October 15, 2019

Cami Cannary and Milli Cruz are truly a dynamic duo. The mother and daughter both have faced pediatric cancer and fought it with everything they’ve got.

Cami was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 1989 and battled it with the help of Dr. ZoAnn Dreyer, director of the Texas Children’s Cancer Center’s Long-Term Survivor Program. Diagnosed with leukemia in 2018 when she was just 20 years old, Milli also is Dr. Dreyer’s patient, receiving care at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. She currently is in the maintenance phase of her treatment plan and is looking forward to completing her therapy in about a year.

“It’s been a long, tough road, but I’m getting to the good spots, and my mom has been a huge help,” Milli said. “She’s provided me with so much support and insight that only she could give.”

To celebrate how far they both have come, Milli and Cami, along with other cancer patients and survivors, walked the runway on October 11 at the 12th Annual Champions Luncheon and Fashion Show, formerly known as the Celebration of Champions, at River Oaks Country Club.

“Caregivers at Texas Children’s Cancer Center recognize that health concerns for childhood cancer patients do not end when their cancer treatment is successfully completed,” said Dr. Susan Blaney, Director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers. “The Long-Term Survivor Program, which currently follows about 1,500 pediatric cancer survivors, has developed an international reputation as a leader in the field and has attracted world-renowned faculty involved in local, national and international research that benefits today’s pediatric cancer patients and future survivors.”

During the event, pediatric cancer patients and survivors from Texas Children’s Cancer Center were escorted down the runway by local philanthropists or “Community Champions.” Milli and Cami were paired with Dreyer, who said she has never cared for both a parent and a child during her career at Texas Children’s.

“These two women are very special,” Dreyer said. “They have a powerful bond, and I’m so glad they are getting to celebrate that today at this beautiful event.”

View photos from the event below.

Five-year-old Gatlin Massey walked the runway with Ed and Gwen Emmett. Ed Emmett served as Harris County Judge for 12 years and is now a professor at Rice University, a senior fellow at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, and a distinguished senior fellow at Northeastern University’s Global Resilience Institute. Gwen Emmett is active in the community on many levels and is currently board chair for Baker Ripley. Her passion is children and making them safe and capable young adults.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to be part of something so special,” Gwen Emmett said.

The Champions Luncheon was chaired by Sidney Faust, Judi McGee, Elsie Eckert and Scott Basinger, who have overseen the luncheon each year since its inception. Thanks to underwriting by Faust Distributing Company and Mach Industrial Group, Inc., each patient was able to keep his or her hand-picked outfit – much to the delight of the “models.”

All funds raised during the luncheon will benefit Texas Children’s Cancer Center’s Long-Term Survivor Program, one of the nation’s only long-term childhood cancer survivor programs that sees survivors through adulthood. Today, more than 37,000 survivors treated at 138 clinics around the world are using Passport for Care, a free online resource developed at Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine that provides individualized health care information to guide care for effects from childhood cancer treatment. Patients who are not signed up through their clinic may benefit from Passport for Care’s resources by using the newly-developed Screenings Recommendations Generator.

The Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children’s Cancer and Hematology Clinic in McAllen, Texas, a site of Texas Children’s Cancer Center, hosted a similar fundraising event on September 25. The 6th Annual Celebration of Heroes Fashion Show and Luncheon was held at the McAllen Convention Center and raised over $140,000. All proceeds benefitted the Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children’s Cancer and Hematology Clinic’s Charitable Care Program. For more information about Vannie Cook, click here.

Stop for a minute and let’s go back in time. Let’s travel back to 1989. Where were you? What were you doing? What were you planning and hoping for?

It may take you some time to remember; but for Mark Wallace, our president and CEO, the memories are vivid. That was the year he took leadership of our organization and started living out his destiny to make Texas Children’s one of the best hospitals in the nation.

In celebration of that year, we thought it would be fun to flash back and relive what was going on in the world. Reading these fun facts might trigger a few memories of your own.

Memorable events of 1989

  • The Berlin Wall came down
  • The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize
  • Toyota launched its luxury brand – Lexus
  • The World Wide Web was born
  • The Nintendo “Game Boy” personal gaming device came out

The cost of living in 1989

  • Average income per year – $27,450.00
  • Average monthly rent – $420.00
  • 1 gallon of gas – 97 cents
  • US Postage Stamps – 25 cents

Most popular movies of 1989

  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
  • Coming To America
  • Good Morning Vietnam
  • Crocodile Dundee II
  • Big
  • Three Men and a Baby
  • Die Hard
  • Cocktail
  • Moonstruck
  • Beetlejuice

Most popular television shows of 1989

  • The Cosby Show
  • Roseanne
  • Cheers
  • A Different World
  • America’s Funniest Home Videos
  • The Golden Girls
  • 60 Minutes
  • The Wonder Years
  • Empty Nest

Top 10 Songs of 1989 (Billboard Hot 100)

  • Look Away – Chicago
  • Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Poison
  • Straight Up – Paula Abdul
  • Miss You Much – Janet Jackson
  • Cold Hearted – Paula Abdul
  • Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
  • Girl You Know It’s True – Milli Vanilli
  • Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird – Will To Power
  • Giving You the Best That I Got – Anita Baker

Quotes/Sayings that entered pop culture in 1989

  • “If you build it, they will come.” – Field of Dreams
  • “I’ll have what she’s having.” – When Harry Met Sally
  • “This is your brain. And this is your brain on drugs. Any questions?” – Partnership for a Drug Free America commercial

It was a busy year and these are just a few snapshots of what happened. Did you enjoy your trip down memory lane? To learn what was going on at Texas Children’s in 1989 and all the ways we’ve grown since, check out the special microsite honoring Mr. Wallace at https://www.markawallace30years.org/

Make sure to visit the Guest Book and post a note of congratulations!

Anesthesiologist-in-Chief Dr. Dean Andropolous is routinely one of the first people in line at the earliest scheduled Employee Health flu vaccine event, and this year was no different. A short time after the Employee Health team started giving out flu shots on The Auxiliary Bridge, Andropolous rolled up his sleeve and stepped up to the plate to get his vaccine.

“I come down every year and get my shot so that I can protect our patients and myself from getting the flu, an illness that for anybody is a really bad experience, but for many of our patients, can be life threatening,” Andropolous said, adding that Texas Children’s makes it extremely easy for employees to get the flu vaccine. “It took me less than three minutes, and it didn’t hurt a bit.”

More than 5,000 employees have taken the lead in getting their flu shots so far this year. Employees who receive their flu vaccine by November 1, 2019, will be entered into a drawing to win one of 25 Nutri Ninja Pro Blenders. Employee Health will notify the winners via email on Friday, November 8. To view the Employee Health flu vaccine event schedule, click here.

Flu program overview

Employee Health will administer flu vaccines at no cost to Texas Children’s employees; Baylor College of Medicine employees working at Texas Children’s facilities; Morrison, Crothall, or Compass contract employees; and volunteers at Texas Children’s. Upon vaccination at Texas Children’s, staff will receive a 2019-20 flu season sticker to affix to their badges.

To reduce wait times at the flu vaccination events, employees are recommended to complete their Flu Vaccine Consent Form online via the Employee Health & Wellness Portal prior to attending the event.* Click here to view a quick video tutorial on how to access the Flu Vaccine Consent Form online. Click here for instructions on how to log in to the portal or click here to view step-by-step instructions.

Employees at Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Urgent Care, and Texas Children’s Specialty Care Centers may be vaccinated at their respective practices, please speak to your leader for more information. Employees who work remotely may be referred to a designated occupational health clinic by Employee Health, or can receive their vaccine covered at 100 percent through Texas Children’s medical plan when administered by an in-network pharmacy under medical coverage.

View photos of your colleagues getting their flu shot below.

Employees who receive their flu vaccine outside of Texas Children’s must submit their attestation and proof of vaccination via this online form.

Employees who decline the flu vaccine for approved exemptions may be required to use protective medical equipment, such as gloves and masks, when providing direct patient care services for the duration of the flu season. For more details, see Required Influenza Vaccination Policy #317 and Procedure #4218.

If you have questions about the Flu Program, contact Employee Health at 832-824-2150, option 2.

Texas Children’s has a new website that recognizes the outstanding accomplishments and successes of our dedicated team of more than 3,500 nurses across the organization.

In collaboration with Nursing, Texas Children’s Marketing Team designed a microsite that features compelling articles, pictures, videos and graphics that spotlight how our nurses go above and beyond to spearhead system wide initiatives to improve patient care, safety and outcomes.

Through this new digital communication platform, website page views can be measured and nursing stories and data can be updated more frequently. The Nursing microsite also provides another tool for nursing engagement that complements the Voice of Nursing blog, which was launched in 2014.

Each section of the site – patient care, professional development, research, awards and honors, Voice of Nursing blog and feature stories – demonstrates our nursing team’s continued dedication and hard work, their leadership and the compassion that goes into the work they do at Texas Children’s.

“More than 3,500 nurses across Texas Children’s are touching the lives of our patients and families every day,” said Chief Nursing Officer Mary Jo Andre. “Our nurses have such an integral role making decisions and directing the care for our patients. I am excited about this new website and the opportunity it provides to showcase the contributions our nurses are making to enhance patient experience and outcomes. I encourage everyone to check it out.”

Read all about our nursing team’s achievements at www.texaschildrens.org/nursing. Share the link with family, friends and colleagues, and encourage them to do the same.

Click here for recent feature stories of Nursing in 2019.

From November 14 to 15, Texas Children’s Hospital will host the 7th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Pediatric Wound Care (ISPeW), one of the premier societies in the world devoted to education, collaboration and the state of the art in pediatric wound care.

The two-day conference will be held in the beautiful new auditorium at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, and will feature experts in basic science, surgery and nursing discussing the latest advancements in the care, prevention and research of pediatric wounds. These will include Texas Children’s own Shannon McCord, director of Advanced Practice Providers and Nursing Clinical Support Services, Community; MaryAnne Lewis, wound ostomy nurse; and Dr. Sundeep Keswani, pediatric surgeon, surgical director of basic science research, immediate past president of ISPeW, and the event’s local chair. Also from Texas Children’s are Chief of Plastic Surgery Dr. Edward Buchanan and Texas Children’s Director of Surgical Advanced Practice Providers Ryan Krasnosky, who are serving on the conference’s Program Committee.

ISPeW meetings receive abstracts from wound care providers all around the world, a testament to the advancement of the society and to the importance of the field in wound care. New to the conference this year will be three keynote sessions, led by:

  • Dr. Steven Wolf, a leader in the field of pediatric burn care and a Professor of Surgery at Shriners Hospital in Galveston
  • Dr. Paul Bollyky, an immunologist and infectious diseases expert from Stanford, who will talk about his innovative work in biofilms
  • Sandy Quigley, Judi Stellar and Cathy Caillouette, three nurses who will be speaking about their work with the Braden QD pressure injury prevention scale and its implementation
Becoming the epicenter

The field of wound care in the United States, particularly for children, is not as mature as it is in Europe. Until the upcoming ISPeW meeting, there will not have been a meeting of this kind in the U.S. It has been a goal to form a coalition for pediatric wound care in the U.S. with Texas Children’s at the epicenter. A key step toward recognizing that vision was the launch of the Wound Care Clinic – one of only a few in the country, and the first and only one of its kind in Texas. Hosting one of the world’s premier pediatric wound care societies on our home turf is an important opportunity for Texas Children’s.

“Texas Children’s is proud to support the International Society of Pediatric Wound Care annual meeting,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier, who will also deliver welcome remarks to open the conference. “We’ve spent a lot of time together building Texas Children’s into the magnificent place that it is today. We see the amazing things that are happening here every day because we live it. But others around the country don’t fully appreciate what is happening here. When we host conferences, not only is our expertise on display, but it becomes apparent to anyone who steps through our doors that this place is special. That helps spread the word, builds referrals and strengthens our reputation in our peers’ eyes.”

Surgical leadership and Nursing leadership are also strongly supporting the conference. Thirty complimentary surgical physician assistant (PA) registrations were generously provided and have already been filled.

Nursing leadership has arranged for any interested Texas Children’s nurses to attend the conference at no cost. In addition, continuing nursing education (CNE) units may be earned.

“PAs and nurses are leading the charge in wound care in the United States,” said Keswani. “We have free registrations available for our nursing and PA colleagues, and want to get the word out that this is an amazing opportunity for Texas Children’s nurses to learn about advancements in pediatric wound care, and to also earn CNEs in the process.

If you are a Texas Children’s Hospital employee and interested in attending the ISPeW meeting, please contact Linda Cao at llcao@texaschildrens.org.

As a Texas Children’s employee, it is important to make informed, thoughtful decisions about what you choose to post online. Read more

The Clinical Research Center/Research Resources Office presented the Clinical Research Award for third Quarter 2019 to Ann McMeans, Clinical Research Center at Texas Children’s Hospital.

The award was established by the Clinical Research Center in collaboration with the Research Resources Office to recognize and honor individual contributions to protecting the best interest of the research subjects and compliance with applicable rules and regulations.

Ann McMeans began work as a pediatric dietitian in 1992 at Texas Children’s Hospital. In 1998, she transitioned to the Clinical Research Center (CRC) at Texas Children’s Hospital and has worked for more than 21 years as a research dietitian. McMeans also manages the CRC database, the Scientific Advisory Committee meetings and the nutrition studies in the Children’s Nutrition Research Center Metabolic Research Unit. She was President of the National Association for Research Nutrition from May 2018-May 2019.

Her more recent research projects include being an unblinded team member for various peanut food allergy studies and various studies focusing on IBS in the pediatric population.