Patient Stories
Treating vascular rings: Sisters travel more than 3,000 miles for care
Nicky Dickerhoff is no stranger to caring for children: Not only is she a neonatal nurse practitioner, but she and her husband, Jake, have eight kids themselves. “We’re experienced parents,” she laughs. So when their daughter Harper briefly stopped breathing at just 3 weeks old, Nicky was skeptical at the initial diagnosis of reflux. Repeated ... Read More about Treating vascular rings: Sisters travel more than 3,000 miles for care
Health and Parenting
Surgery during COVID-19: Answers for parents
Any time a child needs surgery, safety is a natural concern. With COVID-19, many parents are feeling more concerned than ever. “As a parent myself, one of the scariest things about this pandemic is that you’re often having to make decisions based on incomplete information, says Dr. Prathima Nandivada, an attending surgeon in the Department ... Read More about Surgery during COVID-19: Answers for parents
Health and Parenting
Getting COVID-19 vaccines to medically fragile children
As COVID-19 vaccines slowly roll out, should children who need complex care or have serious medical conditions be vaccinated? We asked experts around Boston Children’s Hospital, and their resounding answer is: Yes, if they are age 16 or older. Boston Children’s is actively planning to make vaccination happen for as many patients as possible, as ... Read More about Getting COVID-19 vaccines to medically fragile children
Patient Stories
Brachial plexus birth injury: Harper’s right arm
When Harper Jane Stalker was born with a limp, unmoving right arm in 2016, her parents had never heard of brachial plexus birth injury. Their situation was not unusual. Although this type of nerve injury is relatively common, most parents haven’t heard the term and don’t know what it is. “In the beginning, we were ... Read More about Brachial plexus birth injury: Harper’s right arm
Research
Tuber locations associated with infantile spasms map to a common brain network
About half of all babies with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) develop infantile spasms, a type of epilepsy that can have serious long-term neurologic consequences. Infantile spasms occur more often in children who have more brain tubers — groups of cells that do not divide into normal neurons and brain cells — but we haven’t known ... Read More about Tuber locations associated with infantile spasms map to a common brain network
Our Community
COVID-19 exposed health inequities. These doctors let people know.
What’s a doctor to do when social issues make their patients sick? Traditional medicine can treat disease, but most people don’t realize that problems like racism, poverty, poor housing, and food insecurity can put children and families at risk for a wide range of health problems. Driven by concern that communities of color would experience ... Read More about COVID-19 exposed health inequities. These doctors let people know.
Health and Parenting
Talking with your child about loss and death
The death toll from COVID-19 has recently surpassed more than 400,000 in the United States and continues to climb. This means that thousands of children have lost someone close to them — a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a family friend, or even a parent. Some children have lost more than one loved one. Talking ... Read More about Talking with your child about loss and death
Health and Parenting
Chronic headaches in kids: How a psychologist can help your child cope
For many young people, the pain of chronic daily headaches can be compounded by the concern that providers aren’t taking them seriously. Defined as headaches that occur at least 15 days per month for six months or more, chronic daily headaches can be so difficult to manage that some patients may feel that their pain ... Read More about Chronic headaches in kids: How a psychologist can help your child cope
Research
Predicting pediatric seizures with a wristband: Study shows what’s possible
The ability to track seizures has a number of potential benefits: It could allow physicians to better determine optimal dosing and timing of medication, as well as enable timely interventions to help prevent impending seizures. Traditionally, electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocorticography have been used to evaluate and forecast seizures. However, more compact, portable approaches — such ... Read More about Predicting pediatric seizures with a wristband: Study shows what’s possible
Health and Parenting
Answers for parents whose baby is born with brachial plexus injury
Between one and three of every 1,000 babies is born with brachial plexus birth injury. The injury, which may be minor or severe, can impair movement and sensation in a baby’s arm. Because brachial plexus injuries take place during birth, usually without warning, the news leaves many new parents at a loss for what to ... Read More about Answers for parents whose baby is born with brachial plexus injury