Gianna holding a scorecard with professional golfer Tom Kim.
Gianna sharing her scorecard with a Shriner during the tournament.
Gianna with her prosthetics from when she was a toddler.
Gianna Lives Her Best Life at the Shriners Children's Open
Meet Gianna, our 2022 Shriners Children's Open patient Standard Bearer representing Shriners Children’s Southern California.
Before she was born, Gianna was diagnosed with proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD). PFFD is a rare condition that causes a deformed or missing femur bone. Gianna was born without a femur in her left leg, along with other limb deficiencies including hip malformations.
She had her first visit with us when she was 3 months old at our Los Angeles hospital. At 9 months, she received her first prosthetic. A few weeks later, the then 16-month-old took her first steps and she never looked back.
Gianna and I had a fantastic time from start to finish, 10 out of 10.
Today, Gianna keeps busy by competing in soccer, swimming, softball and fencing. She also plans to add water polo to her resume when she enters high school.
During the Shriners Children's Open this past October, Gianna and her father Sean had the opportunity to hang out with many other patients from around the system and had a blast. She met with PGA pros, and had a chance to be out there with them on television as the tournament proceeded. "Gianna and I had a fantastic time from start to finish, 10 out of 10," said Sean.
Another opportunity Gianna had was to raise funds for Shriners Children's. She had a goal of $5,000 and finished with a whopping $11,398!
Shriners Children’s means everything to Gianna, and she is thankful for what the healthcare system does for not just her family, but also many other families.
We are proud to have had Gianna represent Shriners Children’s Southern California at this year's Shriners Children's Open tournament.
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