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Ashley's Epilepsy Story -- From Fear to Fearless

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Ashley’s Epilepsy Story — From Fear to Fearless

It was like any other ordinary day for 13-year-old Ashley. In eighth grade at the time, Ashley, from Washington Township, New Jersey, came home after a long day at school, hoping for a quick nap before heading to youth group that night. She headed to her fridge to grab a drink, and the next thing she remembers is waking up with paramedics surrounding her. “I was placed on oxygen and had an IV in my arm,” says Ashley, now 24. “The only thing that came to my mind was fear.” Ashley learned from doctors at her local hospital that 1 in 26 people may have a seizure within their lifespan, epilepsy related or not. After her electroencephalographs (EEGs) and an electrocardiography (EKG) results came back normal, Ashley and her family waited to see if she had any more seizures to determine if it might be epilepsy. “I had so much […]

Nathan's Story

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Nathan’s Story of Determination

This post was written by Nathan’s mom Kim Silpath “It’s not about me anymore, it’s about the other kids”- Nathan Every day, 43 parents have to hear the same words we heard a few years ago, “your child has cancer.” I still remember that moment, and the reaction from my son, Nathan. He was ready to fight it. Not just for himself, but fight and help other children with cancer too. I could not have been more proud. Nathan was an incredible child that had a passion for school, sports, and most importantly helping others.  He loved meteorology, biology, hiking, soccer, sled hockey, and football! Nathan’s cancer battle started in 2010 when he was at soccer practice and started mentioning how his leg was bothering him. Nathan noticed a bump on his leg, but like most kids, didn’t think much of it and continued playing soccer. As his pain increased, […]

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A Local Partnership With Global Impact

How did two children’s healthcare organizations in Jacksonville, Florida care for kids 7,000 miles away? Jonathan Soud was a 12-year-old patient at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville, being treated for leukemia. During his treatments, his doctors and family spent a lot of time talking to him about his interests in travel and other cultures, especially the country of Mongolia. Eric Sandler, MD, is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and chair of the department of pediatrics at Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville. He developed a special bond with Jonathan during treatments, sharing his own fascination with distant lands. Dr. Sandler also discovered that Jonathan had an interest in serving others. “After he passed away, his parents came to me and said they wanted to figure out a way to honor Jonathan’s memory,” said Dr. Sandler. “Since we had had all those conversations regarding Mongolia, his family decided to […]

CHA Family Advocacy Week

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Family Advocacy Week: Nemours Patients Share Their Stories

This past year and a half has been tough on all of us, especially our children and youth. For so many, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as we know it. But for Nemours patients Kate and Sebastian, the pandemic is just one of many life-changing events they’ve faced. And that’s why they are both sharing their medical journeys to members of Congress during the 2021 Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) “Speak Now for Kids’ Family Advocacy Week,” to increase awareness about the ongoing and essential care provided by children’s hospitals. Kate’s Story When she was just 2 years old, Kate McKinery was diagnosed with optic pathway glioma, a brain tumor that interferes with her optic nerve and impacts her sight. The tumor also causes hormone deficiencies, resulting in abnormal liver function, type 2 diabetes and a full height potential of around 4’2. Kate has undergone multiple procedures, tests and appointments […]

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Celebrating Each Moment with Cancer in the Rearview

This blog post is written by Larry, the father of Maddie, a medulloblastoma patient who survived a brain tumor at the age of 2. Larry inspires us by sharing his daughter’s story. “Heroism is endurance for one moment more.”      George F. Kennan In the fall of 2008, at the age of two, our daughter Maddie was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a brain tumor that arises at the base of the brain and often spreads down through the spine via the spinal fluid. Over the course of the next ten months, Maddie underwent multiple brain and spine surgeries and intense chemotherapy protocols at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. After six cycles of chemo treatment, she had made amazing progress, knocking out 90% of her original disease. Because her scans were not completely cancer-free, she then went through an additional six weeks of radiation therapy. Conquering Cancer The effects of radiation on a 3-year-old can […]

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Dynamic Dan!

This blog post is written by Amy, the mother of Dan, a mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) patient who passed away in 2016 at the age of 19. Amy is a Nemours nurse and her son’s story inspires us and others every day. When Dan was born in September 1996, we were told he was a healthy baby. He joined his sister, Haley, who was 2 years old and we thought our lives were perfect. We had this sweet little family with a precious little girl and strapping baby boy. We had just moved to a new house, both had good jobs, life was good. As Dan developed, he hit all his milestones except for one; he wasn’t talking by the age of 2. He had about 20 ear infections in his first 2 years of life and the pediatrician thought his lack of language was due to him not hearing well. We went to an ENT at […]

Help for Hungry Children - Summer Food Program and School Meals

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Help for Hungry Children – Summer Food Program and School Meals

Summer and fun: two words that go hand-in-hand, especially when you’re talking about kids.  However, summer break looks very different for many children. For millions of children from low-income households across the U.S., summer months mean no access to school meals, which may sometimes be the only nutritious food available. And even more children will have less food on their table this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For summer 2021 and 2022, the USDA has launched a new summer food program that will help all low-income children of all ages have nutritious meals and snacks. School Meals Help Keep Kids Healthy During the school year, many schools provide students with access to meals through federal school meal programs like the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. These programs are run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agencies, who reimburse schools that provide healthy meals […]

The bridge to a brighter future

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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

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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

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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

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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 […]

Page 28 of 31

Page 28 of 31

Page 28 of 31