Our Patient Stories

Every day patients pass through Parkland’s doors with inspiring stories of struggle, hope and strength. Here are just a few of the lives that have been healed by Parkland.

The Man with Two Birthdays

“I didn’t know how long the transplant was going to work,” said Gilbert Hernandez, who in 1978 received a life-saving kidney transplant at Parkland Memorial Hospital. Nearly 50 years later, every day he wakes up is a milestone, placing him among the longest-living kidney transplant recipients in the world.

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Fort Worth firefighter credits Parkland burn staff for second chance

What began as a routine house fire call on Sept. 3, 2025, quickly turned into a life-changing day for Fort Worth Firefighter Caleb Halvorson.
Caleb and fellow Station 11 firefighters were working to extinguish a house fire in Fort Worth’s Historic Southside neighborhood when the garage roof suddenly collapsed, crushing him under the debris. After one minute and 44 seconds, Caleb was pulled from the rubble and airlifted to the Parkland Memorial Hospital Burn Center for emergency treatment.

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In good hands

When a Labor Day fish fry turned into a fiery accident, Leon Sulak of Farmers Branch didn’t expect to spend the holiday in Parkland Memorial Hospital. A grease fire that started in the garage of his East Texas lake home caught his leg before he could move the pot outside. His wife rushed him to the nearest hospital, where doctors quickly arranged a transfer to Parkland’s nationally recognized Burn Center.

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A healing bond: Parkland, SPCA of Texas care for patient, his dog

When Mark Deveraux arrived at Parkland Memorial Hospital’s emergency department last month, he wasn’t just worried about his own heart. He was worried about his dog, Sapphire.

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Two Diagnoses, One Determined Woman

“How could I be dying?” an exasperated Fain asked—reeling from the news about the spread of her cancer. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
A reality-altering gut punch to a seemingly invincible woman.

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