For the love of Sharieff: A father dedicates his life to his son’s complex medical care

Photos by Katherine C. Cohen  On an unseasonably warm day in February, the sun shines brightly at Clasky Common Park, a New Bedford town gem with views of the river. Twenty-one-year old Sharieff Hester sports a pair of cherry-red shades and a big smile. He walks confidently around the park, his father and sole caretaker David Hester dutifully following behind, checking in often. “Are you cold son?” he asks. Sharieff answers through his tracheostomy, “I’m fine, Dad.” David stops to adjust his son’s scarf and offer him a sip of water. “We have a routine every morning. The first thing I do is hug Sharieff and tell him how much I love him. Then I make sure his trach is clean and dry, and we say a prayer together.” Sharieff has been cared for at Boston Children’s Hospital since his birth in 1994. His main diagnoses are Arthrogryposis, a rare congenital condition characterized by stiff joints and abnormally developed muscles; Klippel-Feil syndrome, a rare birth defect that causes some of the neck vertebrae to fuse together; restrictive lung disease; and pulmonary hypertension. Though most of his care is now outpatient, Sharieff underwent multiple spinal operations and spent hundreds of days inpatient at Boston Children’s over the years. “He’s mayor of 8 South, governor of 9 South, legislator of 10 South and presidential candidate of 11 South,” laughs David. Despite being medically fragile, Sharieff has an inner strength that inspires eve...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Boston Children's at North Dartmouth Clement Bottino Complex Care Services David Roberson Lawrence Karlin lung disease Martha Fishman Mary Mullen pulmonary hypertension rare disease tracheostomy Source Type: news