July 12, 2016

71316Dreileenbrewer175Medical Director of Renal Transplantation Eileen Brewer, MD, recently received an achievement award for her work on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Pediatric Transplantation Committee.

Brewer has been a member of the committee since 2009 and was chair of the committee in December 2015 when, after decades of hard work, the UNOS Board passed pediatric bylaws that establish specialized guidelines for surgeon and physician leadership for all hospitals with pediatric transplant programs.

“Dr. Brewer faced many tough questions about the bylaws and handled these questions with the mettle of a seasoned practitioner and diplomat,” said Christopher Wholley, a UNOS policy analyst. “It’s been a pleasure to work with her.”

Dr. John Goss, the medical director of Transplant Services at Texas Children’s Hospital, said Brewer’s work on the Pediatric Transplantation Committee has yielded some great work for the pediatric transplant community.

“This was a huge undertaking and we are very proud of her,” he said.

Brewer is an internationally known expert in pediatric renal diseases, dialysis, transplantation and hypertension. She is past president of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, former Council Member of the International Pediatric Nephrology Association and organizer of International Workshops on Hypertension in Children and Adolescents in 2001, 2004 and 2007.

She has been an active clinician and clinical researcher throughout her career, publishing more than 90 journal articles and 30 book chapters. She is frequently invited to speak at scientific meetings and workshops nationally and internationally.

June 21, 2016

62216jjwatt640When 8-year-old Texas Children’s patient Jeston Adams woke up June 12, he could barely contain his excitement. It was the moment he had been waiting for; the day he was going to meet his hero – J.J. Watt.

Jeston, whose wide smile and personality light up a room, spent more than three hours having lunch, sharing stories, playing video games and talking about his road to a heart transplant with the larger-than-life Houston Texans defensive end.

In January, congenital heart surgeon Dr. Iki Adachi and his team implanted the HeartWare® HVAD® into Jeston’s small chest, connecting the device to his heart. A red pack filled with the VAD’s controller and battery is now a fixture on Jeston’s back, allowing him to enjoy his childhood as he awaits a much-needed transplant. He is closely monitored by pediatric cardiologist Dr. Aamir Jeewa, VAD coordinator Barb Elias, and the Heart Center’s heart failure team.

“Giving patients like Jeston an opportunity to meet a hero and be inspired by someone like J.J. is really uplifting,” said Dr. Jeff Dreyer, medical director of the Heart Transplant Program. “His positive attitude and moments like this keep him going on the long road ahead.”

After the visit, Watt had one more surprise for Jeston before they said goodbye – an Xbox. Jeston was thrilled, and without hesitation wrapped his arms around Watt’s waist for a big hug. The starstruck patient now calls Watt his brother and hopes this is just the beginning of their friendship.

“Thank you for everything!,” Jeston said grinning from ear to ear. “I hope I see you again one day.”

Jeston and his mom weren’t the only ones who had a memorable day. Watt posted a photo and video of his time with Jeston on social media and received an overwhelming, supportive response.

“He is one of the nicest, kindest, funniest kids that I have ever met. He has an old soul combined with the energy and enthusiasm of a child,” Watt wrote about Jeston. “He spoke openly about his condition and the pain that he endures, but he never complained about it or used it as an excuse. He never stopped smiling the entire day and he, without question, has inspired me to attack each day with a smile and a positive mentality.”

Click here to watch highlights from Jeston’s special day.

June 14, 2016

61516transplantinside640A team of transplant recipients and living donors from Texas Children’s are in Cleveland, Ohio this week competing in the Transplant Games of America. A group from Texas Children’s has participated in the games for the past several years and will this year compete in 13 different events including golf, baseball, tennis, poker, trivia and more.

“We all are very excited about the opportunity to participate in this event,” said Melissa Nugent, educational coordinator for Transplant Services and a chaperone at the games. “It’s amazing to be here and to see what these children are able to do because they were given the gift of life.”

One of Texas Children’s team members is 13-year-old Cade Alpard. Cade was diagnosed with biliary atresia at 6-weeks-old following being jaundiced at birth. He was put on the liver transplant list by six months of age and at 1-year-old received his transplant. The road to transplantation was anything but easy, though with Cade developing every complication known to biliary atresia and according to his mom, Jennifer Alpard, even inventing his own.

Before receiving a new liver, Cade had a host of issues that landed him in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit including an adverse reaction to an antibiotic and a central line infection. He was discharged and the family had round-the-clock nursing care at home because Jennifer and her husband, Scott Alpard, both continued to work full time. Cade was fed and given medication through his IV and one night his nurse sent in an order for routine labs, including liver and kidney functions. Jennifer received a confusing call from Texas Children’s Emergency Center that evening explaining Cade was in kidney failure. She asked, “Don’t you mean liver failure?”

The physician explained that because of the antibiotics reaching a toxic level, Cade was not only in liver failure, but also kidney failure and lost his hearing. That night, Cade was admitted to Texas Children’s for the 15th time in his short life and was immediately placed on dialysis. In addition to the liver and kidney failure, he also went into respiratory failure and found himself back in the PICU.

The Alpards were told that patients don’t usually recover from three organ failures, but they didn’t lose hope. Cade spent nine weeks in the PICU and his parents never left his side. One night, Jennifer awoke to Cade’s crib filled with blood. His nurse sprang into action and transfused his blood. A few hours later, the Alpards received the call they were anxiously waiting for – a liver was available.

Dr. John Goss, medical director of Texas Children’s Transplantation Program, and his team harvested a liver from a 3-year-old girl and transplanted it into 1-year-old Cade, who recovered well and went home on 15 different medications. At 15-months-old, Cade received a cochlear implant and began intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy at home and at Texas Children’s. Little by little he learned to crawl and then walk, he learned to swallow and eat normal foods and started down a path of a happy, healthy life.

Now, Cade is a typical 13-year-old boy who loves sports – especially baseball. He competes on a tournament team and plays catcher and second baseman. He’s known as a “diamond thief” because he steals home and is one of the fastest members of his team. Baseball is one of the events Cade is competing in this week at the Transplant Games of America. His dad will join him not only for support, but as a bone marrow transplant donor as well.

Watch an ABC-13’s story about Cade and his trip to the games here.

“These games are truly a celebration of life,” said Sarah Koohmaraie, a liver transplant coordinator, a living donor and a two-time participant in the Transplant Games of America. “It is a time to reflect upon the gift of life that was given by deceased and living donors and donor families.”

Heart Transplant Coordinator and Transplant Games of America chaperone Diana Harter agreed and said the games are a way to celebrate the journey of her patients, all that they’ve overcome and all that lies before them.

“It is a way to honor their hardships and struggles, while embracing gratitude that they are still here to do great things with their amazing gift,” she said. “I feel honored to share this experience with my patients and their families this year – it is an opportunity for us to celebrate the gift of life and remember those donors that made this possible for them.”

May 24, 2016

52516transplant640Transplant teams with Texas Children’s Hospital performed 86 solid organ transplants in 2015, making it the most active pediatric transplant program in the nation.

The liver and the kidney transplant programs were the busiest with 30 liver transplants and 27 kidney transplants completed last year. Of the 27 kidney transplants, nine were living donors and 18 were deceased donors. The heart program completed 21 transplants in 2015 and the lung program finalized eight, making it one of the largest lung transplant programs in the country.

“I would like to commend our transplant teams for the exceptional work they do every day,” said Surgeon-In-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser, Jr. “Their great commitment to our transplant patients is inspiring and results in changed lives.”

Dr. John Goss, medical director of Transplant Services, said Texas Children’s Transplant Services continues to earn its reputation as one of the best pediatric transplant programs in the country.

“I believe our success is a testimony to the skill and commitment of our multidisciplinary team, which offers an interdisciplinary approach to all aspects of the transplant process, from initial referral to hospitalization and outpatient management,” Goss said. “We also work closely with patients, families and referring physicians to help make the evaluation process as convenient and efficient as possible.”

Goss added that the success of Texas Children’s transplant program would not be possible without the gifts from our selfless donors and their families.

“They are the ones responsible for providing our patients with a second chance at life,” he said. “We are forever grateful for their unwavering kindness.”

To learn more about Texas Children’s Transplant Services, click here.

May 3, 2016

5416MothersDay640Because of the outstanding quality of care provided at Texas Children’s, there are endless stories about how our faculty, staff and employees have changed people’s lives. These stories remind us and others how big of an impact we can make and how humbling our jobs often can be. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are two stories about Texas Children’s patients whose lives were changed by our Heart Center and Transplant Services teams.

Grandmother, mom, daughter share bond through congenital heart disease diagnoses

To say Sherry Brown, her daughter, Tracy Moore, and granddaughter, Kennedie, have a special relationship would be an understatement. Other than the quintessential bond which has grown throughout the lineage’s time together, they also share congenital heart disease diagnoses.

When Tracy was born, doctors discovered she suffered from an atrial septal defect (ASD), a “hole” in the wall that separates the top two chambers of the heart. The Palestine, Texas native and her family traveled to Houston for expert pediatric heart care at Texas Children’s Hospital. Tracy was monitored growing up and underwent surgery to repair the congenital heart defect when she was 17-years-old.

The family’s experience with congenital heart disease deepened when Tracy’s daughter, Kennedie, was diagnosed with an ASD and valve issue when she was 4-months-old. As soon as Tracy left Kennedie’s local doctor’s office, she knew there was only one heart center team equipped to care for her daughter. It was the same expert team her mom had entrusted to take care of her when she was a little girl – the cardiovascular surgeons and cardiologists at Texas Children’s.

“It’s the only place to be treated,” Tracy said. “When you’re at Texas Children’s, you not only feel grateful for the care you’re receiving, but you also feel grateful for what you have when you see what other families are going through.”

Kennedie, now 10-years-old, has undergone three surgeries with cardiovascular surgeons Dr. Dean McKenzie and Dr. Jeffrey Heinle, and is closely monitored by a pediatric cardiologist as she matures. During each of Kennedie’s surgeries, Sherry supported Tracy in a way no one else could. Ironically, Sherry was also diagnosed with congenital heart disease, but not until she was 53-years-old. In 2003, she too underwent surgery with Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr., surgeon-in-chief and chief of congenital heart surgery at Texas Children’s, and had a second valve repair just last year.

Though grown adults, Sherry and Tracy continue to be cared for by doctors at Texas Children’s. Dr. Wayne Franklin, director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Texas Children’s, and his team see more than 1,800 adults like Sherry and Tracy in clinic each year. The expert team is trained in both pediatric and adult heart disease, ensuring the continuum of care from childhood through adulthood is maintained. Franklin advises patients on health and lifestyle choices for their adult needs, including physical challenges, exercise options and family planning.

Sherry cherishes the relationship she has with her daughter and granddaughter. “God has blessed me,” Sherry said. “To be able to go through something like this with my daughter as she’s having her child who also has heart disease creates one big, special bond.”

Mother donates kidney to son, gives him second chance at life

When Mary Churchman was pregnant with her son, Kyle, he was diagnosed with a posterior urethral valve. Due to the condition, he had extra flaps of tissue that grew in his urethra, causing a blockage of the normal flow of urine and damage to one of his kidneys. Doctors in New Orleans told the Churchmans Kyle wasn’t going to live an hour and if he did, he would likely need a kidney transplant by age two or three. He defied those odds.

The family moved from New Orleans to Lake Charles, La. shortly before Hurricane Katrina hit. Following the devastating storm, Kyle’s doctors scattered leaving the family in search of an expert team to care for their young son. The Churchmans discovered Texas Children’s Hospital, and Kyle has been followed by the hospital’s kidney transplant team ever since. Recently, it was determined the now 13-year-old was finally in need of a transplant.

Kyle’s dad was tested first and was a match, but due to his anatomy, wasn’t an ideal candidate for transplant. Once Mary went through the screening process and it was determined she was a match, surgery was scheduled. The Churchmans were both excited and nervous. On Feb. 4, 2016, Dr. Christine O’Mahony, surgical director of kidney transplantation at Texas Children’s, harvested Mary’s kidney and transplanted it into Kyle. Following a two-month stay in Houston for their recovery, Kyle and Mary joined the rest of the family back home in Lake Charles.

Kyle is now thriving and didn’t even realize how bad he felt prior to transplant. The family is so thankful to the team at Texas Children’s for helping Mary give her son the gift of life.

“To be able to give him this gift is amazing and a true honor, especially as his mom,” Mary said. “When I delivered him, we didn’t even know if he was going to make it and now he has another chance at life. It’s a blessing.”

April 5, 2016

4616miloh175Texas Children’s Hospital is proud to announce Dr. Tamir Miloh as director of pediatric hepatology and liver transplant medicine.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Miloh to our team,” said Dr. John Goss, medical director of transplant services and professor of surgery and chief of the division of abdominal transplantation at Baylor College of Medicine. “His diverse background and specialized training will prove to be an invaluable asset to our transplant patients and their families.”

Miloh’s research interests include the investigation of liver transplantation and various pediatric liver diseases such as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson’s disease, metabolic diseases, biliary atresia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and acute liver failure. In addition to his clinical role, he is invested in education in the field of pediatric hepatology and has established an ACGME accredited advanced transplant hepatology program at Texas Children’s.

Miloh, who also serves as an associate professor of pediatrics-gastroenterology at Baylor, earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. He did his residency training at Wolfson Hospital in Holon, Israel as well as St. Christopher Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. Miloh completed a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology and a one-year fellowship in pediatric hepatology and transplant at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and has earned Certificate of Added Qualification in pediatric liver transplanation.

Miloh is a member of the American Association of Gastroenterology, American Association of the Study of Liver Disease, North American Society of Gastroenterology and Nutrition Hepatology Committee and International Pediatric Transplant Association, among others.

Each year, more than 20,000 children visit the Gastroenterology, and Nutrition service at Texas Children’s. Specialists provide treatment for these patients with a broad spectrum of intestinal, liver and nutritional disorders. The first liver was transplanted at Texas Children’s in 1988 and in 2015, the expert team performed 30 liver transplants.

March 22, 2016

32316transplantinside640Friday, March 11, was a record-setting day for the renal transplant service at Texas Children’s Hospital with the team completing four kidney transplants in 18 hours.

Wednesday evening, Claudia Kim, renal transplant coordinator, received a call that two kidneys were available and were a match for two of our patients. Kim and Dr. Eileen Brewer, medical director of renal transplantation at Texas Children’s, went into action contacting families and making arrangements within the hospital to admit the patients the next day.

Early Thursday morning, Kim received a call that a third kidney was available, and at 4 p.m. she was notified that we had a fourth. Both of those organs were a match for another two of our patients. With the help of renal transplant coordinators, Kirti Bhakta and Dana Harney, those families were notified. The medical and surgical renal transplant teams then shifted into high gear preparing for Friday, the day all four kidneys were transplanted.

The organ recipients and their families began arriving at the hospital at 6 p.m. Thursday to be admitted and prepped for surgery. Brewer and Dr. Christine O’Mahony, surgical director of renal transplantation, coordinated with our inpatient floors, the dialysis team, the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), the operating rooms and pharmacy to make the transplants possible for all four patients.

Everyone involved was determined to make it happen for the patients who ranged from 4 to 28 years old. There were three female patients and one male patient. The 28-year-old had been on dialysis for 13 years waiting for a kidney.

O’Mahony and renal transplant surgeon Dr. Ron Cotton began the first transplant at 6 a.m. Friday. The second transplant started at 8 a.m., and the third and fourth began at 3:30 p.m. After surgery, all of the patients were admitted to the PICU. Two patients have since been discharged from the hospital. The remaining two patients are still here and are doing well.

It took an astounding team effort to complete the admission of four transplant patients and complete four surgeries in less than 24 hours. Renal surgeons and pediatric nephrologists, anesthesia, pharmacy, the PACU and PICU, perioperative nurses and technicians, renal transplant coordinators, the blood bank, 12 West Tower inpatient nurses and staff, the dialysis unit, social workers, child life specialists and dietitians all were involved in making this possible.

“We could never have done this without everyone’s input,” Brewer said. “I personally cannot thank the team enough.”

“Our biggest reward that day was the thanks and appreciation from the patients and their families for getting a new kidney,” Brewer added. “These patients can look forward to a great future.”

The last transplant on Friday was the 400th kidney transplant completed at Texas Children’s since the program began in 1988.

Renal Transplant Team Members and Operating Room Staff on March 11

Anesthesia
Dr. Steven Stayer
Dr. Paul Hopkins
Dr. Titilopemi Aina
Dr. Thomas Shaw

Medical Team
Dr. Eileen Brewer
Dr. Poyyapakkam Srivaths
Dr. Sarah Swartz
Dr. Rossana Malatesta
Dr. Neziha Celebi
Dr. Peace Imani
Dr. Leyat Tal

Operating Room staff on March 11
Theresa Bagley
Jana Brunet
Danielle Govea
Doreen Hodgson
Hubert Laws
Lindsay Meade
Xianghua Xu

Pharmacy
Ji Lee

Renal Transplant coordinators
Claudia Kim
Kirti Bhakta
Dana Harney

Surgical Team
Dr. Christine O’Mahony
Dr. Ron Cotton
Dr. Thao Galvan (Recovery)