Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
-
Upload
shannon-rasp -
Category
Documents
-
view
218 -
download
0
Transcript of Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
1/24
shineSUMMER 2008
Progress, Patients and Philanthropyat Texas Childrens Hospital
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
2/24
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
A circleone of natures simplest forms. No shape better represents
life. We at Texas Childrens Hospital embrace the circle as an
inspiration for a unique project dedicated to bringing new life into
the world and to ensuring the health and well being of future
families in our community and beyond.Earlier this year, we broke ground on Texas Childrens Maternity
Center and thus began our journey to unite world-class obstetrics,
gynecology and maternal/fetal medicine services with our already
outstanding neonatal program and comprehensive array of
pediatric subspecialty servicesall in one centralized location.
By linking our pediatric mission with our neonatal and
maternal fetal medicine vision and extending the services we already
offer, we are creating a new paradigm for what tomorrows childrenshospitals will look like.
Texas Childrens Maternity Center will provide an unparalleled
continuum of pediatric and womens services, a complete circle of
care to meet the growing and changing needs of families in our
community.
Texas Childrens Maternity Center will have the Baylor College
of Medicine full-time faculty in obstetrics and gynecology,
including the maternal/fetal medicine experts like those at Texas
Child F l C h f i f h
By linking our
pediatric mission
with our neonatal
and maternal fetal
medicine vision
d di h
OFFICERS
MAX P. WATSON
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
BRAD TUCKER
PRESIDENT
KEVIN C. KING
VICE PRESIDENT
ANN LENTS
VICE PRESIDENT
ANTHONY G. PETRELLO
VICE PRESIDENT
RONALD C. HULME
TREASURER & ASSISTANT SECRETARY
Y. PING SUN
SECRETARY
DACE REINHOLDS
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
[NON TRUSTEE]
EMERITUS TRUSTEES
JOSEPHINE E. ABERCROMBIE
ALFRED C. GLASSELL, JR.
ADVISORY BOARD
EDUARDO AGUIRRE, JR.
KIRBY ATTWELL
BEN A. BROLLIER
GEORGE H. JEWELL
R. BRUCE LABOON
VIRGINIA MCFARLAND
DARRELL C. MORROW
PHILIP R. NEUHAUS
MACONDA BROWN OCONNOR, PH.D.
LOIS F. STARK
PHOEBE C. WELSH
ASSOCIATE BOARD
TOM BACON
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
3/24
PROGRESS, PATIENTS AND PHILANTHROPY AT TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
Texas Childrens Hospitalis dedicated to providing the finest
possible pediatric patient care,education and research.
SUMMER 2008
shine
EDITOR
AMBER LEWIS TABORA
CONTRIBUTORS
ANGELA DOLDER
DAWN DORSEY
ERIKA DURHAM HARGROVE
KATHY ISDALE
TRAVIS MCCLAIN
SHANNON RASP
ANN SAYE
HEATHER MCLEAN WIEDERHOEFT
PHOTOGRAPHERS
PAUL VINCENT KUNTZ
Nowonlineat
www.shine.texaschildrens.org
4FAITH & FETAL MEDICINEPioneering fetal procedure removes rare tumor,gives mother and baby hope
8TWIN TRIUMPH
Twin to twin transfusion patientsdepend on fetal intervention for survival
12THE WAY HOME
Team-based developmental care helps ensure
b li f lif f hi h i k i f
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
4/24
@ Texas Childrens
F O R M O R E N E W S , V I S I T U S O N L I N E TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | 32 | TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
HO SPIT AL NEWS AND EV ENT S | SU M M ER 2 0 0 8
Donors, community leaders, area families and Texas Childrens Hospital
Board of Trustees members gathered May 15 to celebrate the ground-
breaking of Texas Childrens Hospital West Campus. The first phase,
scheduled to open in the spring of 2010, will include a 190,000-square-
foot outpatient clinic with physician offices, and the second phase,
opening in the fall of 2010, will feature a 280,000-square-foot inpatient
facility with 48 intermediate and acute care patient beds, surgical suites,
advanced imaging and diagnostic services and the only dedicated
pediatric emergency room in the greater West Houston area. Eventually, Texas Childrens Hospital West Campus will be one of the
countrys largest suburban pediatric hospitals, with up to 500,000 square feet and 96 licensed beds.
Located in the midst of one of the nations fastest growing areas, the West Campus will serve children and families from Sugar Land
all the way up to Bryan-College Station. Since 2000, this pediatric population has been growing rapidly and is expected to have increased
51 percent by 2015.
Our new West Campus will provide families greater access to the same unsurpassed standard of care for which Texas Childrens
Hospital is internationally recognized, said Mark A. Wallace, president and chief executive officer of Texas Childrens. It will be a
premier pediatric treatment facility and a leading community resource center for child wellness and healing.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Wallace announced a $3 million gift from ConocoPhillips to the West Campus and to the Jan and
Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute. He also thanked Mary and David Wolff, who donated 10 acres of the site on which the
hospital will be built, a gift valued at $4.5 million.
Breaking new ground in West Houston
With the construction of its new Maternity Center underway, Texas Childrens Hospital has acquired theWomens Specialists of Houston (WSH), a private physicians group practicing obstetrics and gynecolo-
gy, to help care for the women and families the new center will serve.
We founded the Womens Specialists of Houston to help all people, and the new Maternity Center
is a manifestation of that vision, said Edward Yosowitz, M.D., managing partner and founder of WSH.
The group handles 34-40 percent of the deliveries in the Texas Medical Center. By merging with
Texas Childrens, the groups seven physicians and four nurse midwives will have resources to expand,
adding at least five more staff physicians over the next five years and helping recruit additional private
physicians to office in the new Maternity Center facility after completion in 2011.
Were very excited about the Maternity Cente rits never been done before, added Yosowitz. For patients to have their babies and have
pediatric services right there, to have research and collaboration with an institution like Baylor right there, its a model that just makes sense.
Texas Childrens Maternity Centeracquires Womens Specialists of Houston
For the ninth consecutive year, Texas Childrens has been ranked among the countrys top 10
foremost pediatric health care facilities in U.S. News & World Reports annual Americas Best
Childrens Hospitals publication.
This year, Texas Childrens maintained its No. 6 national ranking and No. 1 ranking in
this part of the country. In addition, the hospitals overall score and reputation perception reached
new levels.
We are excited about this ranking, which is a tribute to the hard work and commitment
of all our employees and physicians. As we move toward the expansion and 2010, we expect to
continue to blaze trails at the forefront of pediatric health care, said Mark A.Wallace, Texas
Childrens president and chief executive officer.
Texas Childrens did exceptionally well in the pediatric subspecialty categories, placing in
the top 10 of each category, including No. 2 for respiratory disorders, No. 3 for cancer and for
cardiology/heart surgery, No. 4 for digestive disorders and No. 5 for neurology/neurosurgery.
Once again ranked among the nations best
@ Texas Childrens
Physician-in-chief announces search for his successor
A T W W W . T E X A S C H I L D R E N S . O R G
Ralph D. Feigin, M.D., physician-in-chief of Texas Childrens Hospital and chair
of the department of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, recently announced
his intentions to step down from his leadership roles and is helping Texas
Childrens and Baylor conduct the formal, national search for his successor.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Feigin has provided extraordinary leadership for
our institutions, said Mark A. Wallace, president and chief executive officer of
Texas Childrens Hospital. He has cared for thousands of young patients, trained
hundreds of residents and medical students and led groundbreaking research.
Under his leadership, Texas Childrens Hospital and Baylors department of
pediatrics have grown to international prominence, and he will continue to be an
invaluable resource to both of our institutions.
Feigin will continue to serve as physician-in-chief and chair of pediatrics until
a successor is named and, at that time, continue to serve as a professor ofpediatrics at Baylor and a pediatrician at Texas Childrens.
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
5/24
ElijahGraffwithmother,Cynthia
To the casual observer, it may not look like a miracleKeri
McCartney cradling her 1-month-old daughter, Macie Hope.
Making her debut in the world, Macie doesnt realize that hers
is one of the most miraculous births ever to happen at Texas
Childrens Hospital. Nor does she know that she had mademedical history even before she was born.
After all shes been through, shes just at peace now,
said McCartney. Indeed, Macie is content to doze quietly in her
mothers arms, blissfully unaware of the herculean effort of faith
and fetal medicine that it took to bring her into the world a
healthy girl.
Its a miracle from God that she is here with usGod
and Texas Childrens Hospital, added McCartney.
Holding onto hope
Macies extraordinary medical odyssey began rather
mundanely with a routine ultrasound at 23 weeks gestation. We
had hoped to determine the sex of the baby, explained
McCartney. My husband, Chad, and I had brought along our
four children to hear the news.
But the ultrasound revealed that their babya girlwasnt
alone in the womb. A tumor, nearly the size of the baby, had
mushroomed from her tailbone. Macie Hope, they would call her,
would likely die inside her mother.
Faced with this dismal future, Hope was all we had,
said McCartney.
That hope brought them to Texas Childrens Fetal Center at
Texas Childrens Hospital, one of only a handful of centers in the
United Statesand the only center in the Southwestto offer thefull spectrum of fetal therapies including fetal surgery, fetal
diagnosis and minimally-invasive fetal intervention.
By the time the McCartneys made the trip from their home
in Laredo to the Fetal Center, Macies health was already fading.
Macie had whats known as a sacrococcygeal teratoma, a rare
tumor that forms at the base of the coccyx. It occurs in about 1 in
35,000 births, said Darrell Cass, M.D., co-director of the Fetal
Center and associate professor of pediatric surgery at Baylor
College of Medicine.
A fetal echocardiogram to study her heart, a level two
ultrasound and an MRI were done to help evaluate Macies
condition and determine the next course of action.
Tests revealed the monstrous growth was rich with blood
vessels and thieving blood, causing Macies heart to beat
frantically. As the tumor grew, she continued to struggle.
Macies heart was in the process of failing, said Nancy
Ayres, M.D., director of the echocardiography laboratory at Texas
Childrens Hospital and fetal cardiology at Texas Childrens Fetal
Center. She didnt have much time.
faith&fetal medicine
A pioneering procedure at Texas Childrens gives
the McCartney family hope for their daughters life
By Angela Dolder
www.t exa sch ild rens .or g TEX AS CHIL DRE NS HOS PITAL | 5Macie McCartney
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
6/24
www.t exa sch ild rens .or g TEX AS CHIL DRE NS HOS PITAL | 7
The Fetal Center treat-
ment teamincluding Cass
and co-director Oluyinka
Olutoye, M.D., maternal-
fetal medicine specialists
Anthony Johnson, D.O., and
Kenneth Moise, M.D., as
well as neonatologists, obste-
tricians, fetal cardiologists,
anesthesiologists and other
expertsconvened and pre-
sented the McCartneys withtheir options. They could let
nature take its deadly course;
or the team could remove the
tumor during a daring open
fetal surgery that would make
medical history in the
process. Fewer than 15 of this
type of procedure had ever
been done before, according
to Cass. Fewer still produced positive outcomes.
While Texas Childrens Fetal Center had performed open fetal
surgery for fetal lung masses, Macies procedure would be the first
open fetal surgery for a sacrococcygeal teratoma at Texas Childrens
Hospitaland it would be Macies only hope for life.We were hoping to do everything we could to save Macie,
said McCartney. We surrendered Macies fate to our faith and
chose the surgery.
Making medical history
Two weeks after the diagnosis, McCartney, 25 weeks
pregnant, lay prepped for surgery in a Texas Childrens Hospital
operating room, ready to risk her own health to save Macie.
With such a proce-
dure, Keri was at risk for
bleeding and early labor,
said Richard Todd Ivey,
M.D., assistant professor of
obstetrics and gynecology at
Baylor College of Medicine
and McCartneys ob/gyn at
Texas Childrens Hospital.
Even after viewing
photos of the surgery,
McCartney still cannot fath-om what the Texas Childrens
Fetal Center team did next.
With McCartney
under many times the
standard dose of anesthesia,
surgeons sliced a wide arc
across her lower abdomen,
reached inside with gloved
hands, plucked the uterus
from her depths and laid it atop her torso. Ivey and Moise
massaged the uterus in order to properly position Macie for the
surgery; Ayres monitored Macies heart.
Lead surgeon Cass made a seven-inch incision into the
uterine wall, lifted Macies lower half into the world and resectedthe parasitic growth.
The teratoma was about the size of a grapefruit, said
co-surgeon Olutoye, associate professor of pediatric surgery at
Baylor College of Medicine.
Then Macie was returned to the life-sustaining pool of
amniotic fluid in the confines of her mothers womb. The uterus
was reinserted into McCartneys abdomen and the maternal
flesh sewn closed.
There, in the secret place,
breached only by a gifted few,
Macie remained to strengthen
herself for life outside the
womb. Our hope was to
allow my pregnancy to
progress to 28 weeks so that
Macie could develop, said
McCartney. 30 weeks would
have been great; 32 weeks
would have miraculous.
Macie had other plans.She stayed put for an
astonishing 10 weeks post-
surgery until she was born, at
35 weeks, via cesarean section
on May 7, said Ivey.
Macie spent a month in
the neonatal intensive care unit
at Texas Childrens Newborn
Center and later underwent a
second surgery to remove some internal cysts spawned by the tumor.
Meanwhile, McCartney recovered nearby at St. Lukes Episcopal
Hospital Labor and Delivery Unit staffed by Texas Childrens.
Macies successful surgery is just one more example of the kind
of expertise that has solidified Texas Childrens Hospital among the eliteinstitutions capable of saving babies before they are born said Cass.
This is the first of many firsts for the Fetal Center, he added.
Particularly now, with Texas Childrens Maternity Center on the
horizon, the future of fetal medicine here is bright.
Building life
For families like the McCartneys, Texas Childrens Hospital
is creating a comprehensive maternity center where world-class
experts will provide care
to mothers and babies at
every stage of pregnancy,
birth and infancy.
Slated to open in
2011, the new Texas
Childrens Maternity Center
will galvanize top talent from
Texas Childrens Fetal
Center, Texas Childrens
Newborn Center, obstetrics,
maternal-fetal medicine andrelated specialtiesultimately
at one location.
Our ability to ensure
comprehensive, multidisci-
plinary care under the
auspices of Texas Childrens
Maternity Center will give
high-risk patients like Keri
and Macie the best hope
for life, explained Ivey. Macie is the perfect example of
what modern medicine is capable of when the circle of care
is complete.
For the McCartneys, hope came full circle in June when they
headed home to Laredo as a whole familywith a perfectlyhealthy Macie in tow. The only visible evidence of the harrowing
circumstances surrounding Macies start in life is hidden beneath
a preemie-sized diaper.
If God had not brought us to Texas Childrens, our little
girl would not be here today said McCartney. I am grateful
that Texas Childrens is building a place like the Maternity
Center, but really what they are building is life for more
babies like Macie.
Above Left: An MRI shows Maciessacroco ccygeal teratoma at 24 weeks.
Above Right: Chad, Keri, and theirdaughter, Macie McCartney
Right: The Fetal Center treatment team,co-directors Drs. Darrell Cass and
Oluyinka Olutoye, and maternal-fetalmedicine specialists Drs. Kenneth
Moise and Anthony Johnson
Macie is the perfect example of what
modern medicineis capableof when the circle of care is complete.- Dr. Richard Todd Ivey, ob/gyn at Texas Childrens
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
7/24
www.t exa sch ild rens .or g TEX AS CHI LDR ENS HOS PITAL | 9
TWINTRIUMPHMother and her twins rely on Texas Childrens
fetal intervention team for support and survival
Anayele Martinez knew her stomach would get big, maybe even huge. After all, she was having twins.
She figured a protruding stomach and backaches came standard with morning sickness and swollen
ankles. But by her 24th week of pregnancy, big just wasnt the word to describe her.
My belly was sticking out so far, and the skin on my stomach was pulled so tight it felt like it was going
to pop, the first-tim e mother recalled. On top o f that, my back hurt terrib ly. Everyone kept telling me it was
normal, but I knew it wasnt. I knew something had to be wrong.
During her next check-up at Ben Taub General Hospital, Martinez explained her pains to her resident
doctor, who had a hunch what the problem might be. Kenneth Moise, M.D., member of the fetal
intervention team at Texas Childrens Hospital, was immediately called in and the diagnosis was
confirmedtwin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).
BY ERIKA E. HARGROVE
Anayele with Christopher and Jonathan Martinez
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
8/24
www.t exa sch ild rens .or g TEX AS CHI LDR ENS HOS PITAL | 11
TTTS is a condition where the babies share one placenta as
opposed to each having their own. This placenta contains blood
vessel connections between the twins that are not balancedblood
moves one way but does not return. In TTTS, the smaller twin
(donor twin) sends blood to the larger twin (recipient twin) who
becomes overloaded.
In an attempt to reduce its blood volume, the recipient twin
increases the urine it makes, which eventually results in the twin
having a very large bladder and too much amniotic fluid. This
causes a quick increase in the size of the uterus, which is often the
first sign of trouble that many mothers, including Martinez,
notice. As the disease progresses, the donor twin makes less and
less urine so its amniotic fluid disappears and it becomes wrapped
by its amniotic membrane (known as a stuck twin).
According to Moise, the condition is extremely severe and
can be fatal for one or both babies.
But Martinez was diagnosed at just the right timetwo
weeks after the arrival of the fetal intervention team to Texas
Childrens Fetal Center.
A NEW MODEL OF CARE FOR MOTHERS AND BABIES
Recruited in 2006 from the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, the fetal intervention team of Moise, Anthony
Johnson, D.O., and coordinator Karen Moise, R.N., came toHouston to establish and operate this much needed service.
Prior to their arrival, there were no such services provided
in the central part of the country, said Karen Moise. If Anayele
would have not had the resources to travel to San Francisco
or Pennsylvania, it is highly likely that she would have lost
the pregnancy.
During Martinez treatment in 2007, she was transferred to
the St. Lukes Labor and Delivery Unit, staffed by Texas
Childrens. By 2011, however, mothers with this kind of
condition and other pregnancy complications will have the
opportunity to be treated at Texas Childrens Maternity Center,
currently under construction. The center will provide the finest
prenatal and obstetrical care to women and perinatal care for their
babiesall in one state-of-the-art facility.
Along with Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Childrens is
assembling a team of physicians and administrators to lead the
Maternity Center and actively recruiting medical staff that will be
focused on high-risk deliveries.
The fetal intervention team is especially excited about the
arrival of the Maternity Center. The unique services of Texas
Childrens Fetal Center will be provided to patients in one
location on the fourth floor of the new center. There patients can
receive the expertise of perinatal specialists as well as a broad
spectrum of pediatric subspecialists who will care for their unborn
child after birth. We are excited to be a part of this world-class
opportunity, Moise said.
SAVING TWO TINY LIVES
Once diagnosed, Martinez was briefed on the best option to
save her childrena procedure called laser photocoagulation.
The procedure requires doctors to make a small incision in the
skin over the uterus through which a very small telescope, called
a fetoscope, with a small laser fiber is inserted directly into the
recipient twins pregnancy sac. The fetoscope is used to look at the
blood vessels on the surface of the placenta. Vessels that are found
to communicate between the twins are then disconnected with
the laser energy. This process is followed by the removal of the
extra amniotic fluid around the recipient twins sac to achieve a
normal volume.
Prior to the surgery Martinez said she understood
that the risks were great, but so were the possible rewards.
According to Johnson and Moise it takes about 75 cases for
a surgical team to reach peak performance with laser
photocoagulation. Once that is achieved 50-60 percent of the
time the mother will take home two babies, approximately
20-30 percent of the time she will take home one baby,
and about 20 percent, or less, of the time she will take home
no babies.
I heard the risks and statistics, but Dr. Moise also told me
his intentions, Martinez said. He told me the goal was to go in
and get two healthy babies. I believed in him, and I believed in
my boys. He told me that if we were a praying family this was the
time to start praying.
Prayers were answered when Martinez surgery was
completed without complication. However, she did require strict
bed rest for three months after going into pre-term labor a few
weeks later. While on bed rest I just kept talking to my boys and
telling them to keep growing, Martinez said. I would get
depressed, and then I would feel them kicking in there and
reminding me that I wasnt alone. We were all fighting together. I
have some brave little boys. They never gave up.
The Martinez twins were delivered by c-section in March
2007 and are now 15 months old.
ANGELS OF MEDICINE
Johnson said he cannot stress enough how important
it is for patients to be their own best advocates in these
situations. TTTS is a very bad disease. If you do
nothing, there is a 90 percent mortality rate, he said. It is
important to ask the right questions. If you are pregnant
with twins then ask if there is one placenta or two.
Johnson further recommended that mothers carrying
monochorioinc or twins with one placenta receive an ultrasound
every two weeks and are also seen by a maternal-fetal medicine
specialist in addition to their regular obstetrician.
Patients need to stay informed because most obstetricians
will only see about two to three cases of TTTS in their careers,
added Moise, and they may not know exactly what the signs
are right away.
All the more reason for mothers to have a resource to turn to
like Texas Childrens Maternity Center.
Including the Martinez procedure, Johnson and Moise have
performed approximately 100 laser photocoagulation surgeries,
and counting. The team attributes much of its success to the envi-
ronment Texas Childrens Hospital has provided.
Anytime we need to do a surgery, we have the staff, space
and resources24/7, Karen Moise said. She added that the fetal
intervention team is greatly supported by a trained group of
nurses and other professionals. The support is especially
welcoming since Texas Childrens Hospital has been in the
childrens business. These are moms, adults, so its a different
realm for them, but we always have everything we need.
Johnson and Moise both said they often have to pinch
themselves when they think about their teams progress
and possibilities within Texas Childrens and with the new
Maternity Center.
At Texas Childrens Hospital the priority is always the
patient and decisions are made around that central focus,
Johnson said.
Martinez couldnt agree more. Today she has two healthy
15-month-old boys who are active, alert and developing normally.
I was a single mom trying to get through a very difficult
situation on my own, she said. Dr. Moise and Dr. Johnson not
only saved my boys but were there for me every step of the way.
They are my angels.
10 | TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL www.texaschildrens.org
While on bed rest I just kept talking to my boys and telling them
to keep growing. I would get depres sed, and t hen I would feel them kicking in there
and reminding me that I wasnt alone. We were all fighting together.
Anayele Martinez
Drs. Anthony Johnson and Kenneth Moise
TWIN TRIUMPH
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
9/24
the way homeFOR HIGH-RISK INFANTS, GETTING HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL
CAN BE A LONG ROAD PAVED WITH OBSTACLES, BUT TEXAS CHILDRENS
DEVELOPMENTAL CARE PROGRAM IS HERE TO HELP WITH THE JOURNEY.
12 | TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL www.texaschildrens.org
Like most expecting moms, Kate Harrison anticipated the day
when she would carry her seco nd child, Chloe, home to be with
her family. On Oct. 6, 2007, she and her husband, Rex, drove
to their local Wharton, Texas hospital for the long-awaited
arrival. Little did they know that their babys first home would
turn out to be the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Texas
Childrens Hospital.
None of my prenatal exams indicated that Chloe had any
health problems, and she was a near-term delivery, explained
Harrison. After she was born, the doctors noticed what they
thought was a cyst on the outside of her abdomen. Within two
hours, she was transferred to Texas Childrens where she stayed for
the next three months.
Texas Childrens physicians quickly realized the cyst was
actually part of her bladder, and Chloe was diagnosed with cloa-
cal exstrophy, a rare condition. As their exams continued, doctors
realized Chloe also had a congenital heart defect, one of her
ankles had not developed, and her foot was severely deformed.
Testing also showed that Chloe was missing the tip of chromo-
some 1 that indicates she has Monosomy 1p35, a syndrome that
can be characterized by developmental delay.
At only 4-days-old, Chloe had surgery to begin addressing
some of her health conditions. Due to complications and
the forming of a fistula at the incision point, her stay at
Texas Childrens extended much longer than originally anticipat-
ed. Chloe was a patient for more than three months.
BY HEATHER MCLEAN WIEDERHOEFT
CHLOE AND KATE HARRISON
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
10/24
14 | TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL www.texaschildrens.org
During that time, her treatment and recovery were prioritybut so
was her continued developmental growth that is so critical for
every newborn.
Luckily for Chloe, she was one of the first Level 3 NICU
patients to participate in Texas Childrens new developmental
care program.
Developmentally-supportive care primarily focuses on
three areas for high-risk newborns: positioning of the infant, light
and noise, explained LuAnn Papile, M.D., neonatologist who
was recruited to Texas Childrens to develop this unique multidis-
ciplinary program.
From a physiologic standpoint, we try to determine what
elements stress a newborn and find ways to limit the stress so the
newborn can continue to develop. The key to this approach is the
family-centered aspect. We work with the families so they can
learn how to better read their babys cues and clues and learn how
to approach their baby so when they eventually graduate from
Texas Childrens, they have a much more successful transition
home, said Papile.
For example, during the final trimester, the growing infant
is in a very flexed position in the womb which is a critical
component for development, said Papile. Because pre-term
newborns automatically adjust to the flat surfaces in their nurs-
ery environment, the developmental care team works to keep the
infant in the appropriate third trimester position to encourage
better development.
IT TAKES A TEAM
Developmental rounds are a key part of the program.
Different members of the teamincluding doctors, nurses,
physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, clini-
cal specialists, child-life therapistsmeet at least once a week to
discuss each baby. Their goal is to work together as a team to
ensure the babys developmental growth as well as the
familys understanding.
Everyone on the team has a different perspective about the
baby and the family, explained Papile. As we share information,
we are able to develop a holistic picture of what is going on with
the baby and the family which should make the transition from
the birth of a high-risk newborn to the infant eventually being
discharged as smooth as possible.
Carol Turnage-Carrier, M.S.N., R.N., newborn clinical
nurse specialist, is a member of the team and has worked in the
area of developmental care for 11 years.
Until this program was launched, it was as if we had beenpreparing for Dr. Papile to join us so we could move forward.
Working together with our staff and families, we are focusing on
providing our babies the best opportunities that will lead to the
best outcomes, said Turnage-Carrier.
Marcia Berretta, licensed clinical social worker, coordinates
follow-up with patients after they graduate from the hospital.
Currently, the follow-up program only applies to high-risk infants
who weighed less than 1,000 grams at birth or who received
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In the future,
the program may extend to all newborns in Texas Childrens
Level 3 NICU.
We feel it is so important to maintain a relationship with all
of the patients from this program so we can track how each infant
is doing as well as provide
support to the parents to
help ensure their baby is
developing as he or she
should, Berretta said.
Our follow-up clinic,
which opened in late June,
will provide us with
real-time information on
our patients. We can pro-
vide support to parents
who are anxious and help
answer any of their ques-
tions so they can continue
to support their infants developmental progress.
According to Ann Stark, M.D., chief of neonatology service,
having this real-time information on all of the NICU graduates
will be important to Texas Childrens ongoing efforts to improve
care and outcomes for newborns. This program also is going to
be greatly enhanced with the addition of Texas Childrens
Maternity Center. The best outcomes are when you have a
high-risk baby born in the same hospital where the NICU care is
available. With moms being able to deliver at Texas Childrens
instead of having to transfer their high-risk babies, well be
creating a more ideal situation for treatment.
HOME AT LAST
For young Chloe and her family, her first several months of
life were a true challengethe majority of her time spent in the
hospital overcoming some tremendous hurdles.
Today, Chloe is at home with her family and has begun her
outpatient treatment through Texas Childrens Hospital.
We would not be where we are today without the care
Chloe received at Texas Childrens, said Harrison. Dr. Papiles
developmental program gave us the tools we needed to
help Chloe succeed developmentally. This is really one of the best
hospitals in our country, and the developmental care program has
meant so much to us.
DR. ANN STARK
FROM LEFT, CAROL TURNAGE-CARRIER, MARCIA BERRETTA AND DR. LUANN PAPILE.
www.t exa sch ild rens .or g TEXA S CHI LDR ENS HOS PITAL | 15
None of my prenatal exams indicated that Chloe had any health problems,
and she was a near-term delivery. After she was born, the doctors noticed what they
thought was a cyst on the outside of her abdomen. Within two hours, she was
transferred to Texas Childrens where she stayed for the next three months.
Kate Harrison
the way home
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
11/24
www.t exa sch ild rens .or g TEX AS CHI LDR ENS HOS PITAL | 1 7
A NEW LOOK AT
HEREDITY
Researchers at Texas Childrens Hospital
and Baylor College of Medicine are investigating
how a womans diet during pregnancy may affect
her childs health throughout his or her lifetime.
BY SHANNON RASP
All babies are born with much of their biological profile predeterminedhow
tall they will be, if they will have curly hair or straight, if they are predisposed
to being slender or obese. But recent discoveries in the field of epigenetics are
causing some researchers like Kjersti Aagaard, M.D., Ph.D., to question previously
accepted ideas about heredity. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in
gene function that occur without a change in the DNA sequence.
Is it possible, Aagaard and her associates at Baylor College of Medicine wonder,
to alter a persons inherited traits while he or she is still a developing fetus? Can sim-
ple changes to a pregnant womans diet, for instance, help her offspring lead a
healthier life?
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
12/24
18 | TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL www.texaschildrens.org
Aagaard, an assistant professor of maternal and fetal medi-
cine who sees patients at Baylor and St. Lukes Episcopal Hospital
in partnership with Texas Childrens Hospital, is fascinated by the
link between a mothers health and that of her offspring.
Ive always been interested in understanding the relationship
between the most common exposures encountered in pregnancy
and how it affects the next generations health, she said. It is
really evolution on a shortened scale. You can appreciate how a
pregnant womans health and wellbeing affects that of her child,
both in the immediate time after delivery and quite probably
throughout the life of that same child.
H ISTORY RA ISES IMPORTANT QUEST IONS
Aagaard traces her interest in this particular research to
reading a scientific report on the health of the children born to
women who suffered through the 1944-1945 famine in The
Netherlands. The German forces occupying the country at the
time blocked food deliveries to the western half; combined with
an unusually harsh winter, the situation resulted in the starvation
deaths of over 18,000 Dutch people.
The pregnant women who lived through the famine
delivered, not surprisingly, very small babies. However, when
those children grew up, they were disproportionately overweight
with high rates of diabetes, cardiovascular and pulmonary disease,
high cholesterol and other weight-related illnesses.
What made these people, who started out so tiny, grow to be so
large? Scientists believe that the malnutrition the women suffered
somehow caused profound reprogramming changes to their babies
in utero. The womens bodies communicated to the embryos that
food was scarce and of low nutritional value, so the babys genetic
makeup programmed its body to store fat in large amounts.
By the time the children were born, The Netherlands had
been liberated and food became abundant. But by then, the
childrens fate had been secured-their bodies would store fat,
reduce insulin secretion, and otherwise protect them from a
famine that no longer existed.
This example, in combination with a large number of other
epidemiology studies as well as observations from animal
models, have led the medical and scientific community to coin
the term developmental origins of adult disease to explain
the phenomena.
EAT ING FORTHE NEXT GENERATION
What does all of this mean for moms? Aagaard and others theo-
rize that what a woman eats during pregnancy can not only affect her
childs health at birth, but also affect it throughout his or her lifetime.
While your genes provide the basic building blocks, they dont
necessarily create the final heritable code, said Aagaard. Outside
influences can change the way in which genes are expressed.
As an example, she explained, she is studying histone changes
in rodent models. Histones are the chief protein components of
chromatin, which act as the spools DNA winds around and play
a role in gene regulation. Aagaard and her colleagues have discov-
ered these changes not only can be transmitted across generations
but also can be modified by nutrition. They observed that
supplementing essential nutrients in the first generation of
offspring from childhood through pregnancy and lactation can
reverse these changes in the next generation.
We found that a diet supplemented with essential nutrients,
yet unaltered in its caloric content, prevents adult metabolic
disease and can reprogram the offsprings genes, she said.
Aagaard and her colleagues also are studying the effects of a
high fat diet and obesity on development. Given our current adult
epidemic of obesity and the rise in juvenile diabetes and childhood
obesity, we were curious whether the framework for obesity was
being laid out in pregnancy or early lactation. We were especially
interested in looking at this issue in a primate model, with the hope
of eventually using our findings clinically to benefit patients.
Aagaard and her co-authors from the University of Utah
teamed up with researchers at the Oregon National Primate
Research Center. In their studies, recently published in the
Journal of Molecular Endocrinolog y, primates were placed
on control and high fat diets for up to five years. Over the course
of the study, many of the animals became obese. However,
Aagaard and her team learned that even in the absence of
maternal obesity, the high fat diet still affected the offspring.
Whether the moms were on the diet for two years or four
years, their offspring developed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,
Aagaard said. Moreover, if we put obese moms back on a control
diet after five years, there was some improvement among their
offspring following the diet reversal. These changes were accom-
panied by a significant change in the histone code, which is also
associated with changes in the expression of a number of genes.
BUILD ING HEALTHIER L IVES
Though still gathering and sorting data, Aagaard said they
hope to have answers within five years.
Giving people a better chance of living a healthier life
may be as simple as cutting down on high-fat foods or taking
a nutritional supplement, said Aagaard. We are finding
that simple interventions could potentially cut the rate of
obesity dramatically in the next generation and decrease the risk
for developing diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular
and lipid diseases.
Providing women with such interventions is one of the goals
of the new Texas Childrens Maternity Center, currently under
construction. The center not only will combine the clinical
advantages of Baylor and Texas Childrens, but also the significant
research strengths of both institutions, according to Amy Young,
M.D., executive vice chair and director of general obstetrics at
Baylor and Texas Childrens Maternity Center leader.
Young said, The Maternity Center will enable us to bring
the laboratory to the bedside to more effectively translate this
kind of current research activity into meaningful patient care and
improved outcomes.
Currently, Aagaard is taking her research in new directions,
using large databases and preserved human samples to investigate
the effects of tobacco use and air quality on developing fetuses.
My work is focused on understanding how we can use
these unique early periods in human development to help people
live longer, healthier and more enjoyable lives, Aagaard
explained. Advances in our understanding hopefully will enable
us to treat common adult diseases at potentially their earliest
point-before birth.
That vision is shared by Texas Childrens Maternity Center,
added Young We are caring for women at every stage in their
livesits the circle of life, and answers like those Dr. Aagaard is
uncovering will have important implications at every turn. The
ultimate goal is to build a better quality of life for the generations
that follow.
www.t exa sch ild rens .or g TEX AS CHI LDR ENS HOS PITAL | 19
A NEW LOOK AT
HEREDITY
The Maternity Center will enable us to bring thelaboratory to the bedside to more effectively
translate this kind of current research activity into
meaningful patient care and improved outcomes.
DR . AMY YOUNG
We found that a diet supplemented withessential nutrients, yet unaltered in its caloric
content, prevents adult metabolic disease
and can reprogram the offsprings genes.
D R . K J E R ST I A A G A A R D
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
13/24
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
14/24
The Brown Foundation, Inc. commits $10 millionto Texas Childrens campaignBY ANN SAYE
Historic Gift to Help Heal Sick Children
In May 2008, Texas Childrens Hospital received word that
it would be receiving the second largest gift commitment in
its history$10 million from The Brown Foundation, Inc.to
support the Heal Sick Children campaign. The funds will be
dedicated to Texas Childrens Maternity Center and to the Jan and
Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, two of the most
pronounced campaign priorities.
The Brown Foundation, Inc. has been serving the Houston
community for nearly 60 years and has contributed to Texas
Childrens since 1962, totaling more than $23 million in gifts and
commitments, noted Ralph D. Feigin, M.D., physician-in-chief
at Texas Childrens Hospital. Over the years, the trustees
generosity has made an impact throughout the hospital, with
gifts to support each of Texas Childrens previous campaigns in
addition to Texas Childrens Cancer Center, infectious diseases,
autistic spectrum disorders, the congenital heart surgery service
and many other areas. This outstanding new commitment will
have an even more far-reaching effect.
The Brown Foundation, Inc. was founded in July 1951 by
Herman and Margarett Root Brown and George R. and Alice
Pratt Brown. As of last summer, the foundation had awarded more
than $1.1 billion in grants, approximately 80 percent of which
were awarded within the state of Texas, with special emphasis on
the city of Houston.
Since its inception, the foundation has given to programs
that address root causes rather than symptoms, stimulate
collaborative effort and create long-lasting impact beyond the
value of the actual grant.
We believe that Texas Childrens Maternity Center and the
J d D D N l i l R h I i h
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
15/24
ConocoPhillips pledges $3 millionto help children in Houston and around the worldBY ANGELA DOLDER
LEADE
RSINGIVING
For Families Near and Far
Texas Childrens Physician-in-Chief Dr. Ralph D. Feigin, President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, and
ConocoPhillips Chairman and CEO Jim Mulva break ground with help from Texas Childrens patients.
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
16/24ING
Simmons Family Foundation gives $3 million
to create collaborative research fundBY ANGELA DOLDER
L.E. and Virginia Simmons have added a new chapter
to their familys legacy of support for Texas Childrens
Hospital, and two other Texas Medical Center
institutions, with a commitment of $3 million to
bli h h Si F il F d i
with new ideas, such as junior researchers who require
financial support to jump-start their projects and
experienced investigators who might not otherwise
collaborate with their counterparts at other institutions.
T i i ll i i ifi i h
L.E. and Virginia Simmons
with their children,
William and Virginia
Pursuing Partnerships
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
17/24
Fares family commits $250,000 to advance neurological researchBY ANGELA DOLDER
In a Fathers Footsteps
Nijad I. Fares learned early on that giving to others is an impor-
tant aspect of lifeits a lesson he attributes to his father, Issam.
True to his fathers vision, Fares and his wife, Zeina, have
given back in a big way, committing $250,000 to the Jan and
Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas
Childrens Hospital.
The Fares gift will establish the Issam M. Fares Family
Lectureship at the Institute, in honor of the patriarch. My
father is my best friend and I am glad to recognize him, while at
the same time, give hope to millions of children and families
who are afflicted by neurological disease, said Fares.
Worldwide, one billion people, including 300 million
children, suffer from some form of the more than 600 disorders
that afflict the nervous system.
The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute
ill b h fi f ili i d di d l i h
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
18/24
H-E-B Tournament of Championsgives $500,000 to congenital heart surgeryBY TRAVIS MCCLAIN
Ensuring the Best Care for Tiny Hearts
LEADERS IN GIVING
Thanks to a $500,000 gift from the 2008 H-E-B Tournament of
Champions, Texas Childrens congenital heart surgery service is
advancing its efforts to heal sick children with heart defects.
Now in its 23rd year, the H-E-B Tournament of
Championsa three-day series of events at tennis courts and golf
courses across San Antonioprovides an opportunity for vendors,
who supply H-E-B with products and services, to get actively
involved in supporting organizations across Texas.
Led by Charles D. Fraser, Jr., Texas Childrens congenital
heart surgery service is the only one of its kind in Texas. Pediatric
h h b f d T Child H i l
Dr. Fraser and his team are making an invaluable contri-
bution to the science of pediatric heart surgery, and we are pleased
to support their efforts, said Winell Herron, H-E-B Tournament
of Champions trustee.
Texas Childrens is fortunate to have the commitment of
generous community partners like the H-E-B Tournament of
Champions, said Mark Wallace, president and chief executive
officer of Texas Childrens Hospital. This gift will help accelerate
Dr. Frasers vision for the congenital heart surgery service,
ultimately advancing research and ensuring the best, most
i i f i h
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
19/24
Without The Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, there might not be
the Texas Childrens Hospital known today. And now, Pin Oak is
helping launch the Texas Childrens of tomorrow.
Th Pi O k Ch i H Sh i
Horse Show debuted in 1945 and was soon one of the preemi-
nent horse shows in the nation. Today, with support from its pre-
senting sponsor Compass Bank Wealth Management Group, it
h b h fi h b i d b h U S
Shaping the Future
The Pin Oak Charity Horse Showpledges $300,000 to new West CampusBY KATHY ISDALE
From left, standing, William, Joseph and Eva
Bisso, Pin Oak executive board member;
Barbara Stewart, Compass Bank Wealth
Management Group advisor; Ed Perwein,
Pin Oak participant since its earliest days;
the award-winning horse MacArthur Park;
Lynn Walsh, Pin Oak president; Fiona Dawson,
assistant vice president with Compass Bank;
(kneeling, left) Wendy Cook, Pin Oak
managing director; and Susan Pelletier,
Pin Oak executive board member
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
20/24
On The SceneOn The Scene
28 | TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL www.texaschildrens.org www.texaschildrens.org TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | 29
On February 26, Texas Childrens hosted its fourth annual An Evening
with a Texas Legend, presented by Wachovia and honoring medical legend
Denton A. Cooley, M.D. (right). More than 600 guests gathered at Hilton
Americas-Houston to hear CNN host Larry King (left) interview Cool ey about
his life and many pioneering accomplishments. The event, chaired by Janet and
Tom Walker, raised almost $450,000 for Texas Childrens Cancer Center .
Meg Goodman and Mike Bonini graciously hosted a reception in their home
several nights before the event to honor the top underwriters and sponsors.
From left, Shannon and Mark A. Wallace,president and CEO of Texas Childrens
Hospital; Terri, Prentiss and John Havens;
and Helen and Charles D. Fraser, Jr., M.D.,
chief of congenital heart surgery at Texas
Childrens, were among the crowd of nearly
400 who gathered at the Havenses historic
home for the second annual Frasers
Friends event in April. At the event, the
Havenses shared the story of how their son
Prentiss was born with a congenital heart
defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, and how Fraser
and his team repaired his tiny heart to save
his life. The 2008 Frasers Friends event
has helped raise more than $450,000 toadvance the priorities of the Texas
Childrens congenital heart surgery team.
Nearly 1,000 children and adults ran in the 10th annual Davids
Dream Run in May 2008, put on by David Elementary School PTO
in The Woodlands. The school and the run are named after David
Vetter, the Bubble Boy, who was born with severe combined
immune deficiency (SCID). This years run raised more than $20,000
for Texas Childrensbringing the schools total giving to the hospital
to more than $270,000. Recently, Davids family including (from left)
his nephew Cameron David Canion, sister Katherine Canion and
mother Carol Ann Demaret gathered at Texas Childrens with
Lee Allen, principal of David Elementary School, and Davids DreamRun volunteers Sandra Fuentes and Michelle Barrell to celebrate
the unveiling of the commemorative wall for the David Center for
allergy and immunology.
Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of
Texas Childrens, joins event emcees Shara Fryer,
KTRK news anchor, and Nancy Ames, owner
and founder of Ward & Ames Special Events.
Cancer Center patient Sabrina Hunter, 3,
gets entertained by Lori Vetters, regional
president of the Gulf Coast region at Wachovia,
and Legend honoree Denton A. Cooley, M.D.
Right, Event Chair Janet Walker with Underwriter Chair Emily Crosswell.
I M P O R T A N T D E V E L O P M E N T S
Celebrating Dr. Denton Cooleya world-renowned Texas Legend Frasers Friends launch another year of support
Davids dream lives on
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
21/24
www.t exa sch ild rens .or g TEX AS CHIL DRE NS HOS PITAL | 3130 | TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL www.texaschildrens.org
On The SceneOn The SceneIn April, Carousel, Young Friends of Texas Childrens Cancer Center, hosted more
than 650 guests, including (from left) David Poplack, M.D., director of TexasChildrens Cancer Center; Audry Black, and her mother and event
committee co-chair, Kim; Maggie Stacy, event chairman, and her husband, Will, for
the Give a Hand to Raising the Roof family fun event at the Houston Zoo.
The event grossed more than $200,000 for Texas Childrens Cancer Center, and
participating families had the chance to finger-paint on ceiling tiles to help decorate
the roofs of Cancer Center patient rooms at the hospital.
Carousel rounds up support for pediatric cancer
By donating $1 at a time, Randalls customers and associates helped
raise $84,863 for the pediatric gene research program at Texas
Childrens Cancer Center through the 2008 Kindness for Kids
campaign, in partnership with the Houston Chronicle. The Clear Lake
store alone raised $6,406the most of all the local Randalls stores.
At the official check presentation, (from left) Jack Sweeny, president
and publisher of the Houston Chronicle, Ralph D. Feigin, M.D.,
Texas Childrens physician-in-chief, Tom Schwilke, Randalls president,
and ZoAnn Dreyer, M.D., director of the Cancer Centers long-term
survivor program, congratulated Randalls Clear Lake store employees David LaCour, store director, Sandy Crowder, customer service
supervisor, and Byron Myers, assistant store director, on their incredible success and generosity.
Randalls shows its kindness for kids
For the second year in a row,
Wal-Mart achieved its goal of
raising $10 million for Childrens
Miracle Network nationwidethis time, in just eight weeks. Stores in the greater Houston area
raised $264,340 during the campaignall going to support Texas Childrens Hospital.
Wal-Mart continues to rally
for Childrens Miracle Network
Top left, Wal-Mart Supercenter #2993 in Sugar Land
hosted a kickoff for the national fundraising effort, where
store manager Jesse Thompson (left) and Kevin Kline,
morning show DJ on The New 93Q (right, pushing cart),
helped Texas Childrens patient Mary Jo Stavinoha, 8, select
$1,000 worth of donated toys and craft supplies to give to
patients at the hospital. Right, Wal-Mart Distribution 7010
employees including (from left) Wendy Bowan, training
manager, Rick Johnson, transportation manager, and Adam
Gilliam, human resources manager, helped host the third annual Childrens Miracle Network Golf Tournament and
raised more than $10,000 to help Texas Childrens patients and families like Norma Dean (far right)
and her daughter, Rylee (center). Bottom left, Last year, Wal-Mart Supercenter #400 in Conroe was the top
fundraising store in the Houston market, collecting more than $20,900 for Childrens Miracle Network
thanks to the efforts of associates like (from left) Susan McDowell, Marie Thurmon and Cheryl Garrett.
This spring, Houston Junior Womans Club members and guests, including (from left)
Dianne Demny and Brenda Werner, 2007 fundraising chairs; Debbie Bauer, 2007 HJWC
president; and Nancy Shomette, 2008 HJWC president, celebrated their 40th anniversary at the
annual Donations Coffee. The event was a celebration of HJWCs longtime dedication to childrenand successful fundraising in 2007. Thanks to funds raised through HJWCs 24th annual Holiday
Happening, their first annual golf tournament and charitable fund contributions, the organization
was able to award more than $254,000 to 17 Houston area childrens charities, including $72,645 to Texas Childrens Cancer Center.
HJWC celebrates 40 years of dedication to children
In Spring 2008, the Theta Charity Antiques Show of the Houston Alumnae of Kappa Alpha
Theta donated $196,935 to permanently endow the annual lecture series they established at
Texas Childrens, now named The Donald J. Fernbach, M.D., Endowed Lecture Series,
presented by the Houston Alumnae of Kappa Alpha Theta. Recently, Theta alumni (from left)
Carol Herder, president, Liz Rigney, philanthropic committee chair, and Janet Lionberger, 2007
Theta Charity Antiques Show chair, joined lecture namesake Fernbach and David D. Poplack,
M.D., director of Texas Childrens Cancer Center, to unveil a special plaque at the hospital honoring the Theta Charity Antiques Show.
Thetas show support for pediatric faculty training
Photo by Alexanders Fine Portrait Design
This summer, all 98 greater Houston area Kroger Food
Stores participated in the companys Childrens Miracle
Network miracle balloon campaign. Thanks to the efforts
of many employeeslike District Manager Jeff Roberson
(back row, center) and his District 2 store representa-
tivesKroger raised more than $100,000 for TexasChildrens Hospital. Roberson and his team visited the
hospital prior to the campaign, gaining inspiration from
seeing firsthand where the money they help raise goes.
Kroger miracle balloons rise to the top
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
22/24
Most people may not think to name Texas Childrens
Hospital as the beneficiary of an IRA. After spending
many hours at Texas Childrens with his granddaughter,
Jackson O. Wilson did.
Wilsons 9-year-old granddaughter, Emily Otto, was
diagnosed with cystic fibrosis almost immediately after she was
born and spent her first three months of life in Texas Childrens
neonatal intensive care unit.
Emilys been in and out of Texas Childrens ever since,
Wilson says. Ive been up there with her numerous times and
have seen the good work they do. It was an easy decision to
support Texas Childrens.
Wilson and his late wife, who had severe multiple scle-
rosis (MS), retired to Houston three years prior to her death in
2005. He recently remarried, and his wife, Marion, has become just as doting a grandmother to his grandchildren as she is to her own.
l h h f d h h l h h l l dd h h b k Th l l
GIVING TO
A WORTHYCAUSEBY KATHY ISDALE
PLANNED GIVING
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
23/24
G R A T E F U L F A M I L Y
MAUREEN DIMARCO:GRATEFUL GRANDMOTHER
My daughter, Noelle Reed, was hospitalized this past March for almost four weeks while she was pregnant with triplets. She suffered
from cholestasis and preeclampsia, and one of the babies was diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), meaning she was
small for her gestational age. As a result, Noelle was in great discomfort, and of course she was very anxious about keeping the
pregnancy going long enough for the babies to survive and do well.
We will never be able to say enough superlatives about her physician, Dr. Robert Carpenterhis skill and care (and his wicked sense
of humor). His medical skill is certainly the main reason my daughter and her husband are now the very proud parents of three healthy
babies who have had remarkably few difficulties other than simply
needing to grow.
But Im not writing just to praise Dr Carpenter; rather, I want to
explain that the other critical part of this success story is the Texas
Childrens nurses and staff who operate the Labor and Delivery Unit
at St. Lukes.
With no exceptions, every nurse and clerical staff member was
phenomenal. And after four weeks I think we knew every single
person there whether full-time or part-time. They are clearly the elite
of the nursing corps and take pride in their skill and also in their
ability to relate to each patient and truly make a difficult time as easy
as possible. Their care was always delivered with warmth, patience
and understanding of the physical and emotional stresses their patient
k h ld h
-
7/27/2019 Shine, a publication of Texas Children's Hospital
24/24
CALENDAR
Texas Childrens Hospital
832-824-1000
Development Office
832-824-2107
Texas Childrens Health Plan
1-800-990-8247
Texas Childrens Pediatric
Associates Referral Line
832-824-7700
Texas Childrens
Home Health Services
832-824-2400
Texas Childrens International
832-824-1138
Texas Childrens Health Centers832-824-2868
September 20, 2008
Nicholas Alexander Higgins
Memorial Golf Tournament
benefiting Texas Childrens Heart Center
Wildcat Golf Club
September 25, 2008
Lewis Jewelers An Emerald Evening
benefiting Texas Childrens Renal Dialysis Center
Lewis Jewelers in Webster, Texas
September - December 2008
Kris Browns Kick Club
benefiting Texas Childrens Charity Care
For information on any of these events, please contact the Office of Development at 832-824-6818
or e-mail [email protected].
Now online at www.shine.texaschildrens.org
COMMUNITY EVENTS
BENEFITING TEXAS CHILDRENSSeptember 25, 2008
Celebration of Champions
benefiting Texas Childrens Cancer Center
Hilton Americas Houston
October 14, 2008
The Bad Pants Open
benefiting Texas Childrens Newborn Center
Cypresswood Golf Club
November 18, 2008
Whats Up, Doc?
benefiting Generation to Generation
River Oaks Country Club
TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL EVENTS