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.    

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 being a marrow donor really means

Last week, a throng of Children's employees, including myself, got to watch an amazing meeting here at Children's. It was a long-awaited reunion of sorts between 6-year-old Laurel Good and Krista Katris, 23. Krista donated her bone marrow to Laurel over a year ago, a gift that saved Laurel's life.

Laurel, who was diagnosed at birth with TAR syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which can lead to bone marrow failure and is marked by low platelets and the absence of radius bones in the forearms, is now in perfect health thanks to Krista's willingness to join the Marrow Registry and donate once she was called.

Krista said she couldn't wait for the day when she could meet Laurel. Laurel and her dad Ken and sister Darby, 12, gave Krista many gifts, including a homemade beaded necklace Laurel made for Krista. Laurel's mom Terri and grandmother Jan were also apart of the meeting.


Krista had gifts of her own. She gave Laurel an Americal Girl Doll she had custom made to look like Laurel. The 6-year-old's eyes lit up when she saw Krista's dad Chris carry over the shopping bag with Laurel's doll and accessories it. "It's my very own," Laurel shouted while she showed off her new doll.We've asked you all month to get typed to be on the Bone Marrow Registry, telling you that you could save a life. But when you see a little girl meet the stranger who saved her life with a simple, generous donation, you understand why it's so important to join the Registry.

Through the end of February, Children's will pay for your online registration. For a free kit, visit and enter the coupon code "childrens."

And share your story with us. Why did you decide to get typed?

A big thank you 191 new registrants!

The 21st annual Be The Match Bone Marrow Drive was quite the success yesterday, and we want to thank the 191 people that came out to our Dallas and Legacy hospitals and joined the Marrow Registry. That means potentially 191 children could receive a life-saving bone marrow or stem cell transplant.

For those of you who still want to get on the registry and be available to save a life, Children's will pay for your online registration through Feb. 29. To send away for a free kit, visit http://marrow.org/Join/Join_Now/Join_Now.aspx and enter the coupon code "childrens."

Many thanks again. We would love to hear from those of you that came out the drive yesterday and what made you want to join the registry.

Getting messy for a cause

Jude Cobler’s life is sanitized for his own protection. Not much can be messy and that’s hard for a kid. But a couple of days ago, Jude got to be just the opposite of neat.

Jude, a patient at Children’s, underwent a bone marrow transplant in December 2010 and still has to be careful about his exposure to infection, but the other day he got to dip his hand in paint and squish it on a bright and shiny new car. The finger painting outing was part of a presentation for pediatric cancer research by Dallas-Fort Worth-area Hyundai dealers.

The dealers brought a white Santa Fe SUV to the hospital and encouraged patients to plant their hand prints on the car. The idea was to celebrate the children’s lives and to have them share their stories with children and families across the country that are participating in similar events for the carmaker’s Hope on Wheels program, which has raised funds for childhood cancer research initiatives for the past 13 years. The hand prints also were put on paper and will be made into decals for display by Hyundai dealers across America next year.

Grant for research

The hand prints were part of a ceremony by the area Hyundai dealers to award a $40,000 grant to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for Dr. Raven Cooksey. Dr. Cooksey is a fellow at UT Southwestern in pediatric hematology-oncology. She practices at Children’s in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Children’s is where UT Southwestern doctors learn advanced pediatric medicine. The grant money is part of $2.7 million that the Hope on Wheels Tour will donate this year to back pediatric cancer research nationally.

Dr. Cooksey’s research is on metabolic syndrome in young survivors of brain tumors who were treated with radiation. Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of health risk factors that can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Cooksey is studying whether radiation may lead to metabolic syndrome.

But for Jude, the day was all about telling his story and spreading some bright green paint around. And if you remember at all what it’s like being a 6 year old, you know how important that is.

Children's hosts a special prom

It’s prom time: fancy dresses, tuxedoes, corsages and lots of fun. For many of us, our high school prom was a pinnacle of our teen years. But sometimes, it doesn’t work out as expected.

Take for example, Children’s Medical Center patient Cheyene Mills.

A year ago, Cheyene, who hails from Tom Bean, Texas, purchased a short, strapless dress for prom night with her high school classmates, but she didn’t get to attend the event. She had a good reason, though: Cheyene had been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and therefore had a more pressing engagement — treatment at Children’s, where she received a life-saving stem cell transplant.

On May 8 of this year, 16-year-old Cheyene finally got to wear her fabulous little black dress, adorned with pearl accessories. Thanks to some very special people at Children’s, Cheyene and other patients got a prom created just for them.

Our patients got to have this quintessential teen experience because the Child Life team at the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders organized a prom for hematology, oncology and stem cell transplant patients ages 15 to 18 and held it here at the hospital. The theme was “Night of the Stars,” complete with star decorations, food, portraits, card games, a DJ and dancing.

The event was sponsored by Heavenly Hugs, a non-profit organization started by the parents of Blakely Johnson, a Children's patient who succumbed to cancer in 1997.

View a video gallery to see Cheyene and her fellow patients’ special night.

Easter party at Children's

I loved Easter eggs hunts as a kid -- the anticipation of what the Easter Bunny would bring, the thought of colorful eggs, and especially chocolate Easter Bunnies. I was always amazed at how the bunny managed all that in just one morning. I never put together the fact that we had a lot of scrambled eggs in the days following the celebration.

On Sunday, patients at Children’s Medical Center in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders got a chance to experience that excitement. Libby Godlove and her husband Nathan Hazelwood sponsored an Easter party that included Easter baskets, cookie decorating and crafts, and, of course, an Easter egg hunt.

Watch the party video:

Giving back to Children's

Ah, the hustle and bustle of the winter holidays: the happy (or maybe harried) crowds, the present buying, the decorations, the parties. It gives me a chill just thinking about it.

You may think it seems a little early to be thinking about the holidays, but Diana Garcia is already fully involved in planning for them. Diana, a former cancer patient at Children’s, is now an intern in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, giving back to the organization that helped her through her illness.

When Diana was 11, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and underwent almost three years of treatment at Children’s. She is now cancer free, a patient in the After the Cancer Experience Program at Children’s and a senior at Southern Methodist University.

One of the things that helped Diana and her family get through her long period of treatment was the annual holiday party for childhood cancer patients at Children’s, so this year, as her main internship project, she’s organizing the party — no small task. The party normally attracts upwards of 600 people. Still, Diana and her family went to the party for several years, so she’s got a very good feeling for what an event like this entails.

When I talked to Diana, she told me there’s a reason she’s back at Children’s. She said as bad as her treatment was, the people here made it easier. She wants to do the same for other people, and planning the holiday party is one way she can give back.

The party, to be held Monday, Dec. 14, at Brookhaven Country Club, is one of those big happy affairs because it is one of the few places where children with compromised immune systems from their cancer treatments can get together in a crowd and celebrate the joys of the season. This year Diana will make sure it’s a whiz-bang, with costumed characters, presents, food and activities such as cookie decorating and face painting. It’s exactly what a children’s party should be.

If you’d like to volunteer to donate a toy or two, you can contact Diana at 214-456-8060.

Micah: One of 30

When I first saw Micah Creed, he looked a lot like any typical blond-haired, blue-eyed little boy playing with cars. All except for the fresh scar running across the top left side of his head.

Micah’s doctor in Wolfe City, Texas, had decided to send Micah and his family to Children’s because she couldn’t figure out why the 2-year-old often seemed tired, frequently vomited and had become more aggressive.

After some intensive research and detective work — the kind of work that’s possible when you have the resources of a major pediatric hospital and a first-class medical school like UT Southwestern at your disposal — doctors diagnosed Micah with atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, or ATRT, an extremely rare form of brain and spinal cord cancer. Only about 30 children in the United States are diagnosed with ATRT each year.

With a good diagnosis to work from, the team of specialists at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders was able to treat Micah with brain surgery and a new, aggressive regimen of chemotherapy and radiation. That was last fall.

Today Micah’s ATRT is in remission, despite some continuing seizures. “Knock on my hard head, he has no signs of the tumor,” said his grandmother, Jody Creed.

Micah was very lucky to be diagnosed when he was. The survival of children with ATRT used to be measured in weeks. Dr. Daniel Bowers, a neuro-oncologist who was the first physician at Children’s to use aggressive chemotherapy to treat ATRT, remembers having to tell parents to take their child home and keep them comfortable. “There were no other alternatives,” he said.

Today, children with ATRT have a greater than 50 percent chance for survival — an amazing improvement for a condition so seldom seen. Micah’s journey isn’t over, but he is a testament to the possibilities and potential that exists at Children’s, even for the rarest conditions.

Mavs bearing caps

Erick Dampier of the Dallas Mavericks is a very, very, very big man. When a trio of Dallas Mavs including Dampier visited the hospital last Tuesday to distribute signed Mavs caps, there was a lot of gawking by some very, very small patients who just couldn't seem to believe someone that tall could exist.

The result? Greg Buckner, Erick Dampier and Josh Howard of our home town pro hoops team helped ease the long, sometimes boring, days of hospitalizations for a moment with silly grins and outright staring by the children in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD), one of the largest pediatric hematology-oncology programs in the U.S. and an internationally known center of excellence.

For 11-year-old Myles Flanagan, the visit was very special: he is a huge Mavs fan. In fact, his whole room at home is Mavs, said his mom, Angela Flanagan. Myles got a personal visit to his hospital room by the trio of hoopsters and a cap signed by all three players.

Even 19-month-old patient Christian Arteaga got his photo taken with the players, although he's too young to know what that means.

The appearance by the players is part of the Mavs’ community outreach program. One part of that program is an annual cap drive with adidas presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. All caps are donated to local children's cancer centers.