Before arriving at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford for a stem cell transplant, Phoenix McKenna loved to play sports. Phoenix and her family decided on a stem cell, or bone marrow, transplant to cure her aplastic anemia, a bone marrow failure disorder in which the body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells, white blood cells,…
Christian Gomez celebrated his 18th birthday in a very special way. He was honored at the San Francisco Giants game against the San Diego Padres as the Play Ball Kid. The Giants, in collaboration with Donor Network West, hosted the 26th annual “Donate Life Day,” which is the longest running organ donor awareness event in…
Like many parents, Angela has a full schedule between work, keeping up with both her children’s schoolwork, and other family responsibilities. But she always tried to make sure her 12-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter received all their childhood and seasonal vaccines. This all happened according to schedule, except for one year when she was late…
Children are often exposed to distressing news, experts say creating an open dialogue helps them process their emotions. In an age when information is readily accessible, children are often exposed to distressing news, from natural disasters to political unrest and everything in between. As a parent, you might wonder how to help your child process…
Pixar animator Andrew Beall shows his drawing of Pixar character ‘Elio’ to Cynthia Meza. At Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, excitement filled the halls as hospitalized young patients anticipated a heartwarming event. In a gesture of compassion and community, the hospital hosted a special screening of Disney and Pixar’s latest original feature film, Elio. Elio…
Tarun Thiara and his family pose with Buster Posey Brennan Bernardino of the Red Sox signs Tarun’s baseball Tarun Thiara, 17, was sitting in his hospital bed, receiving chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, when a Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Child Life specialist walked in. “Do you like baseball?” he asked. Tarun and his family smiled. Tarun…
Ways to help children feel comfortable expressing themselves People, including children, may be feeling stress and fear in light of the latest news of what is happening in the Middle East. Nowadays, kids have easier access to newsfeeds through social media, and seeing images of violence can cause concern and anxiety. While it can be…
Meet a little girl with ultra-short bowel syndrome and see how far she’s come, thanks to specialized care and a devoted mother. When Rosie Regalado-Bravo’s mother, Jasmine Bravo, recently tried to give her daughter the kid-friendly version of Mexican pozole without the chili peppers in it, Rosie demanded the spicy, habanero-filled version instead. While this…