Staying Healthy While Staying Home: Nutrition & Activity

At just seven years old, Seth has already overcome more challenges than most face in a lifetime. Seth’s health challenges began when he was just three years old. What initially seemed like persistent allergies turned out to be something much more serious. After multiple doctor visits, his family discovered a tumor growing in his sinus tract. The day after Christmas in 2020, they rushed to the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware emergency department, expecting a routine visit. Instead, they never went home. Seth was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. The tumor not only blocked his airway but also led to severe complications, including serious blood clots. Within his first week at Nemours Children’s, he underwent multiple emergency surgeries. “He had surgery Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday that week,” shares Deborah, his great-aunt who has cared for him since infancy, and has been by his side throughout his entire […]

Since 2018, Nemours Children’s Health has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help states create healthier early care and education (ECE) programs and state systems through the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Technical Assistance Program (HKHF TAP). Throughout the five years and guided by the CDC’s Spectrum of Opportunities, Nemours Children’s engaged with 37 states and the District of Columbia through various programs to build capacity to improve nutrition and physical activity in ECE. Of those, Nemours Children’s partnered closely with 13 states to integrate healthy eating and physical activity best practices, such as opportunities for daily physical activity both indoors and outdoors into ECE program settings and broader state systems. State ECE systems include TA networks, professional development, licensing, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS), and more.  We celebrate the incredible work achieved by our partners over the past five years and are grateful […]

When Courtney was pregnant with her son Brendan, her physician noticed something was off. During an ultrasound, they discovered that Brendan had an enlarged bowel, which can be a sign of cystic fibrosis. When Brendan was born in November of 2022, he was immediately placed in the NICU. “This was already planned and why we delivered in the Advanced Delivery Unit at Nemours Children’s Hospital,” explains Courtney. “The team was remarkable. Dr. Chou and our nurse, Mo, made a nerve-racking delivery as easy and seamless as possible. It was nothing but a great experience, considering the circumstances.” At only a day and a half old, Brendan had surgery. “During the surgery, they found that a part of the bowel had twisted on itself, causing it to not function properly,” says Courtney. “That day, they removed 30 cm of bowel and started the use of a colostomy bag. Then we had a 6-week healing […]