Cancer diagnosis can’t shake these first-time parents

In some ways, Katelyn Silva and Joe Lauzon are typical first-time parents. They bombard their newborn son Joey’s doctor with questions: Is it OK to give him Tylenol? Is he taking enough formula? Is green poop OK? And people they meet are sharing pictures of their son. The difference is that Katelyn and Joe are asking an oncologist, Suzanne Shusterman, MD, of Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorder Center, their questions, and Joey’s baby pictures are x-rays and MRI exams shared among a team of physicians. Having a baby is tough “Having a baby is tough. Having a baby with cancer is tougher,” says Katelyn, who gave birth to Joey on January 12 at South Shore Hospital. Joey had aspirated meconium during his birth and had trouble breathing, so he was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to stabilize his condition. A chest x-ray revealed a mass, but it seemed like a normal finding. “In newborns, the thymus gland can be large, so the initial interpretation was plausible,” explains Kirsten Ecklund, MD, clinical vice-chair of Boston Children’s Department of Radiology. But after four days in the NICU, Joey showed no signs of improvement. The neonatologist at South Shore Hospital ordered another chest x-ray and requested a consultation from Boston Children’s Radiology Department. The two hospitals are connected by lifeIMAGE, a radiology image-sharing service that allows hospitals to electronically share x-rays and other radiology ex...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: All posts Cancer childhood cancer Source Type: news