A Family Affair - St. Baldrick's

Editor’s note: Andy Lautzenheiser and his mom Kelly, an oncology nurse at Children’s, shave their heads every year to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit, volunteer charity that funds research to find cures to childhood cancer. We asked Andy to share with us why the event is so important to him and why he chooses to shave his head every year.

Hello All. My name is Andy and I wanted to share my story with St. Baldrick’s. You can raise money by having people donate money to your cause and at the end of the event you have your head shaved as a thanks to everyone. Right now I am 15 years old and this March will be my 4th year to shave my head for St. Baldrick's.

I first did it when I was in 6th grade when I heard that my mom was going to shave her head for St. Baldrick’s. My mom is a nurse practitioner at Children’s and takes care of kids with cancer. I thought it was a great idea, so I asked my mom if I could shave my head with her and she said I could if I really wanted to. So, for the next few months I grew out my hair until it was the day of the event. My goal was to raise $500 and at the end I raised $925! The event where you shave your head was amazing. It is a whole festivity where everyone that gets their head shaved goes on a stage and there is a ton of cheering. You tell everyone about yourself and then you get your head shaved while everyone cheers. Then you stay and watch everyone else get there head shaved. You get a t-shirt and pictures and then you get to go home with a great summer cut!

I was kind of nervous about what people would say when I went to school. The next Monday when I was walking into school I could tell that everyone was staring at me, and I was thinking that it was actually kind of cool. Through the day I got a bunch of comments like "did you lose a bet?" or "you have cancer!" and they were kind of getting annoying but I didn't really care about what people thought about me and after I told them that I shaved my head to raise money to find a cure for kids cancer everyone went pretty quiet about their comments after that.

It feels great having no hair because you feel a lot lighter and your head is cooler. It was so much fun that I have been shaving my head every year since. One year there was a kid at my school that had cancer, I asked him to shave my head for St. Baldrick’s that year which was really fun. I love shaving my head for this good cause and I will continue to do this every year.    

What to look for in Episode 5

Episode 5 of Children’s Med Dallas focuses on the youngest and smallest patients at Children’s – the ones who occupy our neonatal intensive care unit or NICU. You’ll get to see three families who entrust their babies’ lives to our staff, believing that the “Level 3C” NICU accreditation means the most delicate and complex cases can be figured out and rescued here.

Drs. Rashmin Savani and James Moore, the medical directors of the NICU, will be shown caring for the patients and counseling their parents. Viewers will also get to see Dr. Savani interact with his own family at home, including teaching his teenage son how to drive.

The first patient shown will be newborn Dakayta, who was introduced at the end of Episode 4. Dakayta was born with spina bifida and needs immediate surgery to enclose her spine. Dr. Dale Swift, a Children’s neurosurgeon, is introduced in Episode 5 as he’s called in to correct Dakayta’s condition.

Three new patients will also be introduced: 9-month-old Zoe and 23-week-old twins Kennedy and Audrey. Zoe is experiencing mysterious episodes of breathlessness. Kennedy and Audrey came to Children’s from Longview after being born 17 weeks early at 15 ounces and 19 ounces respectively.

So, please watch at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, March 31, on WFAA Channel 8 or afterward on our Facebook page to see how the Children’s staff tries to rescue these babies who won’t survive without medical intervention.

'Child Life is a calling, not a job'

In honor of Child Life Month, we are highlighting three of our child life specialists - Ashley Brady, Jill Bringhurst and Ruthie Davis. Read below to find out why they pursued child life as a career and more about their roles.

What is Child Life and how did you discover the profession?

Ashley Brady: Child life specialists work in many areas of the hospital from the Emergency Department to the ICU. I discovered the child life profession in my second year of college when I was looking for a career that combined the medical field and working with children. I graduated from college and did my child life internship, which is a 15-week unpaid clinical experience. During my internship, I fell in love with the field of child life and truly feel that being a child life specialist is a calling rather than a job.

Jill Bringhurst: A child life specialist will prepare a patient for surgery or an invasive procedure, provide support during imaging or medical testing and debrief those involved in a traumatic event. The role of a child life specialist in a pediatric setting is a key component to the psychosocial support families receive at Children's.

Ruthie Davis: Our job is broad, ranging from community outreach, school re-integration, new diagnosis teaching on an age appropriate level, medical play and normative play, playrooms to encourage normal growth and development, sibling support and education, procedural preparation and support, bereavement care and legacy building activities for both patients and siblings, and developmental assessments.

Why is Child Life important in a hospital setting?

JB: Child Life is an entire discipline focused solely on the psychosocial needs of pediatric patients. At Children's, we have many people caring for the medical needs of a patient, but the child life specialist can address the developmental, emotional and social needs of the patient.

AB: We understand that children are not little adults. Children of every age have specific needs. Hospitalized children need to be involved in play which promotes normalization of a sometimes scary environment as well as way to express feelings. Teens have their own space in the hospital where they can hang out with kids their age.

How does Child Life make a difference in the child's care?

AB: We use our expertise in child development to tailor our interventions to help the children cope. Studies show when children know what to expect in the medical setting, they do better. I have had many experiences in the surgery unit where I walk into a room and the child is hiding in the bed, scared and crying. When I begin to blow bubbles, the child slowly comes out from under the covers. The child then makes eye contact with mom to make sure I am a safe person and engages in the bubble play which helps me build rapport with him. Once the child is comfortable with me, I am able to talk with him about things that might be scary or hard, such as the upcoming surgery. We also work with the entire family. When siblings come to visit their brother or sister in the ICU, we educate the siblings about what to expect. When a child is newly diagnosed with a chronic illness, we explain the complexities of the diagnosis using kid friendly language and teaching dolls.

RD: We give the child tools they can use in the future, control when most of their control has been lost or taken away, and predictability with a routine or structure. We also provide toys and activities in the playroom which can help make a scary or unfamiliar place fun, give the child age appropriate information and knowledge about their disease or condition, and take away their fear of coming back to the hospital.

Why did you decide to pursue child life as a career?

JB: I was fascinated by the hospital and medical field and also drawn to working with children and making things better for them.

RD: I didn't want to be a doctor or nurse but still wanted to work with children in the hospital setting, making their experience better.

AB: It is a job that challenges me in many ways but is so rewarding. I feel very blessed to have a job that I love, and that every day I have an opportunity to directly impact patients and their families.

Why One Doctor is Shaving Her Head

Editor’s note: Dr. Rachel Thienprayoon, a second-year pediatric oncologist at Children's Medical Center, shares the special reasons why she is raising money and shaving her head March 31 at an event put on by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit, volunteer charity that funds research to find cures to childhood cancer.

My first experience with St. Baldrick's was during my residency in general pediatrics at Children's, about four years ago. A group of oncology fellows, including Dr. Martha Stegner, shaved their heads for St. Baldrick's. I thought it was so amazing that “Dr. Martha” was willing to go bald for her patients! As I applied for my fellowship in pediatric oncology, I thought about St. Baldrick's and whether someday, I would want to do the same.

During my first year as a pediatric oncology fellow, four of my beautiful, spirited and brilliant patients died of their cancer. I was very close to one patient in particular, a teenage girl named Micaela White. Micaela was diagnosed with cancer just before her 18th birthday. I remember how difficult our first conversation was about her diagnosis. I was amazed by her calm demeanor and poise. She maintained that tremendous grace throughout all phases of her treatment. As her cancer progressed, she had many complications, but still her spirit remained strong and courageous. One of my best days as a doctor was when I told her that she could go to her high school graduation. To be honest, we both cried!

Micaela lost her battle with cancer last fall. I think of her often, and I always remember the look of clear determination on her face during our first conversation. It reminds me of how determined we all must be in the fight against pediatric cancer. I believe that in my lifetime, we will be able to cure all children's cancer. But the only way this will be possible is through continuing aggressive research efforts to find a cure.

The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a unique organization in so many ways. They provide funding only to pediatric cancer research. They provide research grants both nationally and locally and they even support research projects led by fellows like me. Today, the St. Baldrick's Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization other than the U.S. government.

I am very lucky to say that St. Baldrick’s is funding my current research project on hospice use in pediatric oncology patients. As I wrote my thank you note to St. Baldrick's donors and participants, I realized how deeply touched I am by those who give their time and energy in the fight against kids cancer. I understand why Dr. Stegner and so many of our colleagues volunteer in the St. Baldrick's event each year. I needed to participate too!

I feel like my role in this event is easy: I just show up and get a haircut. It is our sponsors and donors who are the critical link in this event. So many lives have been touched by pediatric cancer, and I am so grateful to each donor who is willing to support our patients in the fight for a cure. I hope that the determination Micaela inspired in me will be shared with readers of this article, and they might consider donating to St. Baldrick’s or attending the event. It is only by working together that we will achieve our goal of curing all children affected by cancer.

What to look for in Episode 4

So, you need a reason to return to your TVs and/or computers to watch the next episode of Children’s Med Dallas at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday on WFAA-Channel 8? Well, we have plenty.

For starters, you’ll get to see the conclusion of 3-year-old Nathan Chase’s story. The last thing you saw in Episode 3 was Nathan being examined by Dr. Pam Okada in the Emergency Department. He had fallen down a stairwell at home and landed on his head. His skull looked like it had a fracture and a hematoma, and it was uncertain if he would need surgery. Episode 4 also shows how the Emergency staff responded to a baby involved in a car accident that made her car seat wind up like this.

Another reason to watch is that you’ll get to see our Level 3C Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). What does “Level 3C” mean? It means that our NICU can respond to the most acute and complex conditions. The leaders of the NICU, Drs. Rashmin Savani and James Moore, are shown responding to several of our tiniest patients, including newborn Dakayta Givens, who was born with spina bifida.

Lastly, Dr. Okada will be shown away from the hospital. While you know from Episode 3 that she’s a high-intensity, super-sharp Emergency physician, you probably didn’t know that she was a mother of five. And I’m willing to bet you didn’t know she boxed in her free time. Well, you’ll get to see both of those aspects of her this weekend.

So, please make sure to watch live/DVR/watch on our Facebook page as we reveal more of Children’s and our amazing staff and patients this weekend. Remember: 6:30 p.m. on Saturday on WFAA-Channel 8.

'Rylynn made me a better nurse'

Katie Mikeworth, RN, cared for 2-year-old Rylynn Riojas while the toddler waited for a new heart. Katie's shifts with Rylynn were not only medically focused. Katie and Rylynn spent time painting nails, playing with dolls and bonding over all things girly. Read Katie's blog about their times spent together and how one little girl changed Katie's perspective on nursing...and life.

Nursing is not a glamorous job. It involves masks and gowns, diapers and throw-up, and many other not-so-glamorous things. So, receiving a manicure within the first hour on-the-clock was beyond a glamorous treat for me. No, it was not Nurses' Week, nor was it a surprise from my manager. This special manicure was a surprise insisted upon by my patient, Rylynn Riojas.

Rylynn is a 2-year-old little girl I had the pleasure of caring for last year in the cardiac intensive care unit at Children's. My very first shift with Rylynn was the night she came back from the operating room after the implantation of a Berlin Heart. I joined Rylynn's care team in the cardiac ICU after a few shifts taking care of her last summer, and I was part of her care team until she was discharged with a new heart to the cardiology floor. She instantly touched my heart, and it's not rocket science (or heart surgery!) to figure out why. Rylynn took a while to warm up to me, but after a couple of weeks...we were pals. I always looked forward to work, hoping that I'd be her nurse. Rylynn's personality is - in one word - fun. Did I always get to take care of the fun, happy, smiley Rylynn? No, but that's the case with any toddler. There were some really tough shifts, there were some really busy shifts, but mostly there were the shifts where everything went smoothly and Ry was awesome.

Coming into work and getting a sparkly rainbow manicure from Ry sitting at her Dora the Explorer table was a highlight of my time with her. We played with Play-Doh, watched Dora and other cartoons, played with her stuffed puppy and baby dolls, and colored pictures a lot. There was even one time when I was convinced by this 2-year-old's laughter to dance with her stuffed giraffe - that was my height. I couldn't help myself; hearing Ry giggle after she had gone through so much was just the best. So, I danced.

Joining Rylynn's care team impacted me more than I thought it would. A care team isn't just for the patient; it's for the family as well (and, as it turns out, the nurses benefit, too). The Riojas family is warm and caring, silly and friendly, but most importantly, they are genuine. Not only did I become a better nurse while caring for Ry, but I feel like I grew as a person from being around her family. Taking care of Ry and her family for four months was more than a positive experience for me. Rylynn's parents fought hard every day for her and supported each other, never losing hope and always staying positive. This is the attitude I want to have every day for my patients and their families: an attitude of hard work and selfless giving with complete faith in miracles.

So, I said before that nursing isn't a glamorous job, but maybe I was totally wrong. Miracles are pretty glamorous, and as a nurse, I got to be part of one.

Clowning around at Children's

Crystal Goss is a senior communications specialist at Children's. This blog is her account of a day spent with the Funnyatrics clowns.


I knew the clowns from the Children’s Funnyatrics Program were going to be funny. I mean, they are clowns.

We asked them to hang out with us for a behind-the-scenes photo and video shoot for the second season of the hospital’s documentary Children’s Med Dallas. As expected, they were FUNNY. So funny. Our group – consisting of a videographer, creative director, support staff and photographers – were all in stitches laughing at their goofy antics and general silliness, from kazoo-playing to dancing. One of the products of that silliness was an impromptu song about Children’s Med Dallas, which you can watch below.



The thing I didn’t expect though was the heart that our clowns would bring to the shoot, the heart they bring to their work every day. Beyond the silly, our clowns are really all about healing by the power of laughter. And they love working with our patients and staff. Take a look for yourself at the funny and serious moments during our shoot with these clever and compassionate clowns.



Catch the clowns' cameo on Children’s Med Dallas at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday on WFAA Channel 8.

A new perspective and a new season of Children's Med Dallas

I began working on Season 2 of Children’s Med Dallas about a month after the birth of my first child, a daughter named Emerson who’s usually called Emmy.

Emmy had already changed a lot in my life, namely my sleeping, eating, thinking, TV watching. Etcetera. (See the change represented in my face in this photo ------->)

But she hadn’t changed my work yet.

As a story producer on the show, my job is literally to produce stories. A lot of times that means talking with physicians about cases they’re working on, what they do away from the hospital and how we can film those things. That part didn’t change after Emmy was born.

Another part of story producing, though, is asking patients and their families about their stories. Emmy affected that substantially. Instead of approaching parents as a mere representative of Children’s, I had to approach them as a fellow parent.

Bluntly: That made my job painful, especially in the emergency department – a new area that we’re covering this season. Every baby that came in with breathing problems or seizures or worse made me imagine Emmy in their position. Then it would occur to me that their parents were actually dealing with the reality of having a baby needing rescue. And I would feel like a jerk for approaching them.

But, to my surprise, the parents usually got what the show is about in those moments better than I did. When I felt intrusive, they felt the poignancy of their situation and the expertise of the team caring for their child. More often than not, they responded to my request to film them by saying, “I want other parents to be aware” or “I want to help the hospital”.

We hope this season fulfills their hopes by raising awareness of both pediatric health/injury issues and the tremendous staff at Children’s who treat those issues. The first episode will air at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, March 3, on WFAA Channel 8. And there will be six more 30-minute episodes following that premiere, each also airing at 6:30 p.m. on consecutive Saturdays on WFAA.

In addition to showing you our emergency department, we’ll show you what real-life brain surgeons do. And you’ll see how our caretakers handle some of the most critical and delicate patients in the neonatal ICU and the stem cell transplant unit like Sophia Tilley, a 14-year-old girl from Arkansas who needed new bone marrow to battle her leukemia.

The first episode will pick up where last season left off with the case of Rylynn Riojas, a 2-year-old girl who was in dire need of a heart transplant. You’ll see how Dr. Kristine Guleserian and the rest of the heart team continued to fight for Rylynn’s life when the odds of her receiving a transplant were minute. We’ll also reintroduce you to plastic surgeon Dr. Alex Kane later on this season as he works to create a nostril out of forehead skin for a teenage boy.

However, even though some of the same characters will be featured, this season will be different than the first – for me, at least.

I’ll be watching through a parent’s eyes for the first time.