Children’s Health Honors “Superhero” Patients Olivia Solis and Amelia Van Der Merwe on Cape Day

Children’s Health Recognizes ‘Superheroes’ Like Olivia Solis and Amelia Van Der Merwe on Cape Day
In 2018, viewers were moved by a story about Dallas ISD school board member Jacqueline Norton’s infant daughter, who needed a heart transplant shortly after birth. Now six years old, Olivia Solis is thriving thanks to the care she received at Children’s Health. Her father Miguel credits the hospital with saving her life and notes that today “when you look at [Oliva], she is like any other kid.”
Another patient who earned a cape for superhero strength is 9-year old Amelia Van Der Merwe, diagnosed as an infant with both prematurity and cerebral palsy. Despite her doctors initially telling Robin, Amelia’s mother, that their daughter would never be able to play team sports due to the condition, early intervention helped her overcome these obstacles. Today, she enjoys playing soccer and basketball.
Children’s Health recognized both Olivia Solis and Amelia Van Der Merwe as superheroes during its annual Cape Day event on Friday. Robin noted that while doctors and providers at Children’s are often overlooked in favor of the patients they help heal, their work is essential to providing care for children like her daughter who need it most. She encourages other kids facing challenges to never give up hope or let anyone discourage them from achieving their dreams.