Kaleb-Wolf De Melo Torres has become a mighty presence for Shriners Children’s Hospital’s fundraising efforts.
Kaleb has been a part of the Shriners Hospitals family from the moment he was born with broken legs, and he’s turned his charisma into a powerful voice for the organization that has done so much to improve his quality of life.
Let’s take a look at Kaleb-Wolf De Melo Torres’ story, the positive patient-turned-famous spokesperson for Shriners Hospitals, and what he is doing now.
Who is Kaleb, the Young Man with the Unbreakable Spirit?
Born on June 28th, 2009, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Kaleb-Wolf De Melo Torres quickly earned the audience’s adoration with his upbeat, chipper personality.
Kaleb is one of several goodwill ambassadors, including Alec Cabacungan, who started as a patient of the Shriners Children’s Hospitals.
He is a true testament to the power of the human spirit. Physical challenges have not dimmed Keleb’s light.
Read more:
- Alec Cabacungan’s Story: From Shriners Hospital Patient to Commercial Spokesperson
- What Happened to Alec from Shriners Hospital?
- Shriners Hospital Scandal Explained
Kaleb’s Personal and Family Life
For parents, Marie-Hélène and Alberto, Shriners Hospitals has been a lifeline.
Marie-Hélène has said that “Shriners Hospitals for Children means I can see my son laugh; means I can see my son play with other kids. It gives us hope. He’s not scared of fracturing anymore.”
When they first found out their little boy had osteogenesis imperfecta 33 weeks into their pregnancy, the fearful soon-to-be-parents did not realize the tough road ahead of them.
Little Kaleb was born with broken legs, as often happens in children with OI. Seven days later, he underwent what would be the first of 11 surgeries.
With the help of special equipment provided by the hospital, physical therapy, and intramedullary rods, Kaleb has become an active boy who can attend school.
Furthermore, it is thanks to the surgeries that Kaleb even started to ride a bike, climb, and race. Eventually, he even began learning to stand and walk!
Now, a soft-spoken teenager, it is unknown if he is currently involved in a romantic relationship.
What does Kaleb from Shriners look like now?
According to Kaleb, having OI means he doesn’t grow as much. Therefore, his height and weight are unknown.
However, he is a handsome-looking young man, now with a deeper voice.
Kaleb’s Education
Intramedullary rods, invented by Shriners over 70 years ago, have revolutionized care and quality of life for patients with OI.
For Kaleb, telescopic intramedullary rods installed in his limbs mean he has the freedom to move around.
They enable him to get out of the house and attend school without the fear of fractures.
When speaking about the rods to reporters during a new Shriners Hospital opening in 2015, Kaleb said, “The surgeries, the rods, they’ve helped me a lot.”
Ever looking to the future, in sixth grade, Kaleb applied to a high school known for its advanced math and science program: Vincent Massey Collegiate (VMC) of the English Montreal School Board.
At the time, he wanted to be a geneticist.
Now 16 years old, the Montreal-based Shriners Hospitals ambassador is in Secondary 4 at VMC and has joined the debate team, a long-time dream of his.
In 2019, Kaleb was in a semi-finalist team for the 2019 Championnat National de Debat Francais.
Then, in April 2024, he and his debating partner made it to the quarter finals of the French Nationals Championships, ranking the 7th best team in all of Canada.
Kaleb’s interests now lie in continuing his education in communications and media arts.
Kaleb’s Net Worth
As one of the most endearing faces of the non-profit organization, it is expected that Kaleb be compensated for his time and dedication.
Because Shriners Hospitals handles its fundraising representatives’ compensation differently from traditional child actors, it is unknown how much he gets paid for commercial appearances and fundraising events.
After all, Shriners Hospitals does not disclose payment details for its ambassadors.
However, it is expected that Kaleb is paid for his time and efforts with monetary and non-cash benefits.
These may include travel reimbursements, stipends, compensation for appearances, and long-term services for his unique needs.
Net Worth Status: Due to the non-disclosure policy of Shriners Hospitals, Kaleb’s exact net worth is unknown and not publicly disclosed.
What Disease Does Kaleb from Shriners Hospital Suffer From?
Born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), a rare, permanent genetic disorder that causes bones to break frequently and easily, Kaleb has broken over 200 bones in his short lifetime.
This genetic disease causes abnormal Type I Collagen formation in the bones, either by failing to produce collagen or by creating a defective version of it.
It also means that it can be passed down from either parent, although spontaneous mutations have been known to happen to children of non-carrying parents.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) lists eight different types of OI, which vary by severity. Type I OI is the mildest form, while Type III is the most severe.
There is no cure for OI. The only treatments available involve physical therapy, bone-strengthening medication, and surgery to introduce intramedullary rods.
According to the Brittle Bone Society, OI occurs in approximately one in every 15,000 births.
Of living with his disease, Kaleb says,
“My bones are like a Swiss Cheese. There are holes inside of them […] That means that I don’t grow as much and I’m quite fragile.”
What Happened to Kaleb, and is He Still Alive?
In February 2021, users mistakenly took to social media to express sympathy for Kaleb’s, the Shriners Children’s Hospital’s ambassador, death.
The misinformation spread quickly.
Many social media users expressed their sympathies online, such as a Facebook user, whose post was later deleted, who posted the following on February 27th, 2021,
“R.I.P. Kaleb…I’m saddened over this news, I love seeing this sweet boy in the Shriners commercial.”
The post even included an image of Kaleb.
According to some posts, Kaleb had died at 7 am on a Wednesday following “more than three years in hospice care at his South Whitehall Township home.”
The post went even further, pointing out the details of Kaleb’s treatment at Shriners Hospitals.
Thankfully, nothing happened to Kaleb, and he is still very much alive!
Mel Bower, Shriners Hospitals’ hospital system’s chief marketing officer, shared a statement with USA Today via e-mail confirming that Kaleb is “alive and well.”
Additionally, on February 27th, Kaleb cleverly took to Twitter to share a video of himself dancing and congratulating Shriners Hospitals Chairman of the Board, Jim Smith, a happy birthday, saying,
“Did you know that next Tuesday, March 2, is Imperial Sir Jim Smith’s birthday?” As it turns out, the confusion online lay in the name.
A child with the same first name died on February 19th, 2020, from a rare genetic brain condition that had left him bedridden since December of 2016.
Sadly, the boy was only twelve years old when he passed away.
Sources
https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/news-and-media/patient-stories/2024/11/how-care for-kaleb-turned-fear-into-hope
https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/news-and-media/news/2025/05/resilience-in-action https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/news-and-media/patient-stories/2024/11/no-small wonder
https://inspirationsnews.com/inspirations/articles/rising-above-challenges https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/02/28/fact-check-shriner-hospitals -patient-kaleb-alive-and-well/6860817002/
https://www.facebook.com/ShrinersHospitalsforChildrenCanada/photos/a-message-from -marie-h%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne/10152378256842934/
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/as-new-shriners-hospital-gets-set-to-open -young-patient-expresses-his-gratitude
