Kenneth, also known as “KJ,” of Longview, Texas, is 6 years old and full of life. He plays baseball with The Miracle League of East Texas and spreads happiness wherever he goes. Though he needs assistance to walk, not much slows him down. Thanks to Scottish Rite for...
For 15-year-old Adriana of Prosper, Texas, volleyball is more than a sport. It is a bond she shares with her twin sister, Sofia. After years of playing together at home and school, the sisters joined a beach volleyball club dedicated to helping junior athletes develop...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2025 – Issue 3 The hope of winning is what fuels 10-year-old Andrew, a passionate multisport athlete of Redmond, Oregon. He always plays with a heart full of ambition, unaware that this same spirit would be a guiding force throughout...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2025 – Issue 3 Chaplaincy Care is a meaningful part of life at Scottish Rite for Children, and it is available to everyone. This service provides spiritual, religious, emotional and cultural support to patients, families and staff...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2025 – Issue 3 Family means everything to 6-year-old De’Vaun, of Forney, Texas. Most of De’Vaun’s favorite activities, like watching movies or playing with Legos, are enjoyed best with his parents and older sisters. What he did not...
Cover story previously published in Rite Up, 2025 – Issue 3. by Kristi Shewmaker It happened after school. At an innocent game of touch football, Noah was tackled from behind. He never saw it coming. At just 11 years old, Noah’s knee pain began. A bone bruise in his...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2025 – Issue 2. By Kristi Shewmaker Meet Hanna, a 12-year-old of Flower Mound, Texas, who loves listening to music while drawing; Bella, a 13-year-old all-around athlete of Lewisville, Texas, who enjoys soccer; and Coleman, a...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2025 – Issue 1 Just two days after Christmas, 4-year-old Brigham, who goes by Briggs, underwent what he calls his “Transformer” surgery at Scottish Rite for Children. Briggs, of Longview, Texas, loves playing with cars, trucks and...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2025 – Issue 1 “This is me, this is who I am, and I am not ashamed of it,” says 17-year-old Chloe, of Panhandle, Texas. She lives by this motto. With hopes of competing in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, she is a rising star...
Actor, filmmaker and screenwriter Jordan Walker Ross describes Scottish Rite for Children as a place of love and hope. Shortly after Jordan was born, his family brought him to Scottish Rite for cerebral palsy (CP), which affects his muscles and movements. Jordan also...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 3. Eight-year-old Déborah aspires to be an athlete like her role model Darlene Hunter, a 2016 Paralympic gold medalist for Team USA’s wheelchair basketball team. Déborah actively engages in dance, golf, tennis, softball...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 3. by Kristi Shewmaker “I can’t wait for you to see the little tricycle up in the ceiling,” BJ said to his wife, Ashley, when they arrived at Scottish Rite for Children in January 2023. Ashley and BJ Burton drove from...
Cover story previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 3. by Kristi Shewmaker Emily Claire, of Plano, spends most of her time raising two pigs — Dolly and Kenny, named after Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Like the country legends, Dolly and Kenny are not related....
Cover story previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2. by Kristi Shewmaker Hance Taplin is a connector. In 2011, he founded By Way of Dallas to connect both sides of U.S. Highway 75 through conversation sparked by streetwear that he creates. “I use the apparel...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2. Fifteen-year-old Zion, of Glenn Heights, is preparing to become an esthetician when she graduates from high school. Her mother, Tiffany, bought her a mannequin that she uses to practice giving facials and applying...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2. In January of 2023, Delilah, a 12-year-old from San Antonio, was helping her mother, Angie, clean the house. As Delilah bent over to pick up something off the floor, Angie noticed that her backbone protruded from her...
Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 1. Lino is an inventor who is set on changing the world. “Problems without solutions inspire me to invent,” he says. “I’ve been tinkering with stuff since I was little, but I didn’t realize all this problemsolving was...
KaDeyja, of San Antonio, enjoys watching Cocomelon® and listening to her favorite song, “The Wheels on the Bus.” During her physical therapy session at Scottish Rite for Children, this animated music video set the tone, creating a playful atmosphere and soundtrack to...
