Stories that Inspire

Every day, Packard Children's makes an extraordinary difference in the lives of our patients and their families.

	Strength in Her Veins, Song in Her Heart With help from her doctors in the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, young singer Reagan Smith conquered her blood disorder. Now, singing stronger than ever, she’s ready to conquer YouTube and iTunes with a song to benefit Packard Children's.
	iPads in the Emergency Department Offer Entertainment and Comfort In the Pediatric Emergency Department at Stanford Hospital, each of the nine rooms now has an iPad dedicated for patient use. While many parents may have concerns about their kids plugging into screens and zoning out—in the emergency department that tendency has an entirely beneficial effect.
	Roll up your sleeve: It's flu-shot season Infectious disease expert Cornelia Dekker, MD, explains how Packard Children's caregivers are getting vaccinated to protect the hospital's patients from seasonal influenza, and why nearly everyone else should receive the vaccine, too.
	Collaborative Trauma Care Saves a Young Life – Part One On a spring bicycle ride, 4-year-old Caltong Liu was hit by a car. With 14 broken ribs, a collapsed lung and many other injuries, he was rushed to Stanford Hospital's emergency department, where a team of Packard Children's pediatric experts were ready to provide life-saving care.
	High School Confidential: Programs Build Support System for Teens Students at two local high schools are taking part in an innovative program designed to improve their understanding of mental health and strengthen peer networks.
	It's Official – We're Growing! On Thursday, Sept. 6, Packard Children's official groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of construction and a major milestone in the evolution of the hospital.
	Global Impact: Training for Robotic Surgeries in India Michael Hsieh, MD, PhD, has seen first-hand the advantages of using a robot to perform surgery on children. Now he is reaching out to instruct other surgeons on this innovative technology
	HP Partnership Benefits Patients A partnership between HP and Packard Children's led to a revolutionary patient-centered digital dashboard that improves care for critically ill patients.
	School Nurses Make the Grade School nurses can certainly help kids feel better. But can they also help kids do better in school? Packard Children's studied the effects of putting health care back into schools, and found that—not surprisingly—better health leads to better grades.
	Cheering Angel Inspires Her Doctors Sequoia High School's athletes will have an unusual source of inspiration at their games this fall. Dancing on the sidelines in the school's cheer team will be 15-year-old Angel Gonzalez-Prado, the first cheerleader in the Redwood City, Calif., school's history to perform in a wheelchair.
	What You Need to Know About Pertussis Pertussis, or "whooping cough" is highly contagious. With the United States headed for the worst pertussis epidemic in 60 years, do you know how to keep your family healthy?
	For Challenged Babies, a Boost in Hearing For infants with developmental delays combined with deafness, a new study by Packard Children's and the Stanford University School of Medicine shows that early use of cochlear implants can make a big difference.
	Pioneers of the Berlin Heart For a child awaiting a heart transplant, the Berlin Heart offers a bridge to life. Packard Children's helped bring this innovative device to pediatric patients in the United States, and achieved some of the early milestones for the most vulnerable patients.
	School's Out, Lunch is On Summer break can mean several weeks of hunger for children in East Palo Alto who depend on school lunches from September to June. This summer, however, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Ravenswood School District are making sure homeless and at-risk families get a healthy lunch five days a week.
	Noah Jackson Noah Jackson was born without a voice. Thanks to Packard Children's world-class otolaryngology team, Noah now has plenty to say about his future.
	Jax Cannon A household accident severed his facial nerve and paralyzed part of his face. Thanks to plastic and reconstructive surgeons at Packard Children's, Jax is now recovering nicely—and his smile is back.
	Megan Acaccia San Jose native Megan Acaccia regularly missed school due to medical and social issues caused by her morbid obesity. After her lifesaving weight-loss surgery at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, she is full of excitement about her high school graduation.
	Rahman Humphries Activities at high altitude, such as snowboarding trips with his Boy Scout troop, carried special risks for Rahman Humphries because of his sickle cell anemia. Now, he's earned his Eagle Scout award and his Packard Children's caregivers couldn't be prouder.
	Erica Medina Thanks to teamwork between Packard Children's rheumatologists and pain management specialists, high school senior Erica Medina has found relief for chronic pain caused by juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
	Leanne and Jaya Maharaj Leanne and Kamneel Maharaj's baby was diagnosed before birth with a severe heart defect. Leanne's pregnancy was carefully monitored and her delivery was closely coordinated. When baby Jaya was just 15 minutes old, she was given a pacemaker that saved her life. The tiny girl – born nine weeks early, weighing 3.5 pounds, with a heart slightly bigger than a walnut – is smaller than any pacemaker recipient ever reported in the medical literature.
	Sophia and Charlotte Gonzalez Twins Sophia and Charlotte Gonzales were born with a rare genetic disorder that inhibits the body's ability to break down protein and some fats. Packard Children's Hospital is among a small handful of institutions pioneering the treatment the girls received: They received liver transplants at an unusually early age to try to ward off the disease's worst effects.
	Emma Greene and Tiffany Senter Emma Greene and her good friend, Tiffany Senter, have a lot in common. The 18-year-old California natives were both diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in early childhood, graduated high school with perfect GPAs, and underwent organ transplants to give them new chances at life.
	Ava Menefee Five-year-old Ava Menefee was suffering stroke-like episodes due to faulty blood flow to her brain. After treatments elsewhere proved unsuccessful, Packard Children's Hospital surgeons proposed a bold plan, and the unconventional approach worked.
	Angelica and Angelina Sabuco Angelica and Angelina Sabuco were born conjoined at the chest and abdomen. The two-year-olds were separated in a 10-hour surgery and are now separate little girls.
	Spencer Morse While racing his motocross bike, 15-year-old Spencer Morse lost control on a jump. He was airlifted to Packard Children's Hospital where our neurosurgery and trauma teams treated his severe brain injury. Today, Spencer's life is back to normal. He is back in school and has returned to many of his favorite activities.
	Julian Uceda-Valdez Julian was born with congenital nephrotic syndrome, an extremely rare and deadly kidney disorder. Julian traveled from his home in Peru to Packard Children's, and a close relative donated a kidney to save his life.
	Isabelle Wagner In 2006, Isabelle underwent a lifesaving surgery to remove a brain tumor. She was also one of the first children to undergo a new treatment designed to treat her cancer while sparing her brain function. Today, she is an energetic first grader.
	Alaina Bopp Alaina Bopp is back on her ballet pointe shoes after Packard Children's Hospital physicians removed a non-cancerous tumor and managed her pain before and after the surgery.
	Ellery Woodward-Hartman Ellery was gravely ill with a rare liver and colon disease when an unconventional treatment at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital spared her from a liver transplant.
	Grace Johnson Grace Johnson came to Packard Children's Hospital with weakness on the right side of her body and pain in her back. Our physicians found a tumor pressing on nervous tissue that controlled Grace's body movements. After a successful seven hour surgery to remove the tumor, Grace has resumed horseback riding and her active lifestyle.
	Sam Feldman Sam and his mother enrolled in the Packard Pediatric Weight Control Program, where Sam learned to take control of his health. He learned the importance of healthy eating, exercise, self-control and how to maintain these habits throughout his life.
	Emma Peller When Emma Peller fell off the monkey bars at school and broke her arm, her parents expected a routine surgery to reset the bone. Instead, Emma's surgeons found that she had no pulse in her lower arm. Emma was immediately airlifted to Packard Children's Hospital where our vascular surgery team restored blood flow and saved Emma's arm.
	Ori Shadmon When Ori Shadmon was brought to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital intensive care unit, he was seriously ill from a virus that attacked his weakened immune system. His release from the hospital is a testament to the vigorous care he received and his family's steadfast sense of hope.
	Moriah Nelson When Moriah Nelson was born with a serious heart defect, doctors said nothing could be done. But Moriah's parents brought her to Packard Children's, where the defect was fully repaired. Throughout her stay in our Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, doctors and nurses worked closely with her family to provide complete care — and a place that felt like home.
	Ricardo Martinez After Ricky's liver and small intestine transplant, his mother noticed that he seemed short of breath. Doctors took her concern seriously and an immediate surgery fixed the problem. That's why including parents as members of the care team is an essential aspect to the care we provide.
	Alexandre Acra After Alexandre Acra cut his forearm on a broken window, the Pediatric Emergency Department, Hand and Upper Limb, and Occupational Therapy teams all contributed to a successful surgery and recovery.
	Shadee Barzin Shadee struggled with her weight for years and was at risk for type 2 diabetes. She lost 17 pounds and lowered her cholesterol through her participation in the Packard Pediatric Weight Control Program.
	Ka'apeha Kaleimamahu Ka'apeha's body rejected his first liver transplant. He lived for more than 80 hours without a liver before his second transplant, and is now in good health.
	Kaelyn Zatto Kaelyn came to Packard Children's for a life-saving bone marrow transplant.
	Alyssa and Max Teenagers Alyssa and Max are patients at our Teen and Young Adult Clinic. Talking to our adolescent medicine specialists helps them learn to take responsibility for their own health and learn to make good choices.
	Alberto Hidalgo Alberto attended the Packard Pediatric Weight Control Program and lost 70 pounds.
	Katie Vaught Packard Children's oncology and orthopedics teams treated the undifferentiated sarcoma in Katie's leg.
	Yurelia and Fiorella Rocha-Arias Yurelia and Fiorella were the first set of conjoined twins to be separated at Packard Children's Hospital.
	Liam Sikes Liam was a patient in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and was treated for kidney problems, sepsis, a hernia and retinopathy of prematurity.
	Kayla Shoopman Kayla underwent bariatric surgery to treat her severe obesity and related complications.
	Jackie Seki Jackie received a rare combined small intestine-liver transplant when she was 1 year old.
	Miles Coulson Miles spent 55 days on the Berlin Heart, a mechanical pump, while waiting for a heart transplant.
	Caitlin Burns Caitlin's monthly treatment visits include spending time with specially-trained pets that reduce her stress, anxiety and discomfort.
	Madison Kitz Madison and her mom work with Packard Children's physicians and nurses to ensure that Madison will be the decision-maker in her care whenever possible.
	Yves Perez-Velasquez After Yves participated in the Packard Pediatric Weight Control Program, he significantly reduced his weight and gained self-esteem and confidence in the process.
	William Tjeerdsma A brain tumor hasn't slowed down 10-year-old William. He's training for the Nike Half Marathon and setting an aggressive pace to help others.
	Vanessa Love and Beech Basler Packard Children's doctors fixed Vanessa's unilateral cleft lip and palate when she was a child. Her son, Beech, was born at LPCH and was treated for coarctation of the aorta and a bilateral cleft lip.
	Trina Branaugh Trina was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 12 and underwent chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and physical therapy.
	Isabella Bailey Isabella was born with multiple heart defects. Her condition was so rare that only a few doctors had ever done surgery to repair it. One of them was Dr. Frank Hanley at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
	Isabel Stenzel Byrnes and Anabel Stenzel Identical twins Isabel and Anabel were both born with Cystic Fibrosis and underwent double-lung transplants.
	Joshua Goulart Joshua was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and underwent several heart surgeries.