Kirsten Brown is no ordinary teenager. This 16-year-old is a heart transplant patient, a stroke survivor – and a Nike patient-designer with a powerful message of hope and inspiration.
Posts About
Interesting Things
Athena’s story: Sharing her journey through transplant
In her own words, a transplant patient’s personal essay: “I am the girl with a history of restrictive cardiomyopathy.”
Harlem Globetrotters drop by for ‘Smile Patrol’ at Packard Children’s
NBC Sports Bay Area captured the Harlem Globetrotters’ visit to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford…. Read more »
A teen’s perspective on mental health
Palo Alto student talks candidly about how she became an advocate for mental wellness in youth.
Cross-country cyclist kicks off 8,000-mile journey with a visit to Packard Children’s
German cyclist Jörg Richter kicked off a more than 8,000-mile bike ride across the United States with a visit to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford last week.
June 1–7 marks National CPR-AED Week
Lynda Knight, MSN, RN, CPN shares information about the hospital’s Revive Initiative and the program’s goal to increase awareness of the importance of learning CPR and knowing how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
New “makerspace” gives teen cancer patients room to invent
Silicon Valley is a hub for innovation — it’s not only home to the country’s most cutting-edge tech companies, but on a smaller scale, it is the birthplace of many “makerspaces”.
Medicaid changes would hurt health care for all kids
Although only some children and families are publicly insured, all children are dependent on Medicaid funding, Christopher Dawes, president and CEO of Packard Children’s, writes in a recent Huffington Post op-ed.
Teens use photography to depict journeys through chronic pain
Stabbing or dull? Burning? Throbbing? Constant or intermittent? How bad on a scale of 1 to 10?
Keeping kids connected thanks to one patient’s dream
When young patients move into Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford for treatment for cancer, transplant surgeries, or other acute conditions, their academic and social lives become secondary to their health needs. To bridge that gap, the Omar’s Dream Foundation is working with Packard Children’s to keep kids connected by donating laptops and other electronic devices that enable them to stay in contact with their classrooms and curriculum while in the hospital for extended periods of time.
A weekend workshop shows patients and clinicians a new approach to think about solutions to their everyday issues
Nine clinicians and ten teen patients along with their siblings opted to spend this past weekend trying out some new skills.
Kangaroo mother care: Researchers search for biological basis of its effectiveness
My niece just had a son. Despite the 110-degree summer heat, she has been holding him against her bare chest using a special newborn carrier because she knows kangaroo mother care is important. This bare skin, chest-to-chest contact has many demonstrated health benefits, and Stanford neonatologist Vinod Bhutani, MD, is now examining exactly how it works.
Training for safer patient transport
“We see tremendous value in using simulation training to enhance our skills and improve patient safety during critical care transports.” Andrew Palmquist, RN Patient Care Manager for Medical Transport.
Packard Children’s patient visits Capitol Hill to advocate for kids with complex medical conditions
On the heels of his preschool graduation, 4-year-old Tyler Briend kicked off his summer vacation by traveling to Washington D.C. to speak with lawmakers about improving health care access for kids like him – patients living with complex medical conditions. Tyler, a patient at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and his parents made the trip as part of Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy Day, sponsored by the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).
Watson the Narcoleptic Chihuahua
Watson, doggy ambassador of narcolepsy, helps kids understand and cope with the disease.
Summer Sports Safety and Injury Prevention Tips
With the increased outdoor fun comes increased risk of injury. It’s important to be aware of the potential dangers in summer sports and to take steps to stay safe while having fun.
Mom’s voice gets special recognition in many brain circuits, Stanford study finds
Children respond strongly to the sound of their mothers’ voices, but until now the brain circuitry involved has been a mystery. A new Stanford study changes that, showing that moms’ voices get special treatment in a far wider variety of their children’s brain areas than researchers expected.
Stanford alumnus writes children’s book to inspire next generation of curious minds
Soon there will be a new superhero children’s book available, but these superheroes aren’t from Marvel comics. The book, Rose’s Superhero Birthday: An Immune Cell Treasure Hunt, is about the immune cell superheroes that keep us healthy.
Why Babies Don’t Have Freckles
Freckles are a phenomenon that occurs when genetically predisposed people (often those with fair skin, red hair, and light eyes) are exposed to UV light over time, according to Joyce Teng, MD, director of pediatric dermatology for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Family Advocacy Program Celebrates Ten Years of Service
Care providers from Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford have partnered with an innovative medical-legal partnership to impact the lives of over 3000 families.
Choo Choo! Hospital train creates smiles and memories for patients
What is the most popular spot at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford? It’s the hospital train, a first-floor attraction that draws the young and the young at heart to gaze with wonder at the jolly train as it circles through a miniature version of a Monterey Bay-inspired town.
Video Game Technology and Surgical Expertise Meet in Groundbreaking Tool at Stanford Children’s Health to Help Parents Understand Complex Heart Repair
One of the most complex birth defects of the heart—and one of the most challenging to repair—can now be easily understood through a groundbreaking, video-game-like graphic now available on the Stanford Children’s Health website. It’s the first in a series called “Moving Medicine: An Interactive 3-D Look at Conditions and Treatments.”
Side effects of childhood vaccines are extremely rare, new study finds
As you may have heard about elsewhere, a new paper published today on the safety of childhood vaccines provides reassurance for parents and pediatricians that side effects from vaccination are rare and mostly transient. The paper, a meta-analysis appearing in Pediatrics, updates a 2011 Institute of Medicine report on childhood vaccine safety. It analyzed the results of 67 safety studies of vaccines used in the United States for children aged 6 and younger.
Bounce Safely Into Summer: 5 Tips to Maximize Trampoline and Bounce House Safety
During summer, kids are eager to let loose their pent-up energy with good, bouncy fun. But are trampolines and bounce houses safe?
