Boy gets smile for his 12th birthday

Christian Roberts was as excited for his 12th birthday as any child would be. But this April marked a very special occasion. It was the first time he could express that excitement with a smile. Twelve years ago, Christian was born deaf and with bilateral facial paralysis due to a rare genetic anomaly called CHARGE […]

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New law highlights need for pediatric research funding

“Stop talking and start doing.” The 10-year-old Virginia girl who spoke these words to lawmakers helped increase funding for pediatric research this year with the passing of a new law, and Seattle Children’s Research Institute is celebrating the news. “Pediatrics gets a very small share of the National Institutes of Health budget, certainly not proportional […]

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From a failing heart in Hawaii to a transplant in Seattle, bridging the gap to a heart transplant

Julie Kobayashi, a 12-year-old girl from Hawaii, is Seattle Children’s third patient to receive the HeartMate II ventricular assist device (VAD), a device that allowed Julie to leave the hospital while waiting for a life-saving heart transplant. This is her story, from failing heart to transplant. Julie Kobayashi started feeling sick on a Saturday in […]

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A family comes full circle when a genetic mutation passes from grandmother to daughter to granddaughter

Meet Olivia Rickert and Michile Smith: Two generations apart, but linked forever by their special hands. When Olivia Rickert was still in utero, an ultrasound at 20 weeks revealed that she had inherited a genetic mutation passed down from her mother and maternal grandmother. In Olivia’s case, the mutation was expressed as a cleft (split) […]

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Hormone may be vital in improving brain development in premature babies

Update: In January 2020, the New England Journal of Medicine published results from the completed PENUT (Preterm Epo Neuroprotection) Trial. The study found that erythropoietin (Epo) treatment administered to extremely preterm infants did not result in a lower risk of neurodevelopmental disabilities when tested at 2 years of age. Babies receiving Epo as part of […]

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