Life came full circle: He delivers baby 34 years after delivering tot’s mom in same Miami hospital
Thirty-four years ago, OB-GYN Dr. Rolando De Leon delivered his first baby at Mercy Hospital, a girl named Erica Ramirez.
Through the years, the doctor went on to deliver thousands more in our community.
Then, in March, while winding down his long clinical career, life came full circle for Dr. De Leon.
He delivered the baby of that first baby, at the same hospital.
“Delivering Erica’s baby in a way marks the eventual conclusion of one aspect of a career I have always enjoyed, which is delivering babies,” he said. “I look forward to wrapping up my clinical life to devote myself to mentoring and guiding medical students toward their chosen careers.”
Joining in the happy birth were Erica Ramirez’s wife, Natalia Ortega, and mom, Myriam Ramirez, who is the elated grandmother to baby boy Julio José Ortega.
A long-time healthcare leader, De Leon is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of HCA Florida Mercy Hospital and is currently chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Nova Southeastern University.
“The main reason why I’ve been at Mercy for so long is that they took a chance on me and supported me and the practice I wanted to build – which is a small town country practice in a big city. I am happy to say that the practice continues,” De Leon said.
He and his wife, Debbie, have their own children — 38-year-old twin boys Jorge and Felipe, and a 24-year-old daughter Maria-Teresa, who goes by “Mati.” Mati is following in her father’s footsteps and is in school to become a physician. She is teaching an anatomy class at Nova Southeastern University, the same school where her father teaches the next generation of OB-GYNs.
“I am so grateful for my wife Debbie’s support all of these years,” De Leon said.
“I couldn’t have done it without her support. Countless times we’ve been dressed up heading to a wedding or a dinner and we’ve had to turn into Mercy for a delivery. She’d follow me into the facility gown and all. That was her. She did it happily.”
Miami history tours, talks set
Bea Brickell, great-granddaughter of Miami founder Mary Brickell, is teaming up with South Florida historian Cesar Becerra at a series of events that celebrate the early days of our beloved city.
On June 11, history lovers can join Becerra’s Brickell Avenue walk with guest Bea Brickell. The two-hour tour starts at 10 a.m. at the Brickell Mausoleum in Brickell Park and includes stops at the Miami Circle, the oldest mansions on Brickell, and the new Brickell, ending at Mary Brickell Village.
Later, at 6 p.m., the duo will discuss Becerra’s book “Orange Blossom 2.0” about Mary Brickell’s role here, and a project they are working on together about the epic 1924 South Seas voyage of The Kaimiloa. The talk will be at Books & Books Coral Gables.
On June 12 at 10:30 a.m., they will present The Story of Mary Brickell, a children’s program, at The Culmer Overtown Branch Library.
More events run through June 14 including a lunch with lecture, a Rotary event, and a bus tour. For tickets visit https://www.sideshowcharlie.com/wheres-cesar
Sharks golf team wins title
The Miami Beach Nautilus Sharks golfers won the 2023 Miami-Dade middle school county championship at Palmetto golf course April 26 beating five other schools to capture the title.
The team won the tournament on the second playoff hole to secure the title. They were led by Lexi Weismann, Jordan and Hunter Greenfield, Joaquin Fernández, Tomas Olusczak, and Ian Devoto. Lexi came in second place in individual scores while Jordan and Joaquin both finished in the top ten.
Congratulations, Sharks! This was their first county title after being runner up four other times.
Artists present pollinators exhibit
Birds, butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, and even aquatic zooplankton, are all represented by local botanical artists at this exhibition in the Wirtz Gallery, 5750 Sunset Dr. in the First National Bank of South Miami. It is free and open to the public, during bank hours, through June 30.
The original works emphasize the complex natural relationships, and the variety and variability of creatures that pollinate South Florida’s abundant plant life. The artists are members of the Tropical Botanic Artists collective. All pieces are fairly large, about 20 inches high, so visitors can learn to identify the plants and their pollinators.
In our remaining pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks, glades, and coastal mangroves the connection between plants and pollinators is crucial. These codependent relationships, though not always obvious, can be extremely strong. Without one, the other will not survive. You can learn more at www.tropicalbotanicartists.com
Florida youth win river cruise
Four South Florida eighth-grade students Benjamin, Arianna, Owen and Maximo won the AAA-The Auto Club Group essay contest in which they shared their travel passions.
The AAA Discovery Crew, as they’re called, traveled to Amsterdam for an educational river cruise through Belgium and the Netherlands thanks to a partnership with AAA, AmaWaterways and Allianz Global Assistance. Sixty students in 14 states were selected.
“We were amazed by the passionate responses from the many students who expressed their interest in going on this trip,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA — The Auto Club Group. “The winners chosen are different in many ways, but each shares a similar enthusiasm for travel.”
They studied local history, art, science, nature, and food. Besides sampling local cuisine and visiting historic landmarks such as the Anne Frank House, the students enjoyed tours such as riding bicycles near the famous Holland windmills. The U.S. students also met eighth-graders at two different schools to learn what life is like in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.
