September 7, 2016

9716jjwattandjeston640Earlier this summer, one of Texas Children’s patients Jeston Adams’ dreams came true – the 8-year-old got to meet his hero J.J. Watt. Since then, Jeston’s relationship with the Houston Texans football player has grown into a full-fledged friendship that has kept him going during his search for a new heart.

To Watt and Jeston’s amazement, that search ended three weeks ago when congenital heart surgeon Dr. Iki Adachi implanted a new heart into Jeston’s chest. The Louisiana native is recovering and being cared for by Dr. Jeff Dreyer, medical director of the Heart Transplant Program, and other members of the Heart Center team.

“Jeston has a very infectious personality,” Dreyer said. “He’s had a great attitude and that’s contributed to his recovery.”

After his transplant, Jeston worked with Texas Children’s Child Life team to create a video for the man he calls his big brother. Watt shared the video on social media.

“He has been a warrior through it all and handled it with such a positive attitude,” Watt wrote on Instagram. “He truly is an incredible kid with an amazing spirit. No matter what gets us down in life, how bad we feel or how negative the situation may seem, if we keep a positive attitude and fight with everything we’ve got, incredible things are possible. That’s what Jeston has taught me.”

Click here to watch CBS 11 KHOU’s update on Jeston.

August 23, 2016

82416periwinklegatorade640In her almost 22 years with Texas Children’s Hospital, Linda Baker, assistant director of pharmacy at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, has always been involved with Camp Periwinkle, a week-long summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings.

Last year Baker wanted to adopt a cabin at the camp, but they were all taken so she asked camp organizers what else they needed. Gatorade!, they enthusiastically replied. Baker donated 10 cases of the drink and the camp still needed more, which gave Baker the idea to organize a campus-wide contribution this year, challenging her West Campus employees to exceed last year’s donation. They did just that, giving 1,504 bottles or 19,193 ounces of Gatorade to the Periwinkle Foundation.

“I am so proud and happy to say that the employees of West Campus came through as we always do,” Baker said. “We should all be very proud that our contribution helped keep these kids hydrated during their summer camp.”

August 9, 2016

72716SusanKirk175Susan Kirk, a physician assistant at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, was recently honored with the Dr. Marilyn Hockenberry Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice, Education and Research.

Established in 2012, this internal award recognizes an advanced practice nurse (APN) and/or physician assistant (PA) who has made exemplary contributions to the education of clinical fellows, nurse practitioners, PAs or nurses, or has completed a clinical practice improvement project that has significantly impacted patient care in Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Hematology Service.

The hematology faculty at Texas Children’s nominated Kirk for her many contributions, particularly in the areas of hematology education and research.

While Kirk has taken the lead on the development and revision of Clinical Practice Guidelines for several areas in Immune Hematology, she is heavily involved in teaching. She is frequently requested to have trainees shadow her and is passionate about teaching both disease specific and operational aspects of daily practice. Kirk also teaches multiple courses in Immune Hematology to nursing staff and lectures PA students on hematology topics. This year, she has volunteered to precept a Baylor College of Medicine PA student.

In addition to clinical education, Kirk ensures staff in the hematology clinic are up to speed on the latest technology. She teaches her colleagues how to perform tasks in Epic on a daily basis and is an active member of the Beacon Committee for the development of an online chemotherapy ordering program.

Kirk has also made remarkable accomplishments in pediatric hematology research. She is part of the backbone of the immune hematology research program and is involved in the development and operation of multiple research studies, some of which have been published in Thrombosis Research. Kirk has also written abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the International Society for Thrombosis and Hemostasis annual meeting. She recently presented an educational session on sickle cell disease at Texas Children’s 2016 APP Conference.

Kirk is a member of several professional organizations including the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants, a content expert for the National Commission on Certification for Physician Assistants and an abstract review committee member for the American Academy of Physician Assistants Annual Meeting.

August 1, 2016

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On July 26, 10-year-old Joseph Fleming received a big surprise from his favorite baseball team when Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and pitcher Lance McCullers visited him at Texas Children’s Cancer Center.

Fleming was diagnosed with a rare cancer in his liver and lungs, and his family and friends wanted to cheer him up. After his story aired on KPRC, one thing led to another before this lucky Astros fan and aspiring big league pitcher got a chance to hang out with his favorite Astros players.

Click here to watch the video.

Houston Texan’s J.J. Watt surprised one of his biggest fans, 9-year old Will Martinez, when he dropped by the family’s home for dinner thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Three years ago, Martinez was diagnosed with leukemia. On July 19, he reached an incredible milestone when he rang the end-of-treatment bell at the Cancer Center.

In this ESPN video, Martinez shows Watts what it means to have “Will Power.”

July 26, 2016

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On Friday, July 22, the Still Strong Foundation hosted a Spa Day for Texas Children’s Cancer Center patients and their families. Houston Texans defensive lineman Devon Still and his daughter, Leah, created the foundation in 2015 following Leah’s diagnosis with neuroblastoma.

During the event, patients enjoyed face painting, decorating flip flops and face masks, and spending time with Still and Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Parents relaxed with manicures and massages and shared common experiences with Still, the father of a cancer survivor.

The Still Strong Foundation provides grants to families affected by childhood cancers to allow them to spend less time worrying about non-medical bills, like mortgages and utilities, and more time supporting their child to a victorious fight against cancer.

Click here to watch the Houston Texans video highlighting Spa Day at Texas Children’s.

 

 

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Texas Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit hosted its first annual BMT Teen Lock-in from 7 p.m. on Friday, July 15, to 7 a.m. on Saturday, July 16. Patient played tons of games, had fun in the photo booth, had their face pained on a rock, watched movies and learned how to make Texas Roadhouse bread.

Transplant patients undergo a long period of social isolation and that’s why peer-to-peer interactions and socialization are so important. Hosting an event to foster socialization with others who are experiencing a similar life event, gives transplant patients a chance to meet and have fun with peers also experiencing some of the challenges of a bone marrow transplant.

July 19, 2016

72016Sager640Craig Sager, recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at ESPN’s Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, or the ESPY Awards, gave an inspiring speech about his journey battling cancer and the comfort he’s found in the model train exhibit at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“Many nights I don’t get out of the hospital until after midnight. I always take the same walking path back to the hotel. The sidewalks wind through a maze of buildings, including Texas Children’s Hospital. Many nights I would stop, pause and I’ll go inside. A few feet inside the hallway is this large model train display covered by glass. There are seven buttons on the outside. They activate the trains, the circus, the toys and the trolley. And many nights alone, in the stillness and the solitude of the hospital, I push those buttons and I watch the trains as they disappear through the tunnel and emerge full steam on the other side. I watch the trains as they pass by the town square, the dinosaur canyon, the pirates cove, Santa Land and the ice skating rink. And I sit there and I watch and l listen. I listen to the sounds of the circus, of the kids laughing and of the train chugging along. Now I don’t know why I am so brought to this train set. Perhaps it’s my life coming full circle. Maybe it’s just the kid inside all of us. Or perhaps it’s a few minutes of my life that leukemia can’t take from me.”

Sager’s full speech: http://ow.ly/2PCs302fbkg