This December, Ryan and Valeria Esko and their foundation, Juntos Regalando Sonrisas/Together Giving Smiles hosted a special holiday party for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital hematology and oncology patients and their families outside the Advanced Pediatric Care Pavilion.
The children got to visit with Santa Claus and his elves, take pictures with Zeus the Pet Therapy Dog and his canine friends, meet Mickey Mouse and other costumed characters, and enjoy delicious treats and fun entertainment.
For more than five years, the Esko family and Juntos Regalando Sonrisas have hosted this meaningful event, allowing patients and their families a few hours of respite from their illnesses and treatment. Juntos Regalando Sonrisas’ mission is to provide access to basic needs, play and wishes for children faced with economic and/or health challenges in Latin America and South Florida, to enrich their lives with hope, spirit and happiness. They aim to host events and initiatives that will give children “smiles” by allowing “a kid to be a kid.”
About Nicklaus Children's Health System Where Your Child Matters Most™ (2026)
For more than 75 years, Nicklaus Children's Health System has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children. Nicklaus Children's provides pediatric care across a growing network of hospital and community-based partnerships, including care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center, select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units, and Nicklaus Children's Hospital Fort Lauderdale and Nicklaus Children's Hospital Coral Springs each located on the campuses of Broward Health. The hospitals and their network of more than 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin and Palm Beach counties. outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS).Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children's is an academic and clinical affiliate of the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children's Orthopedic, Sports Medicine and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children's Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. The 474-bed system is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with more than 40 pediatric specialties and an ambulatory surgery center. For more information, visit nicklauschildrens.org.