Nemours Blog - Page 14 of 33 - Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Serving Up Inspiration: Capucine’s Story

Win or lose, 15-year-old Capucine Jauffret never gives up. Her mom and dad, Jennifer and Christophe, attribute Capucine’s instinctive determination to a time when she had to fight for her life—a time Capucine won’t remember, and her parents won’t ever forget. When Capucine was born, doctors heard loud murmurs in her heart and diagnosed her with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot, which causes oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body. At just 17-days-old, Capucine had life-saving open heart surgery to repair her heart. “We are incredibly blessed the doctors were able to perform the operation before Capucine had any significant problems,” said Jennifer. “Fortunately, technology changed, and we didn’t have to wait until she was older and her heart was bigger like other children with this condition have in the past.” “I was thrilled and delighted to hear about […]

Gluten: Ending Common Misconceptions

The gluten free diet has become a popular diet trend over recent years. The most common conditions that require a gluten free diet include celiac disease, wheat allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia, and dermatitis herpetiformis. Some individuals may choose to adhere to a gluten free diet for other reasons. Gluten is the protein found in the grains wheat, rye, and barley. A gluten free diet requires avoidance of these grains. When foods are removed from the diet, it can make it more difficult to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, so if gluten is removed from the diet it is important to do so with the guidance of  a Registered Dietitian. The purpose of this article is to clear up some common misconceptions surrounding gluten and the gluten free diet. Do I need to avoid all gluten if I have a wheat allergy? -No. Only the grain, wheat, needs […]

Learn to Love Your Vegetables

Help your child explore new flavors and learn to love their vegetables with these few simple tips! Increase Exposure• Increase exposure to different vegetables at meals and snacks multiple times a day• It can take 10-15 times trying a food before learning if you like it, so don’t get discouraged and stay persistent• Start with very small portions of new vegetables at first• Be a role model for your kids and eat your vegetables at meals and talk about how good they taste Get your kids involved• Ask your kids what vegetables they want to try or give them a choice between two vegetables• Have your kids pick the sauces, spices, or herbs for the dish• Have your kids describe the flavors and textures of the vegetables they try Experiment with cooking techniques• Try roasting vegetables to bring out their natural sweetness and make them crisp• Sauté or stir-fry vegetables […]

It’s a Small World – Baby Lorenzo’s Story

At mom’s 20-week ultrasound, doctors discovered that baby Lorenzo had a cleft lip, creating anxiety for his expecting parents. “We didn’t know what to expect from the diagnosis, were scared of the unknown, and afraid our son would struggle with feeding,” said Lorenzo’s mom, Eneily. The Center for Fetal Care and the Division of Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida worked together to comfort and reassure Lorenzo’s family. “Our experience with Nemours has been a true blessing to us. They took us by our hands and guided us,” said Eneily. “The care we received since we met Dr. Taboada, our Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, has been excellent, and we were treated with love, patience, and respect. During each visit, Dr. Taboada would reassure us, saying, ‘Your son is perfect, and you will love his smile.’ She was right. I loved his first smile so much, and I love his […]

Aiden’s Story (Mother’s Words)

One evening shortly before Aiden’s 7th birthday, his father noticed Aiden was unable to speak, drooling, and had a facial droop with left sided weakness. I was working as a pediatric nurse at a community hospital, where he brought Aiden. We thought he was having a stroke.  He was transferred to the Emergency Department at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, where he had a full work up and was diagnosed with epilepsy and started on medications within 24 hours of arrival. Aiden tells us he had several episodes before anyone saw him and was very scared.  Fortunately, we don’t think he had many seizures before treatment. It still impacted his life, unfortunately limiting some of his activities, however he is definitely coming into his own and doing so well. He even wants to go into the medical field to be a surgeon. Epilepsy and the resulting seizures were a frequent part […]

A Holiday Poem from Telehealth

Twas weeks before winter and all through the town,Not a child seemed well, lots of kiddos feeling down. But the telehealth team, with their cameras and gear,Settled in for long days to ensure they got care.Care was given with quality, Dr. Schare would approve,And documented appropriately a Dr. Ho- Epic move.Dr. Josephson chronicled these effort and learnings, in Telemedicine and E-Health, In hopes it would help those interested by sharing the wealthOf knowledge gained through this innovate work.And Dr. Ali made sure the residents, and medical students got to share in this perk,Of All that we’ve learned over this and past years, An endeavor to teach them, telemedicine was nothing to fear.Word spread through the town and new doctors they came,Dr. Cheng, Dr. Romero, Dr. Cato, Dr. Kernen, by name.And as the sickness, it spread, a little tired we grew, but we knew they were counting on us all, Drs. Chalom, Karch, Barajas, Walker, […]

Epilepsy Awareness – Chloe P’s Story

Meet Chloe. Chloe was diagnosed with Epilepsy as an infant after experiencing chronic seizures. Prior to receiving treatment at Nemours Children’s Health, Chloe found it difficult to participate in daily tasks such as school or social activities. “Stomach pains, shaking and an inability to focus were just a few things that would happen to me daily,” Chloe shares. With the expert care provided by our neurology team, Chloe was able to gain a better understanding of her condition, symptoms and began to navigate life, discovering her own path. “It is still sometimes surreal to know that I am less limited when it comes to having to do what someone would consider ‘normal.’ Go to school, be away on a vacation, go out shopping or just not have the constant worry of when and where a seizure may happen.” These days, Chloe is looking forward to her bright future as she […]

Epilepsy Awareness Month- Chloe M’s Story (Mother’s Words)

On May 30th, 2021, Chloe was having a typical night playing with her toys. She was smiling and giggling like always, and suddenly she stopped her energetic pacing between toys and randomly fell to the floor. She became limp and stopped breathing. Her lips and feet turned purple right before she became conscious again. No one knew why this happened because she’d never experienced anything like it before. An ambulance arrived, and Chloe was taken to Nemours, where she was diagnosed with epilepsy following a second episode that occurred in the hospital. Despite a quick diagnosis, there was still a long road ahead to gain seizure control. Chloe’s days went from cheerful playing and adventures to constant seizures, which made her feel sick and exhausted. She was unmotivated to do anything. Her toys were barely touched, and she couldn’t sleep through the night without multiple seizures. Eating food became a […]

Little One’s Got the Sniffles? Watch for Breathing Trouble

You’ve probably heard about respiratory syncytial virus or RSV a lot lately. That’s because cases of this illness have increased since last year. RSV mainly causes cold symptoms, and most people who get it get better on their own. But when babies or toddlers get RSV, it can turn into something more serious called bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis causes the lung’s tiny airways (bronchioles) to swell and fill with mucus. This makes it hard to breathe. Bronchiolitis usually gets better on its own, but sometimes kids need treatment in the hospital. With the winter season upon us, it’s good to know what to look for — and when to get help — the next time your child comes down with a nasty cold. Why are RSV cases on the rise?  Doctors aren’t exactly sure why, but it may be because fewer people are wearing masks now. RSV is a common childhood illness, […]

Microtia Awareness Day — Axel’s Story

You’d never know it today, but 10-year-old Axel was born with an absent right ear, which was noticed at birth. His condition is defined as microtia, and refers to a missing or an abnormal ear, and can involve one or both ears. Newborn hearing tests revealed that, besides missing his outer ear, Axel did not have a normal hearing ability on the right side. Fortunately, Axel didn’t have any other medical conditions that required early treatment. As he grew up, it became increasingly hard to deal with the appearance of having a missing ear. “Sometimes kids at school would bully him for not having a full ear,” says his mother, Juana. “It made him feel like he wasn’t a normal kid.” In addition to being seen by Nemours Children’s Audiology and Otolaryngology teams, Axel was referred to Plastic Surgery to discuss options for treating his ear difference. A staged ear […]

Getting back to Champion Level Caliber — Ryan’s Story

Ryan has been a gymnast for 10 years, growing into a top competitor on her team. When she suffered a dislocated shoulder and instability injury, she met Dr. Alvin Su, sports orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Health, Deptford. She had instability in both of her shoulders, and the right shoulder bothered her more in the beginning. Dr. Su first fixed Ryan’s right shoulder with surgery in 2019. Ryan completed physical therapy and was able to return to gymnastics. To help Ryan reach her full potential, Dr. Su subsequently fixed her left shoulder in 2021. Over time, Dr. Su helped her reach champion-level caliber once again to bring home the gold. Ryan completed her physical therapy sessions and before being released, her therapist let her go back into the gym. She’s doing great now; both shoulders are healed, and she is a world, state, and regional champ! Ryan loves school, cooking, […]

Page 14 of 33

Page 14 of 33

Page 14 of 33