Patient Stories
Beyond expectations: Treating Isaac’s teratoma through an EXIT procedure
Jennifer worked as a hairdresser until just days before delivering her son, Isaac, last December, even though she had planned to stop a week earlier. Beating expectations must run in the family because Isaac has been doing just that since before he was even born. He has amazed everyone around him with how well he ... Read More about Beyond expectations: Treating Isaac’s teratoma through an EXIT procedure
Patient Stories
After surgery for a brain tumor, Jenny is moving ahead — and giving back
“It might sound weird,” says Jenny Eckert, “but I’m very grateful that I got hit in the face with a soccer ball.” A year and a half ago, Jenny, then 9, was playing soccer when she accidentally took a hit to the head — twice. Concerned about a possible concussion, her parents, Vanessa and Scott, brought ... Read More about After surgery for a brain tumor, Jenny is moving ahead — and giving back
Research
Eight years of preparation for a surgical first: a partial heart transplant
Boston Children’s cardiac surgeons have an overriding goal for each patient: If possible, repair their congenital heart defect (CHD) — rather than replace any native heart tissue. Preserving heart tissue often leads to a speedier and more complete recovery and longer-lasting cardiac function. Sometimes, though, a patient’s valve tissue is beyond repair and a bioprosthetic or mechanical replacement valve ... Read More about Eight years of preparation for a surgical first: a partial heart transplant
Health and Parenting
August 2024 coloring pages
Gear up for a new school year with our August coloring pages! MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-1Download MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-2Download MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-3Download Images: Adobe Stock/Illustration: David Chrisom Get more coloring pages, news, and tips for your family from our weekly newsletter. Sign up now! Share this:
Research
Creating the next generation of mRNA vaccines
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA vaccines came to the rescue, developed in record time and saving lives worldwide. Researchers in the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital have developed two novel technologies that could make these and future mRNA vaccines more potent and longer-lasting — at smaller doses and with fewer side effects. The ... Read More about Creating the next generation of mRNA vaccines
Health and Parenting
Going for gold starts with breakfast: Nutrition advice for athletes
As they speed-climb 49-foot walls or spring across narrow balance beams, athletes rely on nutrition to provide the energy they need to achieve their dreams. Sports dietitian Laura Moretti Reece offers all athletes this simple nutrition advice: 1. Eat enough. Food is fuel, says Reece of Boston Children’s Female Athlete Program. Athletes need fuel for ... Read More about Going for gold starts with breakfast: Nutrition advice for athletes
Research
Tracking influenza in its first battleground: The nose
The answer to curbing influenza could be right under our noses — or, more accurately, inside them. New research maps happenings in the nose during the course of influenza in exquisite detail, and could potentially lead to new targets and more effective nasal flu vaccines. The nose is often the gateway to respiratory infections, where ... Read More about Tracking influenza in its first battleground: The nose
Patient Stories
No labels or limits with Apert syndrome: A letter to parents
Dear parents, If you’re reading this, your child might have been recently diagnosed with Apert syndrome and you don’t know what comes next with this rare genetic disorder that causes fusion of your child’s skull, hands, and foot bones. Or maybe you’ve been in the Apert world for a while and are looking for people ... Read More about No labels or limits with Apert syndrome: A letter to parents
Research
From injury to backflips: A path to recovery for gymnasts
Gymnasts can create the illusion that gravity doesn’t exist. As they spring from one acrobatic skill into the next, they leave spectators little time to consider the strain they’re putting on their wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Nonetheless, a single back handspring exerts force equal to two to four times an athlete’s weight on their upper ... Read More about From injury to backflips: A path to recovery for gymnasts
Research
From ‘hit to vial’: Discovery and optimization of a promising vaccine adjuvant
Many vaccines are only partially effective, have waning efficacy, or do not work well in the very young or the very old. For more than a decade, Ofer Levy, MD, PhD, and David Dowling, PhD, in the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, have tried improving vaccines by adding compounds known as adjuvants to ... Read More about From ‘hit to vial’: Discovery and optimization of a promising vaccine adjuvant