Health and Parenting
Back to school… back to what?
This month, many children and teens in Massachusetts and around the country are finally heading back to school in person. For some kids this news might elicit jumps for joy, while others might feel nervous or afraid. Wherever you or your kids land on this range of feelings, there will no doubt be an emotional ... Read More about Back to school… back to what?
Patient Stories
Pinpointing Karlijn’s seizures: Neurosurgery helps teen get back to her life
Karlijn Kuiper was visiting her home country of the Netherlands a few years ago when the trouble began. At first, her family noticed she would zone out. “She had these strange spells where she would just stare,” remembers her mother, Marieke. At first, it didn’t occur to Karlijn’s family that they could be seizures. Like ... Read More about Pinpointing Karlijn’s seizures: Neurosurgery helps teen get back to her life
Research
Piecing together the preterm infant microbiome
The human microbiome — the collection of microbes living in the gut — is now recognized as an important contributor to health and disease. The environment, the host, and microbe-microbe interactions are all likely to shape the microbiome’s dynamics, but the unique roles of each are not well understood. Now, a Boston Children’s Hospital infectious ... Read More about Piecing together the preterm infant microbiome
Patient Stories
From Virginia to Boston for a kidney transplant: Joshy’s story
Joshy Buchheit is a lot like most 4-year-old boys. He loves playing in the mud, riding his scooter, and keeping up with his three older brothers, Joseph, Ethan, and Evan. But what sets Joshy apart is that he was born with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and had a kidney transplant when he was just 20 ... Read More about From Virginia to Boston for a kidney transplant: Joshy’s story
Research
Can we prevent leukemia in patients with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome?
Anna Nazarenko doesn’t see herself as sick. The strong-willed, spunky 6-year-old loves to dance and ski, and spent much of April Fool’s day pranking her parents. Aside from the enzymes she takes to help digest her food, you wouldn’t know that she has Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS). The rare, inherited type of bone marrow failure has ... Read More about Can we prevent leukemia in patients with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome?
Clinical Care
Newborn genetic screening for pediatric cancer risk could save lives
Numerous genetic mutations increase children’s risk for various cancers. When they are detected early, cancers can potentially be caught at an early, more treatable stage — or avoided entirely. Could adding such “cancer predisposition” genes to routine newborn “heel-stick” screening save lives? Lisa Diller, MD, chief medical officer at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood ... Read More about Newborn genetic screening for pediatric cancer risk could save lives
Patient Stories
Transitioning to adult care for sickle cell disease: Ariyanna’s journey
Ariyanna Agnew sits in a waiting room at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). The 22-year-old, who has been a patient of the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Sickle Cell Disease Program for more than a decade, is seeing an adult hematologist for the first time. It’s a milestone event that would ordinarily ... Read More about Transitioning to adult care for sickle cell disease: Ariyanna’s journey
Patient Stories
What it’s like to have brain surgery: Peyton’s story
During the summer before my junior year of high school, I started getting a lot of dull headaches at the base of my head and upper neck. I got so used to them that I built up a tolerance to the pain — I didn’t see them as a big deal, or would make excuses for ... Read More about What it’s like to have brain surgery: Peyton’s story
Our Community
What is health equity and how does it affect children?
Put simply, health equity is a commitment to ensuring every person can obtain the highest level of health possible, no matter where they live or who they are. In 2020, many hospitals around the country — including Boston Children’s — made public commitments to health equity for their patients. This was part of a national ... Read More about What is health equity and how does it affect children?
Patient Stories
Freak accident leads to Dylan’s passion for neurosurgery
It was the summer of 2019. Dylan Keusch had just graduated from prep school and was planning to major in Industrial Labor Relations at Cornell University in the fall. His life felt pretty perfect. “Everything was going great — I was a national club team swimmer at the peak of my career, I was headed ... Read More about Freak accident leads to Dylan’s passion for neurosurgery