MIAMI (WSVN) - Crews were hard at work as they built hope at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
Jack and Barbara Nicklaus themselves were at the campus Tuesday morning to make a life-changing announcement.
“The chance of a healthy life for a child is the greatest gift you can give a family,” Jack said.
Billionaire and CEO of Citadel, Ken Griffin, made a historic $25 million donation to the children’s hospital, which is one of the largest single donations ever received by the hospital.
“Ensuring all children have access to high-quality health care has been a priority of mine for many years, and I’m honored today to play a role in the important work of this incredible institution,” Griffin said.
The money will be used for a state-of-the-art surgical tower that the hospital said will transform pediatric surgery in South Florida.
Matthew Love, the president of the hospital, described the inside of the new building.
“The new surgical tower will be finished next year,” he said. “These operating rooms will be large and expansive, we’re going to have the best technology. We already have the best surgeons, nurses and recruitment, but it’s really going to elevate that bar across Florida and the country for state-of-the-art surgery for kids.”
This will serve families with children undergoing complex surgeries, like those of the heart and brain.
The new addition, named the Kenneth C. Griffin surgical tower, will have 12 operating room suites, presurgery, recovery spaces and waiting rooms, augmented reality surgical technology, robotics and intraoperative monitoring and more advanced technology.
“It’s definitely very, very happy feelings,” said Love.
Families like the Farrows have been cared for at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital when their baby Kai needed open heart surgery at just two weeks old.
“It was a scary time. Kai started going into heart failure, unfortunately, which we did not foresee,” said Jackie. “The surgical team, the ICU team, they all acted quickly and he had surgery, and now, it’s as if nothing happened.”
Seeing the donation gives the family hope more families will be touched by the miracles performed here.
“I think it’s just nice to give back and see that hope given to other families,” Rob said.
The new tower is currently under construction.
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