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Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston
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Michelle is moving ahead after experiencing a stroke
In fall of 2014, I was a senior, excited about finishing high school in New Hampshire and heading off to college. But I could never have guessed what the year would bring. I was an avid lacrosse player and competing in my fifth game of a tournament when I started to notice I was having trouble seeing out of my left eye. Soon, my hand felt weird and I couldn’t grip the stick properly. As I sat on the sidelines, onlookers recommended I be taken to a local hospital.
Recovering from stroke
I can’t remember a lot of what happened next, but I know that the emergency doctors believed I had a stroke. They sent me to the Stroke...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - October 2, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Michelle Ostaudelafont Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Cameron Trenor Dr. Laura Lehman pediatric stroke Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center Source Type: news
Cadagan: Humor and tenacity after a stroke
Most parents try to discourage their children from indulging in humor about bodily functions like burping. But for Daniel and Lori Hooley, a simple smirk in response to a belch was the sign they needed that their daughter, Cadagan, was going to be okay.
It was 2012 and 7-year-old Cadagan was asleep, tucked into bed for the night. Around 11 p.m., she suddenly awoke — but it wasn’t because of a nightmare or a late-night request for a glass of water. Instead, she seemed limp and couldn’t focus. Then she began throwing up. Born with an extremely rare genetic disorder called trisomy 12p, the little girl had already experi...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - November 20, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jessica Cerretani Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Cameron Trenor Dr. Laura Lehman Dr. Michael Rivkin stroke Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center vasculitis Source Type: news
Jacob ’s story: What it’s like to have a stroke as a kid
My name is Jacob and I’m 8 years old. Two years ago, I had a stroke. At first, I didn’t realize what that meant, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t move the way I used to.
With time, I’ve been able to get most of my function back, but my right arm has something called dystonia. That means the muscles cramp up and sometimes my arm moves on its own or gets stiff. I can’t control it, and that makes life hard sometimes.
I come to Boston Children’s Hospital every few months to see Dr. Michael Rivkin at the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center there. Nobody likes having to go to the doctor, but Dr. Rivkin is more...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - September 26, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jacob Downing Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Michael Rivkin stroke Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center Source Type: news
Striking a balance: Charlie ’s recovery from neonatal stroke
“Hey, Charlie,” says Dr. Michael Rivkin as he gently dangles a small rubber ducky in front of the little boy. “Would you like this?” A wide smile breaks out across the toddler’s face. Why yes, he certainly would like that duck. He reaches and grasps at it, closing his tiny fingers around the toy.
For Charlie Strzempek, it’s nothing more than a playful act. But for his parents, Kathleen and Tom, it’s a major accomplishment. Dr. Rivkin isn’t simply offering his patient a toy. He’s testing his ability to grab and hold an object in his right hand — the side of his body affected by a neonatal stroke.
A shin...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 27, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jessica Cerretani Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Michael Rivkin Julie Croteau occupational therapy stroke Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center Source Type: news
From Buenos Aires to Boston for pediatric stroke care
Twice a year, Osvaldo and Sol board a plane in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For a week or more, they leave behind their home, their friends, their jobs — and, sometimes, their two daughters, Ines and Clara. But what waits for them, a continent away, is worth it. In Boston, they say, they have found expert care for their son, Francisco.
“Francisco was perfectly fine when he was born,” says Sol. “But two days later, we were having trouble waking him up.” Although initially doctors assured the family that his behavior was normal, they quickly transferred him to the neonatal intensive care unit when he began having diffi...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - October 27, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jessica Cerretani Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Cameron Trenor Dr. Michael Rivkin International Health Services physical therapy stroke Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center Source Type: news
Bouncing back: Nolan ’s life after stroke
Although he’s only a little over a year old, Nolan Morel is a bona fide charmer. Clad in a red shirt and navy blue suspenders, he flashes a happy grin at his mother, Rosalia; his physician, Dr. Laura Lehman; and the others in the room. “Look at those dimples!” someone coos, and he giggles in response. “I can’t believe how social he’s being,” laughs Rosalia. “He wasn’t always like this.”
In fact, Nolan’s first several days of life were anything but lighthearted. Just a few hours after his birth at a hospital north of Boston, he stopped breathing and had to be manually resuscitated and given oxygen. Whe...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 7, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jessica Cerretani Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories child life Dr. Laura Lehman feeding therapy occupational therapy physical therapy stroke Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center Source Type: news
Kelsey’s transformation: From stroke survivor to motivational speaker
“When I woke up after my stroke, all I wanted was to be normal again,” recalls Kelsey Tainsh. Normal — as in a healthy teen athlete who could brush her teeth and shower on her own, who wasn’t wheelchair-bound, who wasn’t compelled to hide her paralyzed right hand in her pocket everywhere she went, one who hadn’t lost all of her high school friends except for her two triplet sisters.
Now, this world-champion athlete not only learned to walk and talk again but also to embrace her differences. “Our hardest obstacles can be our biggest opportunities,” she says.
Kelsey’s first taste of being different came at ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - March 16, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Brain tumor Mark Rockoff R. Michael Scott stroke Source Type: news
Saving Vanessa, part 1: A mystery rash, a stroke and an epic rescue
Vanessa’s rash first appeared on her arms and legs when she 3 or 4 months old. It was red and bumpy and went away when she was sick with a virus, which happened often. Then it would come back. The dermatology team she saw at Boston Children’s Hospital was puzzled.
“I was expecting they were going to think it was nothing, but they took it very seriously,” says Katherine Bell, one of Vanessa’s mothers. “They took a biopsy and very quickly realized they had no idea what it was.”
Vanessa’s case was even featured at a regional dermatology conference where doctors take up mystery patients. “A hundred to 150 der...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - July 25, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Nancy Fliesler Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Carolyn Rogers Dr. Pui Lee Dr. Robert Sundel Dr. Scellig Stone Dr. Todd Lyons stroke Source Type: news
Moyamoya and childhood stroke: Catching up with Tyler and Ryan
Ryan (above left) and Tyler Earle of Winnipeg, Canada had a ticking time bomb inside their heads. Both boys have a rare brain disorder called moyamoya that had caused the arteries feeding their brains to become dangerously narrowed.
At first, they experienced only headaches. But then Ryan suddenly lost his ability to write, began having trouble with word-finding and became weak on one side of his body — signs he had suffered a stroke. He was diagnosed with moyamoya and had partial surgery, but a second stroke took away part of his vision and partially paralyzed him.
Ryan needed a second operation as soon as possible. By ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - May 12, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Nancy Fliesler Tags: Diseases & Conditions Cerebrovascular Disorders and Stroke Program Dr. Edward Smith moyamoya Source Type: news
Doctor-patient friendship helps make an upside-down world right
Seven-year-old Jacob Downing has a list of caregivers as long as his “different” right arm.
On top on the list is a be-spectacled, bow-tie-wearing neurologist. Dr. Michael Rivkin is co-director of the Boston Children’s Hospital Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center and the first person Jacob remembers seeing after the emergency surgery he underwent following a stroke.
Jacob doesn’t remember the surgery to clear the blood clot that caused his stroke. “Dr. [Darren] Orbach worked a miracle for him,” says Jacob’s mother Nichole. Orbach is the neurointerventionalist who performed the endovascular thrombectomy procedur...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - October 27, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Darren Orbach Dr. Michael Rivkin dystonia pediatric stroke Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center Source Type: news
Athletes at risk: Knowing the dangers of heat stroke
For many young athletes, fall sports practices have already started. Whether it’s football two-a-days, soccer practices on a sweltering turf field, or cross country training in the late summer sun, the threat of heat exhaustion and heat stroke is prevalent across all sports.
It’s an important time for athletes and parents to be aware of the signs of heat illnesses, especially given that children and adolescents are more susceptible to heat stroke than adults. Younger athletes produce more heat during activity, sweat less, and adjust less rapidly to changes in environmental heat.
Certain sports also carry unique risks f...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - September 5, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Connor Ertz Tags: Ask the Expert Division of Sports Medicine Dr. Michael Beasley football heat exposure Source Type: news
Twin surgeries bring this family a stroke of luck
Ryan Earle is outgoing and upbeat, goofing around in his neurosurgeon’s office. He’s had two strokes, but he’s recovering steadily, a testament to the resilience of children’s brains. His twin brother Tyler, with him at the visit, has avoided a likely stroke altogether.
Both Ryan and Tyler, 8, have a rare brain disorder called moyamoya disease, in which the internal carotid arteries become narrowed, slowing the flow of blood to their brains. Without surgery, moyamoya poses a five-year stroke risk of 60 to 90 percent.
The boys’ moyamoya symptoms were subtle: “They would have a mild headache, then they’d throw ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 29, 2014 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Source Type: news
Superhero Joey: Five-year-old fights moyamoya disease
It’s been said that not all heroes wear capes — but Joey Gallagher owns several. The five-year-old has already amassed a collection of superhero gear, from a Superman Halloween costume to a t-shirt emblazoned with the Batman logo. Yet even the most diehard comic book fan would likely admit that feats like flying, leaping tall buildings and fighting bad guys don’t hold a candle to the challenges this little boy has already surmounted.
Just last June, Joey was out of town with his family when he had what his parents, Leila and Scott, feared was a seizure. Clinicians in the emergency department dismissed the event as he...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - April 4, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jessica Cerretani Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories childhood stroke Dr. Edward Smith Dr. Michael Scott moyamoya Moyamoya Disease Program Source Type: news
Four steps to help kids avoid heat stroke in cars
A total of eight children have died this year from heat stroke after being left alone in a car.
Unfortunately, this is not an alarming new trend. Since 1998, at least 600 children across the United States have died when they were left unattended in a vehicle. A majority of these children were left accidently in the backseat by a distracted parent or caregiver, only to discover the child hours later, after it was too late. Other times the child found her way into a parked car and couldn’t get out on her own. As many as 18 percent of these deaths occurred after a parent knowingly left a child in a car.
But this isnR...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - June 17, 2014 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tripp Underwood Tags: All posts child safety heat exposure Source Type: news
Keeping up with Amanda: Life after brain surgery
In most ways, Amanda LePage is just like any other rambunctious fourth grader. She loves school, dance class, playing basketball and keeping up with her twin sister Macy and older brother Nathan. Sometimes it just takes her a little longer to do these everyday things. That’s because Amanda has been through a lot in her short nine years.
Amanda was just 5 months old when she was brought by helicopter to Boston Children’s Hospital for a hemorrhage in her brain from an intracranial aneurysm, a type of vascular malformation. Despite long odds, Amanda survived two life-saving brain surgeries and a massive stroke that left ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - May 22, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Ellen Greenlaw Tags: Our Patients’ Stories brain aneurysm Dr. Caroline Robson Dr. Craig McClain Dr. Edward Smith Dr. Peter Manley Hydrocephalus low-grade glioma pediatric stroke Source Type: news
