Amazing Grace

Before Grace Esposito was born in September of 2011, a congenital diaphragmatic hernia pushed her heart out of place and left little room for her lungs to form and grow. Statistics said Grace would not survive, but statistics did not ac­count for her fighting spirit or the expertise of the staff at Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Grace survived four surgeries and time on a heart-lung bypass machine. For months, she faced adversity with bravery, strength, a smile and often a pink bow in her hair. She overcame so much, but lost her fight in February of 2013. Her grateful parents Vincent Esposito and Jennifer Johnson said of the hospital staff, “They gave us precious time with her when we probably weren't supposed to have any of it.”

“Grace’s Garden” was created by Grace’s parents as a way to preserve their daughter’s memory, thank and honor her caregivers and remind families and patients that they are not alone – even in their toughest times.

“Courage is grace under pressure.”
–Ernest Hemingway