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The bridge to a brighter future

The bridge to a brighter future

When Erin Pitts faced spinal surgery as a teen, she never imagined it would impact her life in other ways. Diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age, initially the care plan for the Jacksonville, Fla., resident was to pursue a non-surgical approach to correct the curves in her spine using a back brace. When her complex scoliosis proved resistant to treatment, however, surgery became the best option for long-term results. The experience ended up changing not only her health, but also her career trajectory. Pitts first learned of her condition in the sixth grade, when she began experiencing intense lower back pain. As her condition gradually began limiting her daily activities, her mom made an appointment with her pediatrician. He referred her to Nemours for an orthopedic assessment, where she became a patient of Eric Loveless, MD, department chair of orthopedics at Nemours and a board-certified pediatric surgeon who performs […]

Nemours Launches “Do Gooders” Program

Nemours Launches “Do Gooders” Program

Each year associates at Nemours Children’s Health participate in Nemours Cares Week, proudly supporting the communities in which we live, work, heal, and play. Nemours associates from across our many locations donate their time, resources, and funds to help those in our communities who need it most. This year, even with COVID restrictions firmly in place, we were still able to package 1,600 pounds of food and over 2,600 essential items, all donated by Nemours associates. We sent more than 600 bags of items to our community partners and raised money through virtual food drives, providing over 12,000 meals to help fill the needs gap. New this year, Nemours launched the “Do Gooders” Program, which aims to support children who want to give back to their communities while also supporting self-esteem and creative thinking. Two incredibly creative young ladies were chosen this year, who saw their civic project come to life! […]

Cancer During COVID: David's Story

David’s Story: Battling Cancer During COVID-19

David came into our life on March 12, 2019. A beautiful baby boy, David was the perfect addition to our family of now four. In the first months, everything was normal. David was growing fine and hitting each of his milestones. Until one November week, when David wasn’t his normal cheerful 8-month-old self. At first, we blamed it on the antibiotics he had just started a few days prior to treating a “scalp infection” we thought he had. My gut kept telling me something was wrong; this was not the side effect of the antibiotics. David was pale, his stomach was bloated and he refused to eat. We rushed him to the nearest emergency room where they ran blood tests, ultrasounds, X-rays, etc. It was after all the tests came back that the emergency doctor came in to tell us his blood test results. “Your son has cancer.” How did […]

Peaceful Protests

Peaceful Protests

With the current social unrest over police brutality related to the death of George Floyd and others, your children may ask questions about the protests that are happening nationwide. Here are some tips on how to respond to kids on what can be a divisive topic. State the facts I recommend that parents respond to tough questions from their kids with a simple statement of facts, followed by questions of their own. If a child asks, “What are these protests all about?” you might respond: “Many people are protesting the deaths of unarmed black women and men by police and others.” You might follow up by asking questions about what your child thinks about the protests, what they have heard (from friends, media, etc.) and what parts are confusing to them. Asking questions first will likely lead to a better conversation with your child. As you respond, try to help […]

Mother holding smiling baby Jude up

Joy Like Jude

We found hope at Nemours. This is where we learned how to fight. The doctors at Nemours explained the realities of this difficult diagnosis, but they did it in a way that was also filled with hope. They told us that Jude would write his own story. They taught us how to fight for him, care for him and advocate for him. We drive from Charlotte to Wilmington, Delaware for Jude to receive his medical care at Nemours with the incredible team there.

Anthony’s Scoliosis Journey

This post was written by Anthony’s mom, Debbie.  “Something was Different” Anthony was about six months old when I started to notice something was different about his back. He would roll over and try to sit up and there was an obvious bulge/curvature in his spine. I took him to my pediatrician who told me there wasn’t anything to worry about. He informed me that some children take a bit longer to sit up on their own. At this time, I had two-year-old twins at home and was very aware that children progress differently, but there was no overlooking the curve of his spine. Unhappy with that visit, I scheduled an appointment with a specialist at a hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Finally a Diagnosis Anthony was about a year old when he was diagnosed with infantile scoliosis. My family was with me in the room when the doctor put his […]

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’s going to make it.’

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’s going to make it.’: Brody’s Story

As originally posted on “Love What Matters,” written and submitted by mom, Marcella Stanley “‘I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’s going to make it.’ My husband and I sat flabbergasted, the tears instantly streaming while I struggled to breathe. A room filled with nearly a dozen people stared awkwardly at us as we faced every parent’s worst nightmare. This was not how this day was supposed to go. We found out exactly four weeks prior, at our 20-week ultrasound, that our baby boy had a form of dwarfism. The initial concern was that it was a lethal condition, due to the severity of his skeletal abnormalities and how early they presented in the pregnancy. However, my amazing local OB and maternal fetal medicine physicians researched, and after painstakingly detailed ultrasounds, determined our son likely had a non-lethal skeletal dysplasia. His limbs were awfully short, but his chest was average […]

Promoting Global Education Among Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Promoting Global Education Among Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” – Proverb About a year ago, Dr. Cynthia Reyes joined Nemours Children’s Hospital as the Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Surgical Director of Quality. Since joining the team, she’s been helping to expand the pediatric surgery program and develop a surgery quality program. Dr. Reyes holds the honor of being the first Hispanic female trained in pediatric surgery in the U.S. Along with Dr. Reyes years of experience and success in pediatric surgery, she also brings a unique perspective to the Nemours community. For more than 20 years, she has been an active member of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons (PAPS), which supports the growth of pediatric surgery around the world, with a focus on the countries of the Pacific Rim. Formed 50 years […]

Should kids participate in the Hot Pepper Challenge for ALS?, Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Should Kids Participate in the Hot Pepper Challenge for ALS?

This post originally appeared on Philly.com By now you’ve probably heard about the Hot Pepper Challenge for ALS which began gaining popularity this month. After NBA writer Tom Haberstroh found out his mother was diagnosed with ALS, his family started the Hot Pepper Challenge in December to raise money for research — a similar idea to the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014. People are nominated on video and encouraged to donate to the cause. Should Your Kids Take Part? Challenges like this are done in good fun and help to raise awareness and funds for important causes. But as a pediatrician, I have mixed feelings about children participating in the pepper challenge. Here’s why. Hot peppers can cause some unpleasant symptoms due to a chemical compound called capsaicin. Most of the capsaicin is in the seeds and membranes, so remove these parts if you’re worried about the heat. Among other things, capsaicin […]

After 27 Years With Type 1 Diabetes, Here’s What I’ve Learned | Promise, powered by Nemours Children's Health System

After 27 Years With Type 1 Diabetes, Here’s What I’ve Learned

I celebrated my first National Diabetes Awareness Month in 1990. I was twelve years old, had just started seventh grade, and was very aware of Type 1 diabetes – I’d just been diagnosed with it. Aside from the distinctive smells of insulin and alcohol swabs, I don’t remember much about the time I spent in the hospital after my diagnosis, or about those first few months at home. I do, however, remember the sense of bewilderment that accompanied my family home from the hospital, and how uncertain we were about how our lives would proceed with a chronic condition to manage. If I could go back to that November, there’s so much I would tell my younger self about the reality of living with diabetes. Unfortunately, I can’t – so I’m sharing what I’ve learned here. Don’t panic. It’s true that diabetes can (and will) infiltrate every part of your […]

Homeland Security Cadet Camp Gives Kids Chance to be Crime Fighters

Have you ever watched one of the CSI TV shows or Criminal Minds and wondered what it would be like to investigate a federal crime? This summer some of our patients were given that very opportunity. The 2nd annual Homeland Security Cadet Camp took place at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children earlier this summer. For one week, patients from our hospital, along with their siblings (eleven kids total), had the opportunity to experience the entire process of investigating a crime—from gathering evidence and following leads to tracking down and capturing the “bad guy!” This program is entirely free for kids and is a huge community effort that includes Chester County SWAT, Pennsylvania State Police, Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and many more, including Child Life here at the hospital. The week included classroom instruction, field trips, and the final day at a training facility in Chester County, PA. […]

Page 28 of 31

Page 28 of 31

Page 28 of 31