The story of two teens treated at Springfield Shriners hospital who fell in love
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Two teenagers who received care at Shriners Children's New England in Springfield reflect on falling in love as patients nearly 30 years ago.
As patients of the Springfield hospital, Dan was being treated for a weak muscle condition in his shoulders and Julie was receiving care for scoliosis, a common spine condition often found in youth. In 1996, they met at the Harvest Ball, an event Shriners Children's held for patients. Julie who was 13 years old at the time and Dan, 16, spent the evening together, lovestruck.
Dan and Julie have been together ever since, nearly 30 years. The former patients of Shriners Children's now live in Templeton and are also celebrating over 20 years of marriage and have two sons.
This local hospital received accolades for best in healthcare
'I never would have imagined I would meet my wife where we were both getting treatment for our conditions,' said Dan. 'Two years after we met, we attended the annual Shriners Children's Harvest Ball as a couple. If it wasn't for Shriners Children's, Julie and I wouldn't have the wonderful family we have now. Whenever I tell people how my wife and I met, they are always so surprised by how remarkable our story is. Now, we are celebrating over 20 years of marriage and have two wonderful boys together.'
Shriners Children's continues to be an important part of their story. Their oldest son Daniel began experiencing back pain at the age of 12. He is being treated at Shriners for kyphosis, a forward rounding of the back including surgery on his legs to correct the rotation of the bones.
'I definitely did not think my husband and I would be going back to Shriners Children's as parents,' said Julie. 'We feel the utmost trust and confidence in Shriners Children's because of the care my husband and I both received as children. We know what it's like to be in Danny's shoes. And now, we finally get what our parents went through and how stressful it was to be on the other side, taking their children to appointments. We can't thank the staff enough for the care they've provided us as kids and now Daniel.'
Shriners Children's has locations throughout the country and is a nonprofit healthcare system who are committed to improving children's lives.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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