Connor’s family was elated when the procedure was a success, shunting blood away from the scarred liver and lowering the pressure in his veins. But Connor had another priority—getting back into the cycling training he had begun before his operation. Esquivel, Chief of the Division of Transplantation at SHC, was so moved by the boy’s determination that he decided to ride in the race with himn. “He was so distraught when I told him he needed surgery. I promised once he had recovered he would be able to train again and that I would train with him. I said, ‘we’ll do the race together.’”

The 3,000-mile race, which began in Oceanside, California, and ended in Annapolis, Maryland, took six days. Though it was a grueling experience—as Esquivel said, he had participated in 100-mile rides but nothing like the Race Across America—it was a moving one, too. “I am so proud of Connor. We raised close to $100,000 for Team Donate Life, which is a nonprofit organization that promotes organ transplants. And Connor achieved his goal of becoming the youngest cyclist to complete the race.”

Hopefully, Connor will never need a liver transplant. But for now, the sixth grader just wanted to do something to increase awareness in general.

Interested in MAKING A DIFFERENCE in someone’s life, you can do so becoming part of the SHC/LPCH team. Click here for our current opportunities.

The improved detail enhances patient safety as well as diagnosis and treatment. “It’s much safer for the patient,” said Shelly Reynolds, RN, Interim Director of the Hospital’s Cath-Angio Interventional Services Lab. “If someone has their brain exposed, it’s not really ideal to be moving them down the hallway.” Until Room 9 opened, however, that was the only option.

Room 9 was designed specifically to allow on-scene COLLABORATION between specialists in neurosurgery and neuroradiology. The room’s centerpiece machinery captures all-around images of the brain without having to turn the patient from side to side. Because fewer images are required to build the 3D images that offer the required precision of detail, the patient is exposed to less radiation and less contrast dye injection.

“It’s a quantum leap up,” said Robert Dodd, MD, PhD, who is both a Stanford neurosurgeon and interventional neuroradiologist. “We can have a full operating team in the room and we won’t have to move the entire team and patient down the hall, up the elevator and back down again.”

For more information about Room 9 and how it will be used in the new Stanford Hospital, click here.

Anne Change, MD, Director of Dermatological Clinical Trials and Instructor of Dermatology at the Stanford School of Medicine, discusses how the clinic translates discoveries from the laboratory into BETTER MEDICINE for treating patients’ skin conditions. “We look at the skin, which is the largest organ in the human body as a window to your underlying medical condition. We screen for skin cancers and pre-skin cancers, and we treat those as well,” stated Change.

To view the segment, click here.

Removing this permanent-type umbrella-shaped device would not even be considered at most hospitals today, but Karnstedt was fortunate to be referred to interventional radiologist William Kuo, MD, at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. His team was able to FIND ANSWERS and is believed to be the first in the world to successfully retrieve permanently embedded IVC filters, and Stanford is currently the only hospital in the country where these procedures are routinely performed.

Kuo, who has seen patients referred to him from around the country for treatment of problematic IVC filters cases has been inspired by his patients to pioneer BETTER MEDICINE in alternative methods that can be used to safely remove these devices. “Every filter patient is unique, and thus the treatment must be meticulously planned and personalized to fit the patient,” Kuo said.

On April 13, Kuo performed the procedure, with no need for open surgery and no stitches — just a Band-aid on her neck site. Side effects? “None,” Karnstedt said. “I was done at 2 p.m., and home by 6 p.m., having dinner with my family.”

To fully appreciate Karnstedt’s remarkable recovery, click here.

For the second year in a row, researchers at the hospital and university nabbed the prestigious John Caffey Award for Best Basic Science Research Paper (SRP) at the annual meeting of the Society for Pediatric Radiology in April. The award recognized four papers by the research group led by Roland Bammer, PhD, an assistant professor (research) of radiology showcasing the research and ADVANCEMENTS being made at LPCH and Stanford University.

“The receipt of the two major SPR awards by one institution in a single year is a great honor and may be unprecedented,” said Richard Barth, MD, a professor of radiology and radiologist-in-chief at Packard Children’s.” The pursuit to FIND ANSWERS reflects the imaging advances made possible by converting our department from a generalist model to a sub-specialist model.”

About five years ago, Barth began working to advance the pediatric radiology program at the hospital and Stanford by recruiting sub-specialists—that is, radiologists with a particular expertise in, say, pediatric-cardio imaging or pediatric-neuro imaging—as well as non-clinical researchers steeped in basic science and imaging technology. Promoting COLLABORATIVE-research projects between the two groups, he said, has been key to the program’s success in fielding awards.

“It’s a real team effort between the radiologist sub-specialists and the imaging scientists,” Barth said.

For more information on the award recipients and research papers, click here.

The Director’s Group at SHC selected National Rebuilding Day as a way to get to know one another better outside of work and to have an opportunity to MAKE A DIFFERNCE in the community at the same time. National Rebuilding Day is an annual event sponsored by Rebuilding Together®, a national nonprofit organization that preserves affordable homeownership and revitalizes communities by renovating houses.

SHC directors worked in COLLABORATION with Stanford University Housing Services and Stanford Catholic Community. “It was a rewarding experience to help someone else and to do so with my fellow directors at SHC. Working side by side and getting filthy dirty is a great way to get to know each other,” said Laurie Quintel, Director of HR | Employee Labor & Relations.

Click here to view a video showcasing the seeds planted by the volunteers and the difference they made in Roselyn Womack’s life.

They eventually found references to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Frank Hanley, MD, a pioneer of an innovative surgical procedure called unifocalization. After review, Dr. Hanley agreed that Moriah was a good candidate, and in November 2008 the Nelsons made the drive up to Palo Alto.

Though Moriah’s heart defect had been successfully repaired, her situation became complex and a variety of separate issues necessitated a stay at the hospital’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU). Moriah spent an astonishing eleven months there.

It was only at Packard Children’s, the Nelsons say that they felt they received COMPASSIONATE CARE. “But at Packard they were so concerned about Moriah that they really listened to us when we’d describe what was going on. And that ended up MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE,” he says.

In October 2009 she was moved into the Children’s Recovery Center in Campbell, CA, where today she receives ventilator therapy to help her lungs work properly. “You’re embracing every little moment… And we’re just so thankful for the care she’s gotten, and that she’s progressing well,” Justin said.

For more information about Moriah’s condition and her progress, click here.

“I was almost one of the ones that did wait for a liver in California last year, I was receiving great care here at Stanford, but there were simply not enough livers in California to go around. I was advised by my Stanford doctors to enroll on a list at a Memphis hospital, because it was more favorable to get a liver there. I was fortunate,” Jobs said because he had the ability to fly cross country in the four-hour window needed to transplant a healthy organ.

The extraordinary care that LPCH provides was recognized by the Governor, who specifically choose LPCH for the press announcement. His appearance is a testament to our TEAMWORK and ADVANCEMENT at the hospital.

For additional news reports of the event, click here.

“We triaged the situation, all of us took roles, and I think we were really proud of what we did. It was exciting,” stated Ben Terry, RN at LPCH.

Helping care for patients and their families in an extraordinary situation is second nature at LPCH.  The quick response from the LPCH nurses showcased their skills and COMPASSIONATE CARE in a difficult situation.

Click here to view a video discussing the event and how our nurses TEAMWORK prepared them for this unexpected role.

“I joined to help people, and thanks to support like this, we have the capacity to help to the fullest,” said Anil Menon, MD, a clinical instructor at Stanford School of Medicine.

Employees’ responses for the team of physicians and nurses from SHC that went to Haiti and showcased their COMPASSIONATE CARE in the relief efforts can be viewed in a heartfelt video message.

To view the video and read more about the team’s two weeks in Haiti assisting in the relief effort, and a letter from team leader Dr. Bob Norris, click here.