13-year-old Julia Espinosa and her family had moved all over the United States, from Florida to Seattle and now to Pittsburgh — wherever it was possible for her to get the kind of care she needed. During her childhood, Espinosa has gone through transplants of her liver, bowels and pancreas. None of those procedures were smooth and the ongoing recovery isn’t short or easy. It has taken the Espinosa family across the country and back and demanded uncommon strength.

Dr. Simon Horlsen, a pediatric hepatologist and transplant physician at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville who began caring for Espinosa when she was an infant at Seattle Children’s Hospital, has seen her resolve time and time again in the face of daunting circumstances. He arrived in Pittsburgh the same time the Espinosa

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