Meet Stephanie

If there is one person who embodies the spirit of love and possibilities at the Elizabeth Seton Children’s, it is Stephanie Gabaud.

By enduring and thriving despite severe and complex medical conditions, Stephanie has become more than a young adult of defining grace; she is the face of a crisis that threatens lives like hers when young people age out of a children’s care center and have nowhere to go.

Stephanie has lived most of her life at Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center, starting from just three months old. The challenges she’s endured since birth are immense –spina bifida, Arnold-Chiari malformation, hydrocephalus, neurogenic bladder and failure to thrive. On top of that, she’s lived through countless painful and often risky surgeries. Stephanie has overcome every obstacle with a level of courage few can comprehend and credits her love of music and art for helping her through some of the most difficult days of her childhood.

Today as a 26-year-old young adult, Stephanie is inspired by and deeply connected to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. In fact, a sculpture of her standing with Mother Seton welcomes visitors to the children’s center. Despite her profound medical challenges, she is like any woman her age with her trendy outfits, sparkling jewelry and camera-ready makeup at all times.

Stephanie, who graduated high school in 2019, is a role model to others at the children’s center because she’s living proof that their lives are full of possibilities. But now, Stephanie is focusing her energy on a higher calling: our future young adult center. Stephanie is Elizabeth Seton Children’s International Spokesperson and volunteer, as well as an Associate of the Sisters of Charity of New York, and she is leveraging her inspirational story and influential contacts to raise awareness about a fast-growing, life-and-death crisis impacting young adults with medically complex conditions like her.

In May of 2024, Stephanie was named a “Healthcare Hero” by Westchester Magazine for her advocacy and the many ways she is working to make a difference. Please join Stephanie’s fight to build our young adult center. Learn more by clicking here.