‘At complete peace’: Oliver’s transition story
Oliver Sutherland wants to help gender-diverse kids feel more comfortable in and out of the classroom. As a staff member on the Massachusetts GSA Leadership Council, he works with students and schools to help make schools safer and more inclusive for LGBTQ+ students. For Oliver, it’s a role born of both passion and personal experience: ... Read More
Anabella’s story: Hope for treating malignant rhabdoid tumors
Watching her deftly maneuver a playground with a huge smile on her face makes it hard to imagine that Anabella Trillo, 3, once faced challenges far greater than a jungle gym. In fact, she has already endured surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and a stem cell transplant for one of the most aggressive pediatric cancers: a malignant rhabdoid ... Read More
Taking charge: Emma perseveres with laryngeal cleft
Emma Morris is “a pistol,” says her mother, Sarah. “She’s a spitfire, passionate and caring.” But the 11-year-old gets anxious, too — and for an understandable reason. She’s been in and out of the hospital since she was a newborn. In fact, Sarah estimates that her daughter has spent more than 400 nights at Boston ... Read More
Jason: My remarkable journey
Most people associate the city of Boston with the Red Sox or the Patriots. I, however, cannot help but associate it with brain surgery. I had my first seizure in the summer of 2006, when I was 14 years old and at camp in Connecticut. Gradually, the seizures increased in intensity and frequency. My parents took me ... Read More
Ava’s journey with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
Claire Poole never thought a 10-year-old could have a heart condition. So when her daughter, Ava, slumped against the wall exhausted and complaining of arm pain one Sunday in 2012, Claire assumed she had overextended herself at a sleepover the previous night. “When we got into the car, Ava turned grey and had trouble breathing,” ... Read More
Scarlette: Hoping for a bright future with PK deficiency
Two-year-old Scarlette Walker loves pink. For her January visit to the Hematology Clinic at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, she wore a shocking pink hat and pink dress. “She picked them out herself,” says her mom, Olivia. She even has a pink alter ego. “She pretends she is a pink helicopter named Dizzy. If ... Read More
Leven’s story: Becoming more of who they’ve always been
“My name is Leven. I’m in seventh grade. I like hanging out with my friends, reading graphic novels, and going to the trampoline park. I want to be a math teacher when I grow up. I’m non-binary and use they/them pronouns.” At just 13, Leven Ford has more knowledge about who they are than many ... Read More
Eva rides out the side effects of aggressive Wilms tumor treatment
Eva Quiroz loves horses. The 10 year old takes riding lessons, and this activity puts a smile on her face. Anyone watching her contentedly guiding a horse around the ring would just assume she has always been a healthy child, says her mom Carla. They would see no hint of what Eva has been through ... Read More
Stetson travels from Texas for bladder exstrophy care
As first-time parents, Rachael and Leroy Calk expected to have questions after their son, Stetson, was born. What they didn’t expect was to find themselves faced with a surprising diagnosis when their baby was just a few hours old — and to begin a journey for answers about his care. Although Rachael’s pregnancy had been ... Read More
Henry’s bladder exstrophy journey
Just a few months into his young life, Henry Packer has traveled from the Netherlands to Utah to Massachusetts — and has gone from being a medical mystery to making a best friend with the same rare condition. It’s all part of his ongoing journey with bladder exstrophy, a congenital anomaly in which a baby’s ... Read More