From patient to philanthropist

On July 4, 2013, then-5-year-old Priyanka Cingirikonda was enjoying a fireworks show with her family when she felt a sharp pain shoot through her left eye. After a visit to her pediatrician, her care team suspected she might have an eye infection, but the next day her eye began to fill with blood.

“I got really scared, and we decided to take her to the emergency room. I felt like it was something more severe than what we initially thought, so we rushed to Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center in downtown Jacksonville,” Cingirikonda’s mom, Chandrika Ponnuru, recalled.

Cingirikonda was diagnosed with internal eye bleeding and admitted to Wolfson Children’s Hospital for five days, faced with the potential of losing sight in her left eye. While the cause of the bleeding was never determined, her care team believed something forcefully hit or poked Cingirikonda in the eye during the fireworks show.

“The doctors prayed for her, and they were all so supportive and monitored her closely,” Ponnuru said.

Vision restored

Cingirikonda began six months of eye patching therapy and slowly regained complete vision in her left eye. During this therapy, the stronger eye is covered with a patch to force the weaker one to work harder and improve vision.

During her hospital stay, Cingirikonda received toy donations, created art and got a visit from the Wolfson Children’s mascot, Wolfie. Now 18 and about to start her first year at Cornell University, she and her family remember the compassion and care they received from physicians and nurses all those years ago.

“For years after the incident, I knew I wanted to come back to Wolfson Children’s when I was older and donate money to show my gratitude for the doctors and nurses who took such good care of me,” Cingirikonda said.

Giving back with gratitude

In summer 2025, Cingirikonda did just that and donated $500 that she earned from her job as a research assistant at the University of North Florida to Wolfson Children’s Emergency Department.

Ponnuru connected with the Volunteer Services team at Wolfson Children’s, and Cingirikonda was able to present the donation to the team at Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center – Town Center in July. Though it didn't exist at the time of Cingirikonda's injury, the Town Center location was chosen because it was the most convenient site to make her donation. Kirk Jackson, MSN, RN, nurse manager, said the team was speechless, humbled and deeply moved by Cingirikonda’s donation.

"We are incredibly honored and humbled by this gift, and even more so by the story behind it. It’s a powerful testament to the impact we have, often in ways we never fully realize,” he said. “Stories like this remind us why we do what we do. Every interaction, every decision, and every moment of care can leave a lifelong mark. As a health care organization, we are so grateful to have played a role in this young woman’s journey. We celebrate her strength, gratitude and her incredible future.”

Cingirikonda said she is forever thankful, and she plans to make her contributions an annual tradition.

“I’m grateful to be able to give back to the place that took care of me,” she said. “It’s something I want to continue every year so that other kids can benefit from the same care and compassion that I received all those years ago.”

The pediatric experts at Wolfson Children's Emergency Centers have experience with every level of emergency care for children. Wolfson Children's Hospital is also home to the region's only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, with a dedicated team to care for the most critically ill and injured babies and children.