All CHLA Blog Posts
Published on April 19, 2018
Even before Angelique Garcia was born, doctors at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles knew she had a severe form of congenital heart disease called complete atrioventricular canal defect (CAVC), thanks to a prenatal echocardiogram by CHLA cardiologist Jay Pruetz, MD.
In a... Read More
Published on April 12, 2018
In a previous blog, I worked with a central venous catheter (CVC) specialist to discuss proper care and hygiene of a central line, and how to troubleshoot problems that can occur. I now want to share what I have learned from caregivers who work with central lines. In... Read More
Published on April 6, 2018
A rare, polio-like illness called acute flaccid myelitis appeared on the national radar in 2014 and may be on track to return this summer and fall. Here is one family’s story, and a look at CHLA’s innovative, multidisciplinary approach.
By Candace Pearson
Like many parents... Read More
Published on April 3, 2018
If you have school-age children in your house I am sure you are familiar with the homemade slime craze. Many parents love the idea of making slime and why not? It’s a rare chance for kids to be technology-free, and encourages them to express their creativity by adding... Read More
Published on March 30, 2018
Robert Adler, MD, MSEd, doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t want to be a pediatrician. “It never gets boring, because every family is different,” he says. “Every family has different aspirations and goals for their kids.” After 40 years in the field, his enthusiasm is... Read More
Published on March 20, 2018
My name is Grace Rose and I’m 15 years old. I was born with cystic fibrosis, which is a life-threatening disease that attacks my lungs and digestive system. I need to be watched carefully and treated often.
I’ve been going to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles since I was... Read More
Published on March 14, 2018
In addition to providing world-class care for children diagnosed with biliary atresia, physicians in the Liver Transplant Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles are trying to understand biliary atresia and find better ways to treat it.
What is biliary atresia?
Biliary... Read More
Published on March 2, 2018
Superheroes come in many shapes and sizes. In the movies and the comics, they’re most often big and strong, with bulging biceps and superpowers unlike anything we earthlings have ever seen. In real life, however, superheroes often look much different, their powers subtler... Read More
Published on February 23, 2018
Jim Harrison, age 2
CHLA’s Home Mechanical Ventilation Program Marks 40th Anniversary
There was a time when it was devastating news for a parent to learn that in order to survive, their child would need to be hospitalized and require assistance to breathe with a... Read More
Published on February 23, 2018
When I decided to look into the question of amber teething beads for infants, I first searched the internet to see what popped up. Google produced a host of very pretty looking beads for sale for this purpose. As a lover of amber, coral and turquoise I can understand the... Read More
Published on February 22, 2018
By Katie Sweeney
On a picture-perfect summer day at the lake in August 2016, William Lievense, then 9, stood at the edge of the dock, ready to jump gleefully into the water one more time.
At that moment, his life was still the normal life he had always known. In that... Read More
Published on February 15, 2018
After beating back two life-threatening illnesses, the resilient teenager has a new heart to take forward and a bout with cancer to leave behind.
By Jeff Weinstock
Consider this a chicken-and-egg discussion no one ever wanted to have, but knowing which came first, the... Read More
Published on February 6, 2018
By Katie Sweeney
Fifteen-year-old Zerkari Payne is back at school these days, hanging out with his friends again and “shooting some hoop.” The outgoing high school sophomore has more energy than he can ever remember.
“I feel like a brand-new person,” Zerkari says.
Still... Read More
Published on January 24, 2018
I am lucky enough to have been raised Spanish-English bilingual in Los Angeles, a city in which greater than 50 percent of the population speaks a language other than English. Current estimates indicate that the number of people whose first language is not English will... Read More
Published on January 12, 2018
Henri R. Ford, MD, MHA, FACS, FRCS, FAAP: The Vice President and Surgeon-in-Chief at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Haitian-born medical maven who has dedicated his life to not only helping the many kids that walk through CHLA's doors, but also the children... Read More
Published on January 5, 2018
As a Family Resource Center nurse, I have learned a lot from my families about living with central venous catheters (CVCs), also known as “lines.” I worked with a group of specialists that included a central line specialist, a Child Life specialist, a social worker, an... Read More
Published on January 5, 2018
I can tell you the exact moment my son Alexander became a nail biter. He was 5 years old, watching his mom get dressed for work. I could see at the time Alexander place his finger in his mouth and chew on his nail. He never stopped; it was embarrassing for him, he learned to... Read More
Published on January 4, 2018
What is power mobility?
Independent mobility is essential for cognitive and psychological development for children of all ages and abilities. For some children with disabilities, power wheelchairs are the only way they can achieve this independence. They can be used for... Read More
Published on December 28, 2017
By Sarah Brown
For a 4-day-old infant, 3½ hours is a long time.
For his mother, it feels like a lifetime—when he is having open-heart surgery to correct a congenital heart defect.
Benjamin Clark was born at a healthy 9 pounds, 12 ounces on April 15 in Bakersfield,... Read More
Published on December 22, 2017
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