A stay in the hospital is not on most kids' top 10 list, but it's often a necessity for young cancer patients. Now, the redesigned and expanded MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital will make stays easier on children.
When the idea to expand the Children's Cancer Hospital and centralize its services became a reality, pediatric caregivers on the Family Advisory Council began to work hand-in-hand with the architects and hospital staff. They considered everything from pod names to colors to furniture to floor layout.
The result: mood lighting, plasma TV screens and a basketball goal down the hall ‒ which may sound like a child's idea of a dream vacation. The good news is that the innovative treatment that is synonymous with cancer care at MD Anderson is still part of the plan.
Each patient still receives care from a multidisciplinary team of specialists who partner with families to provide the best comprehensive care for their children. Patients will be able to receive infusion therapy and inpatient services, including intermediate and intensive care, all on the same floor - a first among area children's hospitals.
Continue reading MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital comes of age.
By Shalin Shah, M.D.
Regardless of where radiation fits into your cancer treatment plan, you may have questions about what you'll experience during radiation therapy.
Here are a few things you should know about radiation.
How radiation works
Receiving radiation is similar to receiving a very strong x-rays.
Advances in radiation therapy allow us to pinpoint cancerous cells with amazing accuracy.
The goal of radiation is to kill the cancerous cells to both shrink a tumor and to prevent it from growing and spreading. We try to avoid normal tissue at the same time.
Common radiation myths
Patients often ask if radiation will make them glow in the dark afterwards. The answer is no.
Continue reading Cancer treatment: Radiation therapy explained.
Close to 72,000 teens and young adults are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. Yet, if you look around MD Anderson or any other cancer center, you might wonder where all these young patients are.
When we asked young adult survivors what would've made their experience better, they overwhelmingly said they would've liked to have met someone like themselves.
Here are a few places young patients can go and tips you can use to find other adolescents and young adults (AYA) at MD Anderson.
Top 4 hangouts:
1. Kim's Place (Floor 2, near The Park) - Pass the time between appointments in this space just for patients, family members and friends ages 15 to 30.
Kim's Place offers free arcade games, a pool table, jukebox, basketball hoops game, comfortable couches, microwaves and a coffee machine. Across from Kim's Place is a theater room with a large screen TV, comfortable seating and computer.
Continue reading Top spots and tips for teens and young adults at MD Anderson.
When 6-year-old Allie Alvarado came to MD Anderson's Proton Therapy Center, she was nervous and didn't know what to expect. Her fear, however, didn't last long.
Allie was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue, in her ear following a month-long battery of tests. Allie's mother, Cassandre, first suspected a problem when her daughter's smile seemed lopsided. The culprit was a tumor pushing against the cranial nerve, which caused facial paralysis.
It required six weeks of proton therapy, an advanced form of radiation that precisely localizes the dosage while sparing surrounding structures. It's especially beneficial for complicated tumors and young children since excess radiation can pose problems for developing bodies.
Continue reading Child life specialist makes a big difference for one young patient.
Listen to a group of teenagers talk and their conversation could cover a gamut of topics from video games and movies to relationships and school. However, at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital, a group of teenagers talk with one goal in mind - to improve the experience for other young patients facing childhood cancer.
This past fall, 18 cancer patients and survivors formed imPACT (Patient Advisory Council for Teens), partnering with hospital staff in the decision-making process and working together on patient care projects.
"Teens want to leave their mark in this world. They want to give back, to help others who come to the Children's Cancer Hospital. Their involvement in this council will allow them to do that," says Lauren Shinn, a child life specialist and imPACT co-facilitator with art teacher Mindy LeBoeuf.
No more oversized hospital gowns
In their first meeting, council members brainstormed a list of things that could help patients cope with their hospital stay.
Continue reading Young cancer patients' positive imPACT.
Holidays are the time for giving and, thanks to the Children's Art Project (CAP), giving that perfect present shouldn't be difficult this season. That's because year-round MD Anderson's pediatric cancer patients color, paint and sketch their own unique artwork, which is featured on a variety of gift items.
The best part: sale proceeds go right back to fund important educational and recreational programs for children and their families. CAP has released its annual holiday collection, and there's no better way to show your support for kids with cancer than considering giving friends and loved ones a gift that truly makes a difference.
"This is a time of year to reflect and be thankful for all that we have," said Shannan Murray, CAP's executive director. "When I see the talents of these young patients reflected in their artwork and the wonderful opportunity we have to support them, it's reminds me of what's really important."
The latest and greatest
The "Santa Fluff" ornament, $8, is a newly released design that made its way into CAP's popular resin-based ornament collection. For years, CAP staff members have heard stories from customers about how they treasure decorating their trees with these special pieces. They say it's a simple way of giving back and recognizing the achievements of those faced with difficult circumstances, especially around the holidays.
Continue reading Gifts that give back: Inspired by young cancer patients.
Fizzling beakers, gooey bars of soap and lots of smiles were just a few of the scenes at a recent celebration at MD Anderson's Proton Therapy Center.
Each week, the Proton Center hosts a patient information meeting called "Beam News" where physicians, nurses and other medical experts discuss the latest topics in proton therapy. Patients, former patients, family members and people from the community all attend. This time, however, an idea was hatched to try something new with special support from Proton Pals, an outreach group of former patients who received proton therapy at MD Anderson.
"We decided an event for our young patients would be beneficial," says Kelly Wagner, a child life specialist. "Because our staff shares a passion for science, we devised a mad scientist costume party, which would be entertaining and educational at the same time."
Lab transformation
For two hours, a large group of children and their families entered a makeshift laboratory filled with colorful streamers, balloons and a variety of exciting experiments. They were greeted by radiation therapists, nurses, and other staff who underwent a transformation of their own to look the part of mad scientists.
One of the experiments, called the "invisible hand," was especially a hit. A latex glove was attached to a long clear tube filled with gas. Once the gas rose to the top, the glove began inflating automatically to a wide array of smiles. The patients also created "cloud goo," a mixture of shaving cream and corn starch.
Continue reading Young patients channel their inner mad scientist.
By Sara Farris
When Devon Davis was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2011, his focus was to beat his cancer. What the 13-year-old didn't expect were the side effects he would experience as a result of treatment, including weight gain.
Davis is among many young cancer patients and survivors who experience changes in appetite and eating habits as a result of therapies they receive. Studies have shown that more than one-third of childhood cancer survivors are overweight or obese.
"When we recognized this trend in our survivors, we realized we had to do something to intervene while they were still active patients," says Joya Chandra, Ph.D., associate professor at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital and director of its ON (Optimizing Nutrition) to Life Program. "Now we are studying a variety of interventions, from nutritional counseling to educational video games, to see what methods will help our patients best."
More than 300 healthy recipes
One idea that came out of the ON to Life Program was the need for a cookbook of healthy recipes that families could easily make. Last week, the @TheTable Cookbook was launched with more than 300 nutritious recipes for cancer patients and healthy families.
Continue reading New cookbook offers nutritious recipes for healthy living.
More than 4 million babies are born each year in the United States according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Unbeknownst to many of those mothers, as they give life to their newborn baby, they have a chance to give life to another child who they don't even know.
When babies are born, their umbilical cords are cut and the remaining cord is thrown away. That's the standard routine. However, within those discarded cords lie young stem cells that could potentially save the life of a cancer patient or those facing other health conditions -- lives like Steven Gonzalez Jr.
Gonzalez was on a Boy Scout camping trip in 2006 when he woke up sick with a swollen face. After a trip to the hospital, Gonzalez was soon diagnosed with an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The 12-year-old was given a 2% chance of survival.
Pediatric oncologists at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital knew that standard chemotherapy would unlikely be enough to cure Gonzalez from his leukemia, and a bone marrow transplant would be necessary. When a search of the Be the Match registry failed to find Gonzalez a bone marrow donor, he was left with one option -- an umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant.
Now, more than five years since his transplant, Gonzalez is cancer free and devoting his time to building his foundation, Survivor Games, to support and connect pediatric cancer patients through playing video games.
Continue reading Mothers give the gift of life twice with cord blood donation.
Rhonda Armstrong Trevino, program coordinator in the Division of Pediatrics, wears two hats. She's a mom and an MD Anderson employee on the Family Advisory Council (FAC) in the Children's Cancer Hospital at MD Anderson.
As part of the FAC, Rhonda has the opportunity to be the voice of the patient and parent, while serving as a link between the Children's Cancer Hospital and MD Anderson.
Putting patients first is at the core of the FAC, and her role as a mother plays a big part in helping her stay focused on what matters.
How it all began
In 2005, Rhonda's daughter, Abigail, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the left distal femur (left thigh) at age 12. While many girls her age were excited about starting junior high school, Abigail was struggling with losing her independence.
Continue reading MD Anderson mom tells what family-centered care means to her.
Horses, circus performers, musicians and a crowd of pediatric patients and their families -- it was a grand way to unveil a larger-than-life mural adorning the outside wall of MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Spanning 100 feet wide and 8 feet tall, the canvas of 25 galloping horses stands as a sign of hope created from the hands of more than 75 pediatric patients and their families at MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital.
Performers with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus® kicked off the event with a special show for patients in Clark Clinic lobby, while Beads of Courage® staff members passed out beads to celebrate the patients' strength through cancer. When it was time to unveil the masterpiece, MD Anderson volunteer Mark Scheinbaum played his accordion as the clowns paraded the crowd out to see the mural.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony followed, recognizing the artists who worked on the mural. Bone cancer patient Julia Cobb and her siblings, Jenna and Jonathan, were selected and honored as winners of the mural naming contest with their submission of Light, Hope, Wonder.
Continue reading 'Big Top' event celebrates new patient-created mural.
By Claudia Giertz, MD Anderson Staff Writer
Once a week, Amy McWhorter stops at several local supermarkets to run errands. She's not just buying groceries, however.
Amy is one of almost 500 Adopt-A-Display volunteers who manage Children's Art Project (CAP) product displays in stores across five states. Each display contains cards and gift items featuring artwork designed by MD Anderson's pediatric patients. Volunteers play a critical role in managing CAP's retail inventory that, literally, couldn't be done without them.
Becoming an Adopt-A-Display volunteer entails counting the number of products on each display, recording the findings and sending them back to the CAP retail team. If displays are running low on products, new inventory is sent to each store directly, where volunteers then ensure products are restocked. Volunteers also ensure fixtures are arranged properly, in good condition and situated in a prominent location.
Currently, volunteers service retail locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Florida and Louisiana. However, there is always a need for more Adopt-A-Display volunteers, especially during the holiday season.
Continue reading An army of volunteers help the Children's Art Project retail team.
