Patient Stories
Living a full, active life with long QT syndrome
My older sister, Tanya, began having periodic fainting episodes when we were teenagers. The doctors were stumped, but my dad was determined to find out what was causing them. He knew it might mean the difference between life or death. Years earlier, my mom had similar fainting spells, which her doctors had said were seizures. ... Read More about Living a full, active life with long QT syndrome
Health and Parenting
What to consider when choosing a pediatric surgeon
As a parent or caregiver, it’s only natural for you to want the best for your child. But when you receive a diagnosis that requires surgery as part of treatment, how do you know what the “best” is? Here are five things to consider when you’re selecting a pediatric surgeon. Expertise Pediatric surgeons all have ... Read More about What to consider when choosing a pediatric surgeon
Patient Stories
Our SCID gene therapy journey
In just 18 months, our son Paul Gallagher has been through more than what most people go through in a lifetime. He was born on Nov. 10, 2017, with a tenacious spirit, yet without an immune system — meaning that the simplest infection was difficult to fight and a common cold was life threatening. His ... Read More about Our SCID gene therapy journey
Patient Stories
Care for stroke lets Matty just be a kid
Most adults might encourage kids to behave themselves, but Matthew Marino’s doctor wants to help him make mischief. “He told us that he loves when kids cause trouble and that he wants to help Matt cause trouble, too,” says his mother, Maura, of Dr. David Fogelman, a physiatrist in the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center at ... Read More about Care for stroke lets Matty just be a kid
Research
Sweet! How C. difficile toxin A enters intestinal cells
Clostridiodes difficile infection has become a leading cause of severe, sometimes fatal diarrheal illness. It flourishes best in hospitals and long-term care facilities where people are on long-term antibiotic treatment, but it’s also an increasing problem in the community. Much of the damage from C. diff is caused by toxins the bacterium produces, which damage ... Read More about Sweet! How C. difficile toxin A enters intestinal cells
Research
A rare kidney tumor’s vulnerability, and a potential treatment
Andrew Hong, MD, a pediatric oncologist at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, has cared for a number of children who develop unusual, aggressive cancers. One teenager with a deadly kidney cancer called renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) left a particularly deep impression on him and his colleagues. “Seeing how quickly this patient succumbed to the disease ... Read More about A rare kidney tumor’s vulnerability, and a potential treatment
Clinical Care
Neurosurgeon’s pioneering technique helps thousands of children
Michael Scott, MD, was a 29-year-old neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston when he saw a patient with a condition he hadn’t learned about in medical school: a narrowing of the blood vessels entering the brain. It was 1970, and though Japanese doctors had described the condition a few years earlier, it would ... Read More about Neurosurgeon’s pioneering technique helps thousands of children
Patient Stories
Leading the way: Ava’s experience with teduglutide
Ava Orsini visits Boston Children’s Hospital every two weeks. It’s more time than any kid wants to spend at a hospital, particularly when she lives a state away. But for this 9-year-old and her parents, the trips are worth it: For the past two years, she’s been participating in a clinical trial of a drug ... Read More about Leading the way: Ava’s experience with teduglutide
Our Community
Meet the 2018 Best in Care Award winners
We are thrilled to announce the 2018 Best in Care Award winners, chosen from a total of more than 150 nominations and five finalists. Founded by the Boston Children’s Family Partnerships Program, the Best in Care Award is a way for families to recognize staff members and volunteers who have gone above and beyond in providing ... Read More about Meet the 2018 Best in Care Award winners
Research
Huge sequencing study links rare DNA changes to type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a complicated disease influenced by genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Now, an international consortium of scientists has uncovered some previously unknown genetic factors — which could potentially aid the search for better treatments. The researchers sequenced the exomes — all the protein-coding genes — of roughly 21,000 people with type 2 diabetes ... Read More about Huge sequencing study links rare DNA changes to type 2 diabetes