Patient Stories
Regina’s journey with HLHS: Four years later
Regina was just 25 days old the first time she made the trip from her home in Mexico to Boston. Regina was born with a serious congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), resulting in the underdevelopment of the left side of her heart. Her doctors in Mexico told her parents it was ... Read More about Regina’s journey with HLHS: Four years later
Research
Tissue models and a gene therapy for a deadly heart arrhythmia
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a leading cause of sudden death from cardiac arrest in children and young adults. Marked by racing, irregular heartbeats, the inherited arrhythmia is typically silent until a child suddenly collapses and faints, at an average age of 12. The trigger is an adrenaline surge, caused by exercise or emotional ... Read More about Tissue models and a gene therapy for a deadly heart arrhythmia
Patient Stories
Limb-salvage surgery is best option for Andrew
It was quite a spring for Andrew Hedberg. The rising high school sophomore made the varsity golf team and was elected class president for the upcoming school year. Most importantly, the bone cancer that once threatened his left leg and his life remained in remission. All of this validated the decision that Andrew’s family made seven years ... Read More about Limb-salvage surgery is best option for Andrew
Patient Stories
How to have surgery and help others at the same time
Ryan Zanchi and his parents didn’t hesitate when invited to participate in research about spinal surgery. Ryan was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis at the age of 13 and had surgery two years later. Now his spine is straighter, and his contributions to science will help other patients for years to come. “Ryan’s surgery went so ... Read More about How to have surgery and help others at the same time
Patient Stories
From fear to hope with CDH
Lyndsay MacNeil is a nurse, but even she — like most parents — had never heard of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) until she was pregnant with her daughter Shayne. During a routine ultrasound, her clinicians at Brigham and Women’s Hospital detected an anomaly in the fetus, which they suspected was CDH. In this serious condition, ... Read More about From fear to hope with CDH
Research
New stem cell pipeline makes more lifelike cell products
Researchers in many fields of science and medicine engineer different types of human cells for drug testing and other purposes. They often begin with stem cells — unspecialized cells that have the potential to form many different types of tissue. By turning on certain genes, the scientists attempt to coax the stem cells into becoming ... Read More about New stem cell pipeline makes more lifelike cell products
Health and Parenting
Answers to six questions about anxiety in children and teens
Between school and social demands, lots of children feel stress, but at what point does anxiety cross the line and become a mental health concern? We sat down with Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, PhD, a clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital, to better understand what separates serious forms of anxiety from normal worrying, ... Read More about Answers to six questions about anxiety in children and teens
Research
Optimized CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing averts hearing loss in ‘Beethoven’ mice
Using a novel gene-editing approach, scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School have salvaged hearing in a mouse model of hereditary deafness, with no apparent off-target effects. The system successfully identified a single misspelled “letter” in the defective copy of a gene required for hearing, disabled this aberrant copy, and spared the healthy ... Read More about Optimized CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing averts hearing loss in ‘Beethoven’ mice
Health and Parenting
Protect your kids from dog bites: Tips from the experts
Protect your kids from dog bits: advice from experts at Boston Children's Department of Plastic Surgery and from the Weston Veterinary Clinic.
Patient Stories
My continuing heart journey with Boston Children’s
My connection to Boston Children’s Hospital started on a bright and sunny June day in 1979. My parents, who were excitedly anticipating what they assumed would be the uncomplicated birth of their first child, got an unexpected surprise when I was born completely blue (like a Smurf) and had to be rushed to Boston Children’s. ... Read More about My continuing heart journey with Boston Children’s