All CHLA Blog Posts
Published on November 6, 2019
Sandy Himmelrich, LCSW, has devoted 25 years to helping and protecting the most vulnerable among us: children who have been abused.
Published on October 24, 2019
A pacifier that plays a sweet lullaby encourages baby Jayla to learn the skills she needs to feed and self-soothe By Marla LehnerIn December 2018, Lynette gave birth to her daughter, Jayla, at a local hospital near their home in Littlerock, California. Moments later, the newborn... Read More
Published on October 24, 2019
How parents can protect kids from the dangerous ‘alternative’ to smoking
E-cigarettes are like cigarettes for a new generation. The devices produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavoring and other chemicals. Users inhale these synthetics... Read More
Published on October 23, 2019
How families can stay healthy amid the influx of disease-transmitting mosquitos
In the olden days, mosquitos were only spotted after dusk during one specific season—a period that started around late April and lasted until early fall. Nowadays, the threat is more daunting than... Read More
Published on October 12, 2019
Wildfires are not uncommon when you live in California—and that’s a scary thing for some children to grasp. We spoke to two experts at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—pulmonologist Shirleen Loloyan Kohn, MD, and psychologist Stephanie Marcy, PhD—to get tips on keeping your... Read More
Published on October 7, 2019
Brothers Walter (left) and Lloyd
How Lloyd’s Little Brother Overcame a Skull Condition and Became the Coolest Kid at the Playground
By Michael Y. Park
It wasn’t an easy thing to explain to a 3-year-old, and even now, Sarah and Dan aren’t sure how much of what they were... Read More
Published on October 1, 2019
In an indoor rock-climbing class for patients with hand differences, a wall is just part of what they’re learning to surmount.
By Jeff Weinstock
“Take!”
For the fourth time Akira has called out the one-word cue, prompting her rock-climbing instructor, Quinn, serving on... Read More
Published on September 27, 2019
By Bhavana Arora, MD
Through most of her routine physical exam, the teenage girl chatted amiably with Sunanda Vadapalli, MD, a Valencia pediatrician. Then, at the doctor’s request, the girl’s mother stepped out of the exam room. That was when the patient, with tears in her... Read More
Published on September 9, 2019
Hemophilia hasn’t slowed down 3-year-old Braxton—thanks to doctors from CHLA
By Matt Villano
Roughly 20,000 people in the United States live with hemophilia, a bleeding disorder in which blood lacks the requisite protein to clot normally. Few have lived with the condition... Read More
Published on August 29, 2019
By Sara Nafie
To countless families, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is a home away from home. That is certainly the case for Quinn, born Dec. 4, 2018, and her parents, Quinshae and Keith. Soon they hope to take their daughter home to Riverside, but for now, CHLA is the only... Read More
Published on August 23, 2019
Two doctors' research into an obscure field changed this 3-year-old’s life
by Michael Y. Park
It was obvious there was a problem as soon as Oliver was born.
Oliver’s birth in 2015 was already complicated—he was in a breech position and had to be delivered via a cesarean... Read More
Published on August 22, 2019
Child Life services are an integral part of the family-friendly health care provided at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Whether a child is hospitalized for many weeks or just one day, the comforting presence of a Child Life staff member can make all the difference between an... Read More
Published on August 16, 2019
In the concluding half of this two-part story, a CHLA family learns whether their home survived the Woolsey fire, baby Max’s cleft lip is repaired, and Max’s mother tries to sort through the aftereffects of 10 days of trauma. (Read Part 1.)
By Jeff Weinstock
Lauren’s... Read More
Published on August 14, 2019
In this special two-part story, a CHLA family endures an extraordinary 10-day odyssey, confronting consecutive human tragedies—the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting and the Woolsey fire—while their premature newborn remains in intensive care and awaits surgery for a cleft... Read More
Published on August 13, 2019
By Melanie Fruhner, AuD, FAAA
Middle ear fluid versus an ear infection: What’s the difference?
Middle ear fluid (also known as otitis media with effusion) is the presence of fluid in the middle ear without signs or symptoms of an ear infection. Ear fluid occurs in the middle... Read More
Published on August 9, 2019
Have you ever tried to lift your child’s backpack? If not, you are probably in for a pretty startling surprise. Do you remember your backpack always being insanely heavy as a kid, to the extent that it would hurt your back, shoulders and neck?
Did you know that the American... Read More
Published on August 9, 2019
Do you remember riding the school bus as a kid? Most children enjoy riding the bus to school because it meant being with their friends, having extra time to finish their homework and a sense of independence. Back then, "seat hopping” allowed kids to get closer to friends while... Read More
Published on August 9, 2019
It’s almost fall and the new school year is here! It’s time to trade in the beach and lazy days for new pencils, early mornings and the classroom. The transition between summer break and school is not easy. To figure out how best to smooth out this transition, we asked three... Read More
Published on August 9, 2019
Sharpened pencils: check; notebooks and paper: check; school schedule: check. As a parent, this check list may seem familiar to you. It is a clear indication that back-to-school season is here and that means preparing your child for the school year as best as you can. Update... Read More
Published on August 9, 2019
Back to school is here and the summer season is winding down. A big part of a successful first week of school is preparation and establishing a routine. We're sharing with you the top 10 blog posts for back-to-school planning and awareness from the experts at Children's... Read More