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From Feeling Helpless to Helping Others: Kinsey Dreams Big

September 26, 2023  |  Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer, Cancer and Research, General, Mental Health, Patient Care, Patient Stories Comments Off on From Feeling Helpless to Helping Others: Kinsey Dreams Big

Before she was diagnosed with high-risk acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL), Kinsey was an active 15-year-old who enjoyed competitive horseback riding, spending time with her family and friends, and dreaming about what her future might look like.

Less than two months into her cancer treatment at Seattle Children’s, however, Kinsey became a shell of herself. While Kinsey’s cancer was advanced, it was treatable.

Her care team in Seattle Children’s Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program recommended more than two years of chemotherapy treatment in hopes she would go into full remission.

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The Unforgettable Experience that Led Tina to Pay It Forward

January 31, 2023  |  Cancer and Blood Disorders, General, Patient Stories Comments Off on The Unforgettable Experience that Led Tina to Pay It Forward

Tina Janni was a pediatric patient at Seattle Children’s

At the young age of 12, Tina Janni began suffering from flu-like symptoms over the summer that rapidly escalated into kidney failure.

“I rode in an ambulance from Olympia, WA to Seattle Children’s Hospital,” she explained.

Though Janni recalls feeling frightened, a compassionate support system made a significant impact on her family during a deeply difficult time.

“I was fortunate that loneliness was never a complicating issue,” she said. “In addition to my parents, I remember nurses, care providers and staff who were a constant and calming presence during the two months I was a patient.”

Janni was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS).

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Jesse’s Full-Circle Connection to Seattle Children’s

January 20, 2023  |  General, Patient Care, Patient Stories Comments Off on Jesse’s Full-Circle Connection to Seattle Children’s

PART FIVE: From witnessing exceptional care and compassion given to children in their own lives, to receiving treatment first-hand, this weekly series features Seattle Children’s employees and the life experiences that drove them to pursue careers in healthcare.

Jesse Giordano was a pediatric patient at Seattle Children’s three decades ago and is now part of its dedicated workforce

During a family vacation in 1993 at Lake Chelan, WA, 12-year-old Jesse Giordano started experiencing severe flu-like symptoms and extreme pain in his left arm.

“After a couple days holed up in the motel, my mom took me to an area emergency room,” Giordano said. “Other than confirming I had a fever, they told me to follow up with my primary care provider.”

That Monday morning, the family did just that. Giordano was given a blood test and then went home to wait for the results.

“We got a phone call later that day or early Tuesday directing us to Seattle Children’s immediately,” he recalled. “I was not super worried, but my mom was an absolute wreck.”

The family arrived at Seattle Children’s for the appointment in an area now called the Ocean zone.

At the appointment, doctors conducted a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and found something concerning.

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‘The Fight of My Life’ | How Becky Found a Lifelong Passion After Battling Childhood Cancer

December 27, 2022  |  Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer, Cancer and Blood Disorders, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Patient Stories Comments Off on ‘The Fight of My Life’ | How Becky Found a Lifelong Passion After Battling Childhood Cancer

PART FOUR: From witnessing exceptional care and compassion given to children in their own lives, to receiving treatment first-hand, this weekly series features Seattle Children’s employees and the life experiences that drove them to pursue careers in healthcare.

Natalie Jean Ahrens (left) helped care for Becky Greenway when she was a pediatric patient at Seattle Children’s

In 1991, Becky Greenway was a 17-year-old student facing chronic knee pain throughout her senior year of high school.

“My pain was worse at night and the only way I could get any relief was by soaking it in the bathtub,” she recalled.

Greenway sought care from several primary care doctors who provided varying diagnoses, including tendonitis, growing pains and a possible mental disorder.

“This fourth doctor couldn’t find any reason for my pain, so he was convinced it was all in my head,” Greenway explained.

Feeling exasperated, Greenway’s mother pushed forward, certain that the root of her daughter’s pain was something more serious.

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No Distance Too Far; How Johanna’s Unique Experience Drove Her to Healthcare

December 20, 2022  |  General, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Patient Stories Comments Off on No Distance Too Far; How Johanna’s Unique Experience Drove Her to Healthcare

PART THREE: From witnessing exceptional care and compassion given to children in their own lives, to receiving treatment first-hand, this weekly series features Seattle Children’s employees and the life experiences that drove them to pursue careers in healthcare.

Top: After receiving treatment at Seattle Children’s for chronic pain and arthritis, Johanna celebrated her 15th birthday. Bottom: Today, Johanna and her husband, Carlos.

Seattle Children’s has been part of Johanna Sánchez-Vargas’s life since she was 13 years old. Her family immigrated from Guerrero, Mexico to a small agricultural town in the Yakima Valley. There, the family planted roots and started working as farmworkers.

Throughout her childhood, Sánchez-Vargas experienced chronic pain and arthritis, and was treated in Seattle Children’s Rheumatology Program for spondyloarthropathies, a group of inflammatory diseases of the joints and areas where tendons attach to bones. It typically affects the lower part of a child’s body, including the hips, knees and ankles.

“Predominantly, I had persistent pain that hindered my ability to walk,” she said. “As a kid, I struggled with being visibly disabled. I remember going through the halls of my middle school with my wheelchair and feeling isolated for being different.”

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‘I Know What it Feels Like’ | How Meagan’s Patient Journey Shaped Her Career Path

November 25, 2022  |  General Comments Off on ‘I Know What it Feels Like’ | How Meagan’s Patient Journey Shaped Her Career Path

PART TWO: From witnessing exceptional care and compassion given to children in their own lives, to receiving treatment first-hand, this weekly series features Seattle Children’s employees and the life experiences that drove them to pursue careers in healthcare.

Meagan Newman was a Seattle Children’s patient three decades ago

Meagan Newman’s relationship with Seattle Children’s began 30 years ago.

At just 3 years old, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and spent the next two and a half years in and out of the hospital for treatment.

“At the time, my dad was an anesthesia resident at the hospital and he suddenly had a glimpse into the day-to-day challenges of managing care for a child with cancer,” she explained.

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‘Cancer Doesn’t Always Win’ | Sofia’s Personal Connection to “Hope. Care. Cure.”

November 18, 2022  |  Cancer and Research, Patient Stories Comments Off on ‘Cancer Doesn’t Always Win’ | Sofia’s Personal Connection to “Hope. Care. Cure.”

PART ONE: From witnessing exceptional care and compassion given to children in their own lives, to receiving treatment first-hand, this weekly series features Seattle Children’s employees and the life experiences that drove them to pursue careers in healthcare.

Sofia Carlo was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma as a child

Shortly after Sofia Carlo finished the sixth grade, she started experiencing bouts of intense back pain.

“I went to see my primary care provider who thought I may be developing some scoliosis,” she recalled. “Upon receiving that scoliosis X-ray, I was referred for an MRI because the radiologist noted on my X-ray that I had osteophyte on a portion of my vertebra.”

Osteophyte is an abnormal bone growth, also known as a bone spur. Within a week of Carlo’s MRI, she was being treated at Seattle Children’s where she received a biopsy.

“That MRI revealed a mass growing in my spine. I was then officially diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma bone cancer at just 12 years old and was getting chemotherapy within two weeks of that original scoliosis X-ray,” she said.

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