Blog | Page 44 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

All together: Siblings both overcome retinoblastoma

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

In some ways, PJ and Jovi Fisher couldn’t be more different. PJ, 9, is quiet, laidback, and loves playing Minecraft and other video games. Younger sister Jovi, 8, is outgoing and obsessed with all things Harry Potter. But there are similarities, too: Both are tall, both enjoy playing soccer — and both were diagnosed with ... Read More

Tagged: ocular oncology, retinoblastoma

Babies and screen time: New research calls for caution

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Health and Parenting, Research

Tags: developmental medicine, eeg, media, neuroscience, primary care, well child care

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably been there. You have a baby howling for attention, but you need to cook dinner or get a sibling to take a much-needed nap. Baby TV shows, touch tablets, and digital phone toys can feel like lifesavers in keeping an active infant calm and contained while juggling what life ... Read More

Tagged: developmental medicine, eeg, media, neuroscience, primary care, well child care

Personalized care for optic nerve gliomas helps Addison feel like ‘the star of the show’

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: brain tumor, cancer

Addison Gould loves visiting with her friend Tom. Every time her family makes the drive to Boston from their home on Cape Cod, the 5-year-old can’t wait to see him. “She runs across the bridge from the parking garage to clinic,” laughs her mother, Jillian. “I’ve never seen a kid so excited to go to ... Read More

Tagged: brain tumor, cancer

After vascular ring surgery, playing and eating are a breeze for Louis

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Albert McKeon | Patient Stories

Tags: aerodigestive, Esophageal and Airway Treatment Center, heart, heart center, heart patient, surgery, vascular rings

You can’t blame 10-year-old Louis McFaye for eating three hot dogs really fast. Until last summer, he struggled to eat even a single hot dog cut into tiny pieces. That’s because he had a vascular ring, an abnormal formation of the aorta — the body’s largest blood vessel — that compressed his esophagus and trachea. Throughout ... Read More

Tagged: aerodigestive, Esophageal and Airway Treatment Center, heart, heart center, heart patient, surgery, vascular rings

New research discovery could shorten ICU stays for children with diabetic ketoacidosis

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Albert McKeon | Clinical, Research

Tags: critical care, diabetes

When a child with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) requires intensive care, clinicians often monitor blood ketone levels to determine whether treatment has successfully reversed the abnormal ketone production. Yet, the utility of blood ketone levels to diagnose DKA or determine whether a child’s DKA has resolved have not been rigorously studied. But now, research by Elise Tremblay, ... Read More

Tagged: critical care, diabetes

Teens aren’t small adults: Rethinking surgical treatment of adolescent clavicle fracture

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Joanne Barker | Clinical, Research

Tags: orthopedics, sports injury, sports medicine, surgery

Until about 15 years ago, most clavicle fractures were allowed to heal with minimal medical intervention. That changed after a 2007 study reported better shoulder function after plate-fixation surgery. Although the study participants were adults, the rate of surgical treatment subsequently increased across all age groups. Now, a landmark study at Boston Children’s Hospital demonstrates ... Read More

Tagged: orthopedics, sports injury, sports medicine, surgery

Does thyroid cancer in children behave differently than in adults?

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Research

Tags: autoimmune disease, obesity, thyroid cancer

Once relatively uncommon, pediatric thyroid cancer is increasing among children and is now the most common type of cancer diagnosed in adolescents. As the oldest program of its kind in the U.S. — and one of the only centers dedicated to pediatric thyroid disease — Boston Children’s Thyroid Center is at the forefront of research on ... Read More

Tagged: autoimmune disease, obesity, thyroid cancer

Nerve block and a way out of pain after surgery

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: orthopedics, pain, sports injury, surgery

If she hadn’t dislocated her knee severely when she was 13, Paige Thornton probably wouldn’t have such strong feelings about pain. But most teenagers haven’t gone through an experience like hers: two surgeries at a hospital outside of Boston followed by weeks of agonizing pain and a year and half struggling to walk. Blocks use ... Read More

Tagged: orthopedics, pain, sports injury, surgery

New year, new face, same spirit: Zoey’s journey with encephalocele and cleft lip care

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: brain health, cleft lip, craniofacial, encephalocele, second opinion, surgery

Seven-year-old Zoey loves school, her friends, and everything unicorn. She’s outgoing and happy and has an eye for looking her best. “She loves getting her nails done,” says her mother, Shana. “She’s straight diva.” Talking with Zoey and her mom, you can’t help but be inspired by their positive spirit, care toward others, and general ... Read More

Tagged: brain health, cleft lip, craniofacial, encephalocele, second opinion, surgery

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of hope

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Jynelle Herbert and Marlon Green | Our Community, People

Tags: health equity

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for many things: justice, non-violence, hope. Even in the face of violent resistance, his belief in a better future inspired a movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. How does Dr. King’s message of hope ... Read More

Tagged: health equity