his legs. Doctors initially told Taylor’s mother, Karen, that he would probably never walk. With the help of prosthetics, Taylor has done more than anyone ever thought possible, including swimming and participating in major horseback riding competitions. Today, Taylor is an active and outgoing student working toward a bachelor’s degree in voice and drama at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Following the premiere of the video in Toronto, Taylor began singing as the lights in the auditorium slowly faded in. The crowd was amazed by Taylor’s incredible talent and cheered wildly following his performance. After his family was introduced, Taylor gave a short speech thanking Shriners for giving him the confidence to pursue his goal of acting and singing professionally.
Danny sustained second- and third-degree burns over 95 percent of his body when a plane crashed into his Sanford, Fla., home in 2007. Just hours after the accident, he was airlifted from a local hospital to Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Cincinnati. The burns on his body were so extensive he was not expected to survive. During the next seven months, Danny underwent multiple surgeries and grueling physical therapy before he was well enough to become an outpatient. He and his mother relocated to Ohio so he could continue his treatment, and he is again a full-time student. With the help of his teachers and fellow classmates, he started a program to collect aluminum can tabs to benefit the hospital that saved his life.
“The patient success video is always the highlight of our weeklong convention and reminds Shriners of the mission of Shriners Hospitals for Children®: to help kids,” said George A. Mitchell, Imperial Potentate (CEO and president) of Shriners International for 2010-2011.
Previous Shriners Hospitals for Children® patient videos have won top awards at several prestigious competitions, including New York Film Festival, World Media Festival and CINE.
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Contact: Fabiana Lowe, Public Relations, Shriners International Headquarters
Office: (813) 281-7164, Cell: (813) 334-4493, filowe@shrinenet.org
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