Blog - Boston Children's Answers

Helping your child understand puberty

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Emily Rizzitano | Health and Parenting

Tags: primary care, primary care alliance, sex education

We all remember the changes — and awkwardness — of puberty. But helping your child navigate puberty is a whole different matter. For answers, we turned to Boston Children’s Primary Care Alliance physician Caitlyn Hark, MD, at Framingham Pediatrics, and Frances Grimstad, MD, a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist in the Division of Gynecology at Boston ... Read More

Tagged: primary care, primary care alliance, sex education

A true hero’s journey: How a team approach helped Wolfie overcome pancreatitis

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Veronica Giarla | Patient Stories

Tags: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, blood disorder, cancer, pancreatic disorders

Wolfgang, affectionately known as “Wolfie,” is a bright and energetic 7-year-old with a quick wit and a love for making others smile. He keeps his mom, Cara, his older sister, Cadence, and his dad, Jameson, laughing with his playful humor. Behind the laughter and love, Wolfie and his family have been navigating a difficult medical ... Read More

Tagged: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, blood disorder, cancer, pancreatic disorders

Four things you should know about MAPCAs treatment

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Albert McKeon | Patient Stories

Tags: cardiac catheterization, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient, pulmonology, tetralogy of fallot, ventricular septal defect

As the first grandchild in her family, Hannah Homan is in demand for frequent visits. She was also the focus of attention last month when she turned 1. It’s been happy times for her parents, Amanda and Brian, but they couldn’t see that far ahead early last year. They had received a worrisome heart diagnosis ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac catheterization, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient, pulmonology, tetralogy of fallot, ventricular septal defect

A case for Kennedy — and for rapid genomic testing in every NICU

Posted on October 17, 2025 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories, Research

Tags: genetics and genomics, nicu, rare disease

Kennedy was born in August 2025 after what her parents, John and Diana, describe as an uneventful pregnancy. Soon after delivery, though, she struggled to breathe and feed. What followed was a series of hospital stays, a complex diagnosis, and a glimpse into how rapid genomic testing can deliver answers that guide critical decisions and ... Read More

Tagged: genetics and genomics, nicu, rare disease

The hidden burden of solitude: How social withdrawal influences the adolescent brain

Posted on October 16, 2025 by Linsey Covino-Deaso | Clinical, Research

Tags: adolescent medicine, imaging, neuroscience, research

Adolescence is a period of social reorientation: a shift from a world centered on parents and family to one shaped by peers, schools, and broader networks. This expansion is critical for healthy development, but it also heightens susceptibility to social stressors. For some, those stressors trigger social withdrawal, a pull toward solitude that may alter ... Read More

Tagged: adolescent medicine, imaging, neuroscience, research

Treating MAPCAs with unifocalization surgery and cardiology care

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Albert McKeon | Specialty Care

Tags: cardiac catheterization, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, pulmonology, tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect

Children born with a rare form of tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) face a challenging type of congenital heart disease. Known as ToF with pulmonary atresia and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs), the condition often requires a child to have many operations and cardiology procedures to restore blood flow to the lungs and protect their heart from damage. But a team ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac catheterization, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, pulmonology, tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect

The journey to a treatment for hereditary spastic paraplegia

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cerebral palsy, drug development, gene therapy, genetics and genomics, neuroscience, rare disease

In 2016, Darius Ebrahimi-Fakhari, MD, PhD, then a neurology fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital, met two little girls with spasticity and decreased muscle tone in their legs, which affected their walking. Both girls, Robbie Edwards and Molly Duffy, had been diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), which comprises a group of more than 80 genetic ... Read More

Tagged: cerebral palsy, drug development, gene therapy, genetics and genomics, neuroscience, rare disease

A toast to BRD4: How acidity changes the immune response

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Linsey Covino-Deaso | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cancer, immunotherapy, research

It started with wine. Or more precisely, a conversation about it. “My colleagues and I were talking about how some people think drinking wine may be anti-inflammatory,” recalls Xu Zhou, PhD, from the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Boston Children’s Hospital. “There’s no scientific ground for that, but we know wine is acidic.” ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, immunotherapy, research

The right decision at the right time: Choosing pediatric thyroidectomy

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: thyroid cancer

In some ways, siblings Adelaide and Declan couldn’t be more different. Nine-year-old Adelaide is creative, artistic, and nurturing. Declan, 7, is “our little athlete,” says his father, Todd. “Soccer, baseball — he’s always all in.” But the two also have something big in common: they share a rare genetic condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2. ... Read More

Tagged: thyroid cancer

A safe, pain-specific anesthetic shows preclinical promise

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: anesthesia, critical care, orthopedics, pain

All current local anesthetics block sensory signals — pain — but they also interrupt motor signals, which can be problematic. For example, too much epidural anesthesia can prevent mothers in labor from being able to push. Prolonged local anesthesia after orthopedic surgery can leave patients unable to participate in rehab. Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital ... Read More

Tagged: anesthesia, critical care, orthopedics, pain

After surgeries to treat HLHS, Carter is healthy and happy at home in Florida

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Albert McKeon | Patient Stories

Tags: fetal cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs, single ventricle defects, surgery

Carter Miller loves action. The 4-year-old Florida resident enjoys riding on golf carts and flying high on swing sets. It’s the kind of fun that make his parents, Andrea and Bo, appreciate where the family is now. Nearly five years ago, they were worried after a prenatal diagnosis showed Carter would be born with a ... Read More

Tagged: fetal cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs, single ventricle defects, surgery