Celebrating Dr. King

If you will be at the hospital this week, be sure to stop by these events in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, Jan. 16Noon to 1 p.m.
Character Chorus, Bray Elementary School, Cedar Hill
Butterfly Atrium, Dallas campus

2 p.m.
Service honoring The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Abbott Chapel, Legacy Campus

Tuesday, Jan. 172 to 3 a.m.
Chapel Service for night staff
Haggerty Chapel, Dallas campus

Thursday, Jan. 192 to 3 p.m.
“A Slice of the Rainbow” – Storyteller/Musician Doralynn Breedlove,
Butterfly Atrium, Dallas campus

Friday, Jan. 2011:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“Remembering The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Haggerty Chapel, Dallas campus

Week-long Events

Daily devotionals in Haggerty Chapel from 11:45 a.m. to noon featuring tributes to world leaders who stand for peace; musicians and vocalists invited to perform

Poster display featuring winners of Nobel Peace Prize

Table tents and quiz cards in The Dining Car

The flu frenzy

My first child, the darling Emerson Lee Foster, was born at the end of November. The first six weeks of her life have been full of love, joy, celebration and... a lot, lot of paranoia.

Seems like all I can think about sometimes are bad drivers, BPA, blocked airways, falling picture frames and contagious diseases. Yes, I drive myself crazy. And it's been especially difficult to keep my sanity as I've started hearing an excessive amount of sniffling and coughing the past few weeks. In the office. At the store. All over the mall.

I can't escape it. The flu season is revving up. But, luckily, I have the experts at Children's to help me make it through - as you do, too.

So, I asked the director of the infectious disease department at Children's, Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, if he could give us some advice on keeping our children healthy the next couple of months.

Me: When is it safe for parents of babies to take their children out in public places? 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months? Or should they just refrain from taking babies out into crowds during flu season?

Dr. Kahn: There are no official recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control that specify the age that young children can be safely taken to public places during influenza season. The best advice for parents and other caretakers would be to be cautious when influenza is circulating in the community. That information can be found at the CDC website (or follow the CDC's Twitter account that focuses entirely on flu news, @CDCFlu). Good hand washing for anyone who will hold/touch the child will also decrease the risk of influenza transmission. The best way to protect young children from the flu is vaccination (when they reach the appropriate age of older than 6 months). Also, vaccination of all those who come in regular contact with the baby (since a large proportion of influenza infections are acquired from infected individuals within the home) is the best way to protect children who are too young or not eligible to receive the vaccine.

Me: Is it a good idea for children to receive a flu vaccination now if they haven’t already received one? Is it too late?

Dr. Kahn: There is still time for children to get the influenza vaccination. At this time, there is still little influenza activity in north Texas suggesting that the “flu” season is yet to come. Vaccination is the BEST way to protect children from the flu. There are no school requirements for flu vaccination BUT All children who are eligible should be vaccinated.

Me: Is there a difference in the effectiveness of the flu shot and the flu mist?

Dr. Kahn: For the most part, these vaccines are of equal efficacy. For children who are eligible for either vaccine, the decision can be made by the parent, clinician and/or the child!

A visit with a "notorious" patient

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet a special patient, Zach Guillot. The 7-year-old is notorious, as his mom says, around the hospital because of the “antics” he’s involved in on the floor where he is undergoing chemotherapy and waiting to receive a second bone marrow transplant.

Zach was readmitted to Children’s Dec. 16 after relapsing from his battle with acute myeloid leukemia.

One of his antics includes riding his Big Wheel around his impatient floor at night. And he's recently found fame among Children’s employees for the videos he and his Child Life specialist have recorded.

Among the 14 videos on his YouTube channel, there’s a legendary lightsaber duel between Zach and his “Sith Nurse” caught on camera, animated shorts and adventures as Indiana Jones and Ironman.

When I walked into his room, he introduced himself with some playful meowing. Being a bit of a kid myself, I thought it was hilarious. But I really had to hold back from laughing when he welcomed his doctors to his room by hissing.

Zach’s mom Julie said she and her husband Jeff have appreciated how the staff at Children’s has allowed Zach to be himself during his stay in the hospital.

“There’s more to recovery than medicine,” Julie said. “The staff keeps it lighthearted and play with him. It really helps with the whole experience. It’s the little things that can make a kid feel better.”

I certainly saw that's the case with Zach. It’s so encouraging to see a young child being himself, in high spirits, playing Wii and meowing at guests, while going through something as challenging as chemotherapy.

If you’re interested in helping kids like Zach, join the bone marrow registry or participate in the Be a Match Bone Marrow Drive held at Children’s annually on Valentine’s Day. For more information on times and locations for the drive visit marrow.org.

Please make giving a resolution in 2012

As we are making our New Year's resolutions, let’s add one more thing to our lists – make life better for children. If you have been out and about this holiday season, you may have seen the new Children’s billboards featuring patient Annabella Spears spreading the message of peace, joy, and giving! 2011 has been a challenging but triumphant year for Annabella. As the Spears family celebrates a new year, they have only a scar across their daughter’s tummy to remind them of the events of the past year.

First-time parents, Alexa and Shad, brought newborn Annabella to their Dallas home in Oct. 2010, but after seven weeks, they noticed that her skin looked yellow. A trip to the pediatrician landed Annabella at Children’s, where she underwent extensive testing and was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts.

Without a transplant, Annabella’s liver would fail. She was listed for a new liver in March 2011. “I didn’t want to ask, but I kept wondering if we would lose her, because I had no idea really what ‘transplant’ meant, and it sounded really scary,” Alexa said. “I just kept thinking that we couldn’t lose our little girl.”

All her parents could do was wait for a liver that would be a match for Annabella. She regularly visited the Solid Organ Transplant clinic at Children’s and was closely monitored.

Dr. Dev Desai, division director of pediatric transplantation at Children’s and associate professor of surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, would be the surgeon implanting the liver when the time came. “Annabella’s liver failed rapidly, and because of the quickness of her disease, she went to the top of the waiting list,” Dr. Desai said.

At 6:30 a.m. on June 16, Alexa and Shad received the call they had been waiting on for three months. They couldn’t believe the day had finally come. Dr. Desai flew in a jet to procure the organ, returning to Children’s where 8-month-old Annabella
was in the operating room being prepped.

After a successful surgery, Annabella recovered perfectly. “It’s pretty amazing — her skin has gotten pinker, and the whites of her eyes are white again, instead of yellow,” Alexa said. “She has energy plus, and she is rolling over, lying on her belly and having a great time. It’s remarkable.”

You can help make stories like Annabella’s possible by joining Children’s in our daily mission to make life better for children. Please consider making a gift today, and make a difference in the life of a child.

Holiday Snaps

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg - replace with 1 Tbsp applesauce if allergic to egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour - replace with 1 1/2 cup oat flour, barley flour, or gluten free baking mix
1 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Sugar for rolling cookies

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) Combine sugar and shortening, beat until creamy.
3) Stir in egg and molasses.
4) Combine flour,oats, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
5) Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well and chill for 1 hour.
6) Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
7) Bake 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet to cooling racks.

Makes 4 dozen

Food Allergy Friendly Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups oat flour
1 cups sugar
6 Tbsps Cocoa Powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup rice milk
1/3 cup canola or cooking oil
1 tsp vinegar
3/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350°F.
2) Grease and flour (using oat flour) 9 X 9-inch square pan.
3) In a small mixing bowl combine dry ingredients. In separate bowl mix wet ingredients together.
4)Slowly add wet ingredients to dry and beat until smooth.
5) Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6) Cool; cut into squares.
7) Optional: Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top.

Serves 8

Sweet Potato Apple Casserole

Our third of five food-allergy friendly recipes is tasty as a side dish or dessert. And it's nutritious!

Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds whole sweet potatoes
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored & sliced
Juice of 2 oranges
Zest from one orange
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsps butter - replace with milk free margarine if allergic to milk
2 Tbsps brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts - replace with crushed corn flakes if allergic
to nuts

Directions:
1) In a medium sauce pan cook unpeeled whole sweet potatoes in boiling water for about 20 minutes until fork tender. Drain. Or bake potatoes at 400°F for 45 to 60 minutes until soft to touch.
2) While cooking potatoes, heat apples and orange juice in a skillet with spices and orange zest. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until apples soften.
3) Peel sweet potatoes and slice. Layer sweet potatoes in microwave safe casserole dish with apple slices. Sprinkle with mixture of brown sugar, butter, and nuts (or substitutes).
4) Microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes.

Serves 8

Herbed Prime Rib Roast

The second, in a series of five, allergy-free holiday recipes is Herbed Prime Rib Roast. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic
3 Tbsps chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbsps chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsps expeller-pressed canola oil
2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 3-rib bone-in standing rib roast (about 5 pounds),
trimmed of excess, but not all, fat
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 475°F. In a food processor, pulse garlic until chopped.
2) Add rosemary, thyme, oil, salt and pepper and pulse until you have a chunky paste.
3) Rub the roast all over with the paste and place bone-side down in a roasting pan.
4) Roast in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.
5) Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue roasting about 1 hour longer.
6) Use a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast (not touching bone) to check the temperature in several spots and continue roasting meat, checking temperature every 5 or 10 minutes, until about 10 degrees shy of
your preferred level of doneness. The meat will continue cooking while it rests after being removed from the oven and the temperature will rise another 5 or 10 degrees. Target temperatures are 130 to 135°F for medium rare and 135 to
145°F for medium.
7) Transfer roast to a cutting board, bone-side down, and let stand 25 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, carefully spoon off and discard fat from dark juices in roasting pan.
8) Use oven mitts to place pan over medium-high heat and add broth. Simmer, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of pan, until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes.
9) Carve the roast by running a long, sharp knife between the rib bones and meat to separate them.
10) Slice meat into portions, arrange on a platter with the bones (there’s meat left on the bones and some people may want one) and spoon hot pan juices over the top.

Serves 6 to 8

Holiday Berry Sauce

Even if your kids don’t have food allergies, it’s likely that you’ll be cooking for one of your kids’ cousins or friends who is allergic to one of the top eight food allergy triggers (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat). This week before Christmas, we’re sharing directions for an entire food-allergy-friendly holiday meal. One recipe every weekday. That way, if you have to make any last minute substitutes, you’ll be able to.

 
Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Ingredients:
6 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup orange juice, more if needed
1 (16 ounce) package frozen blueberries
1 (12 ounce) package frozen raspberries
Zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 cups agave nectar or honey
1 cup sugar, or to taste

Directions:
1) Place cranberries in a large saucepan.
2) Add orange juice and cook over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes or until cranberries start to pop.
3) Add blueberries, raspberries, orange zest, nectar and sugar. You may need to add a little more orange juice at this time if mixture is not slightly wet.
4) Cook an additional 10 minutes, mashing cranberries if desired with a potato masher. Let mixture cool before serving.

Serves 12 as a side condiment

Buy safe toys this holiday season

With the holidays approaching, it’s so easy to buy that special child in your life the coolest toy you can find. Like a 280-piece dump truck model kit you know your 3-year-old nephew will just love. But if you don’t check the toy’s intended age range, one or all of those 280 pieces might end up in his mouth instead, and put him at risk of injury or even death.

I might have bought that dump truck when my wife and I went shopping for our nephew this weekend, had it not been for a toy safety demonstration I recently sat in on here at Children’s.

Jesus Alderete, a coordinator with our Injury Prevention Program, recently shared with media how to keep the holidays accident-free by choosing safe and age-appropriate toys for youngsters. He said if a toy or its parts can fit through a toilet paper roll, it poses a choking risk for kids 4 and younger. Other tips included:

Check the toy’s intended age range listed on the packaging, and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.

• Keep toys meant for older kids away from infants and younger kids.


• Buy dolls or stuffed animals with eyes that are sewn on, rather than plastic. Plastic eyes tend to fall off and are a choking hazard for younger children.


• For older kids, be sure to buy a helmet that they can wear with their new bike or other riding toys.

The information is a great reminder considering that since 2000, an average of 20 children a year have died in the U.S. after being injured or involved in accidents with toys, according to Safe Kids USA, a non-profit organization that works to prevent unintentional childhood injuries.

Thanks to Jesus’s guidance, my nephew won’t be getting that dump truck model for a few years. Instead, we went with an age-appropriate sea turtle night light.

You can read more about toy safety and the recommendations of our Injury Prevention Program here.