‘What a difference a year makes’: Catching up with liver brothers Brent and Malambo
Brent and Malambo
We are honored U.S. News & World Report has named Boston Children’s Hospital the #1 pediatric hospital in the U.S. As we celebrate this honor, we’re reflecting on some of the greatest children’s stories ever told — stories of the patients and families whose lives touch ours and inspire us.
Two of those patients are “liver brothers” Malambo Mazoka-Tyler and Brent Groder.
Malambo and Brent are, by all standards, oceans apart.
Zambian-born Malambo is nearly two. His world, one year after a life-saving, split-liver transplant, is all about walking and talking, laughing and dancing an...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - June 29, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Our Patients’ Stories biliary atresia cystic fibrosis liver failure Liver transplant Liver Transplant Program Pediatric Transplant Center (PTC) split-liver transplant Source Type: news
A salute to Noah’s heroes
Noah Hamm has escaped death more times than his mother Danielle can count. And he’s only 3.
Since Noah was born there have been three constants in his life: Noah’s knack for near misses, his family and a neonatologist/pulmonologist who’s always there with the right care for Noah … and the right words for his family.
“I tell Larry [Dr. Larry Rhein] he’s our George Bailey,” says Noah’s mom Danielle DiBenedetto.
Larry gave me hope. Even when things were bad, I always felt better when Larry was there.
Noah was a 29-week twin when Danielle’s water broke prematurely. “The only condition I thought I had to wor...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - May 25, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Anne Hansen Dr. Larry Rhein Dr. Reza Rahbar Dr. Terry Buchmiller esophageal atresia laryngeal cleft patent ductus arteriosus tracheoesophageal fistula Source Type: news
What Causes Vomiting?
Discussion
Regurgitation is a passive expulsion of ingested material out of the mouth. It is a normal part of digestion for ruminants such as cows and camels. Nausea is an unpleasant abdominal perception that the person may describe as feeling ill to the stomach, or feeling like he/she is going to vomit. Anorexia is frequently observed. Nausea is usually associated with decreased stomach activity and motility in the small intestine. Parasympathetic activity may be increased causing pale skin, sweating, hypersalivation and possible vasovagal syndrome (hypotension and bradycardia). Retching or dry heaves is when there are sp...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - May 2, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
Minimally Invasive Surgery in Neonatal Patients: A Review
Laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery have gradually become accepted diagnostic and therapeutic modalities in the management of neonatal surgical conditions. In the hands of experienced surgeons, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has reduced the need for open procedures. In children younger than 1 year, the advantages of MIS are evident in avoiding the sequelae of open surgery. MIS has shown outcomes comparable to those with open surgery. The recent literature in the PubMed database was reviewed, using the keywords "minimally invasive surgery," "neonatology," "pediatric surgery," "laparoscopy," and "thoracoscopy." The revi...
Source: NeoReviews recent issues - May 1, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lopez, J., Stringel, G. Tags: Pediatric Drug Labeling Update Articles Source Type: news
Harriet Summerhill born with half a heart survives major cardiac surgery
Emma Summerhill and her husband Leighton, 35, from South Wales, were told at their baby's 20 week scan that she had pulmonary atresia - a deadly congenital heart defect. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - April 14, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
The girl born with half a heart: Two-year-old who survived major cardiac surgery defies doctors to celebrate birthday they never thought she'd see
Emma Summerhill and her husband Leighton, 35, from South Wales, were told at their baby's 20 week scan that she had Pulmonary Atresia - a deadly congenital heart defect. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - April 14, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Liver brothers: Two lives linked by split-liver transplant
It is late in the evening on June 14, 2015. Kern Tyler and his wife Pasina Mazoka-Tyler sit in a waiting room at Boston Children’s Hospital, while their 11-month-old son Malambo Mazoka-Tyler, born with a life-threatening disease called biliary atresia, undergoes a liver transplant.
To arrive at this moment, they have traveled vast distances, visited multiple hospitals, sought the advice and counsel of numerous doctors, packed all their belongings and moved more than 7000 miles from their home in Zambia, Africa, to Boston, Massachusetts.
He had picked out what he wanted to wear, where he wanted to be buried, and he told ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - April 4, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Our Patients’ Stories biliary atresia cystic fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis Center end-stage liver disease Heung Bae Kim Khashayar Vakili liver failure Liver transplant Liver Transplant Program Rima Fawaz Split liver transplantation Source Type: news
Liver brothers: Two lives linked by split-liver transplant
It is late in the evening on June 14, 2015. Kern Tyler and his wife Pasina Mazoka-Tyler sit in a waiting room at Boston Children’s Hospital, while their 11-month-old son Malambo Mazoka-Tyler, born with a life-threatening disease called biliary atresia, undergoes a liver transplant.
To arrive at this moment, they have traveled vast distances, visited multiple hospitals, sought the advice and counsel of numerous doctors, packed all their belongings and moved more than 7000 miles from their home in Zambia, Africa, to Boston, Massachusetts.
He had picked out what he wanted to wear, where he wanted to be buried, and he told ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - April 4, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Our Patients’ Stories biliary atresia cystic fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis Center end-stage liver disease Heung Bae Kim Khashayar Vakili liver failure Liver transplant Liver Transplant Program Rima Fawaz Split liver transplantation Source Type: news
I Am My Mother's Chimera. Chances Are, So Are You.
For years the concept of a "genetic chimera" -- an individual with two genetically distinct cells lines in his/her body -- has sparked the imagination of writers: from Stephen King to Michael Crichton, from CSI to The Office. The idea that an individual could harbor his/her own twin is creepy and intriguing at the same time. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology have allowed us to probe much deeper into a person's genome, to the point that today scientists believe that chimerism could be far more common than what we originally thought. Chances are, you could be your own twin. But how surprised would you be if I to...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - March 18, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
I Am My Mother's Chimera. Chances Are, So Are You.
For years the concept of a "genetic chimera" -- an individual with two genetically distinct cells lines in his/her body -- has sparked the imagination of writers: from Stephen King to Michael Crichton, from CSI to The Office. The idea that an individual could harbor his/her own twin is creepy and intriguing at the same time.
Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology have allowed us to probe much deeper into a person's genome, to the point that today scientists believe that chimerism could be far more common than what we originally thought. Chances are, you could be your own twin. But how surprised would you be if I to...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - March 18, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
In their own words: Six families share the impact of organ donation
This is the season for gratitude and giving, a time to celebrate friends, family, the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. But for a select group, it also is a time to celebrate one of the greatest gifts — the gift of life through organ donation.
Mickey was born with a unique combination of congenital heart defects and spent most of his early life at Boston Children’s. He was one day shy of 6 months old when he received his heart transplant, and his family is grateful for every day since. “Mickey has shown us what courage and resiliency look like, and his transplant has taught us the true meaning of givin...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 5, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Michelle Higginson Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories double lung transplant heart transplant hepatoblastoma kidney transplant Liver transplant multivisceral transplant Pediatric Transplant Center (PTC) Source Type: news
Marissa’s story: “Esophageal atresia is never going to define me”
Marissa Waite lives in the smallest town in Massachusetts, but she has a big story to tell. When her mother Vicky was pregnant with Marissa 13 years ago, an ultrasound detected esophageal atresia (EA), a condition where the esophagus isn’t connected to the stomach.
Vicky was admitted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital for the remainder of her pregnancy. “I’m a take-charge kind of person. When I was pregnant, I thought, ‘I’ll make all the decisions for my baby.’ But when complications arose, I realized I couldn’t make these kinds of decisions alone,” she says.
At that point, Marissa’s care team was born.
Do...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - August 13, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jenny Fernandez Tags: All posts Our patients’ stories esophageal atresia GERD Steven Fishman VSD Wayne Tworetzky Source Type: news
Small Study Affirms Accuracy of Free Mobile App That Screens for Liver Disease in Newborns - 7/29/15
In a small study, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center report they have verified the ability of a free smartphone app to accurately read, interpret and record the color of a newborn’s poop as a possible early symptom of biliary atresia (BA) — a rare disorder that accounts for nearly half of pediatric end-stage liver disease in the United States. (Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine News)
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine News - July 29, 2015 Category: Research Source Type: news
Meet Ryan: The boy who grew his own esophagus
Dr. Rusty Jennings, Ryan Page, Dr. John Foker
Eleven-year-old Ryan Page is a budding trombone player whose favorite foods include candy, popcorn and hot dogs. “Ryan loves any choking hazard,” jokes his mother Tracy.
When Ryan was born, few would have predicted he would be able tolerate these foods or master the trombone. “His doctors told us he had the longest gap they had ever seen in a baby with esophageal atresia,” recalls Tracy. Ryan was born with a nearly 4-inch gap between the top and bottom parts of his esophagus.
“This is a kid whose predestination based on standard therapy was chronic aspiration (breathi...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - July 17, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our patients’ stories Advanced Fetal Care Center Dr. John Foker Dr. Rusty Jennings esophageal atresia Esophageal Atresia Treatment Center G-tube Source Type: news
Meet Phoebe: Swimmer, soccer player, gymnast and liver transplant recipient
Whether she’s tearing across the soccer field, sticking a near perfect landing in a gymnastics routine or training for an upcoming swim meet, Phoebe Root is always on the go. As her father, David, shuttles his active 12-year-old daughter to and from meets, games and competitions, he almost can’t believe it’s the same girl who, at 8 weeks old, was diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening liver disorder.
“Looking back at how sick she was, I never would have guessed our lives would end up feeling so… normal,” says David, as he drove his daughter to an afternoon swim practice. “When she w...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - June 30, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tripp Underwood Tags: Our patients’ stories liver failure Liver transplant Pediatric Transplant Center (PTC) Source Type: news
