Each year, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital receives a gift that lasts all year long. The giver: Spirit Mountain Casino, which collects gifts throughout November and December. This week’s delivery was on Dec 20th – a full truckload of toys for patients who are here for the holidays and also those who hospitalized in the many months beyond. Doernbecher’s Beth Christian talks about how this gift keeps giving for months and months:
During the holiday season, lots of folks go out of their way to bring a little cheer to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital patients. This season, one family brought cheer and also some hope for a cure. Today, Doernbecher received $1,000 check to help cure cancer. The oversized check was presented by the brother and cousins of Riley Erin Arriola, a 9-year-old girl who lost her battle with cancer in 2010. The children, CJ, Megan and Paige, … Read More
Oregonians will hear about an inspiring story from Astoria in both print and TV news reports this week. The story involves high school student Jennifer Mandujano. Today Jennifer, her friends and family delivered two carloads for toys for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital patients. The delivery followed a toy drive that involved her entire community. Jennifer, who has witnessed serious disease first hand, wanted to do something special for kids who will spend the holiday season in … Read More
Here’s a story that’s getting a lot of press as of late: An excerpt: Researchers report that they found a wide range of disease-causing bacteria, fungus and mold on pacifiers that young children had been using. They added that pacifiers can often grow a slimy coating of bacteria — called a biofilm — that actually alters the normal bacteria in a baby or toddler’s mouth. That biofilm can spur inflammation and potentially increase the risk … Read More
Some exciting news came out of OHSU and UCSF this week that will hopefully help us combat MS and several other diseases. The researchers have been working on a stem cell therapy to replace myelin in the brain. The loss of myelin – which acts as insulation for brain cells – can cause serious illness when it degrades. As part of this line of research, kids with a rare disease where their brains can’t make … Read More
I had the pleasure of attending a really special event today at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital: Graduation ceremonies for some of our cancer and hematology patients. The kids are currently receiving treatment, while participating in the hospital’s K-12 Hospital School Program. As you can see, everyone – students and teachers alike – dressed for the occasion. Some more photos and video below.
Just a couple of hours ago, the new US News rankings for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital came out and we were pleased to learn that Doernbecher scored high in several areas including cancer care, cardiology, neonatology and neurology. The rankings are based on quality-related data, including survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing and procedure volume and, to a lesser degree, peer-to-peer rankings. An excerpt from our press release: The annual rankings feature 50 hospitals in each … Read More
It’s a sad story that is repeated nearly every summer: A child is seriously hurt after falling through an open window. In fact, there’s a case in Portland this very week: There are a lot of great resources for parents to prevent tragedies like this one. Some tips from Doernbecher Children’s Hospital: * Keep windows locked when they are closed. * Never let children open … Read More
I just spotted this article featuring an OHSU expert, and being the father of a soon-to-be teen, it really interested me. LINK TO THE FULL ARTICLE Have you ever wondered why teens are so angry? An excerpt: In some ways–teens and adults do speak different languages, says Ajit Jetmalani, M.D., a child and adolescent psychiatrist with Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. Blame it on … Read More
Some good news and bad news this week for families with children diagnosed with ADHD. First the bad news: According to new OHSU research, there are many subtypes of the disease meaning we need to study it at great length to identify all the variations and help develop better treatments.(That will take time) The good news? The future looks much brighter for families because we now know that “one size does not fit all” when … Read More
