Nashawnte is a 9 year old diagnosed with pancreatitis. When her pancreatitis flairs up she has a lot of pain and has to go to the hospital. Sometimes she has to have an NJ tube inserted which requires sedation. She’s SCARED of sedation but has been working very hard to overcome her fears! Learn more about what to expect when getting anesthesia.
Cody has cancer and also has had a hard tough taking his medication. He has to swallow many large pills for his medication. While this has been difficult, Cody has learned some tips and ways to help get him used to swallowing medicine. Watch as Cody walks through a few different techniques.
You can also learn more about medicine and what it does for you in our health library!
Tyler’s gives tips and advice to kids and parents who are going through divorce.
Divorce is stressful for parents and kids alike. Although reactions will depend on a child’s age, temperament, and the circumstances surrounding the split, many kids feel sad, frustrated, angry, and anxious — and it’s not uncommon for them to act out because of those feelings.
Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose (pronounced: gloo-kose), a sugar that is the body’s main source of fuel. Like a CD player need batteries, your body needs glucose to keep running. Here’s how it should work.
You eat. Glucose from the food enters your bloodstream. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin (pronounced: in-suh-lin). Insulin helps the glucose get into the body’s cells. Your body gets the energy it needs.
The pancreas is a long, flat gland in your belly that helps your body digest food. It also makes insulin. Insulin is kind of like a key that opens the doors to the cells of the body. It lets the glucose in. Then the glucose can move out of the blood and into the cells.
But if someone has diabetes, the body either can’t make insulin or the insulin doesn’t work in the body like it should. The glucose can’t get into the cells normally, so the blood sugar level gets too high. Lots of sugar in the blood makes people sick if they don’t get treatment.
Georgia is 14 years old and has Crohn’s disease. In this video, which is part 1 of 2, Georgia answers the question’s of ‘what is Crohn’s disease?’, ‘how did you learn that you had Crohn’s disease?’, ‘what was it like being in the hospital for so long?’, ‘what helped you cope?’, ‘how do you manage day-to-day?’, and ‘how did kids at school react?’. Watch as Georgia carefully explains how she has overcome great difficulty to live happier and healthier while managing her disease.
View Part 2 of Georgia’s story
The two most common types of IBD are called Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (say: ul-sur-uh-tiv keh-lye-tis).
Crohn’s disease most often develops where the small and large intestines meet and usually causes all layers of the intestinal wall to become sore, inflamed, and swollen. Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the digestive tract, including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestines, large intestines, and anus.
Sometimes all you need to relax and calm down is to focus on taking deep breathes. Watch as Amber shows us some techniques for deep belly breathing.
What’s something that you do all day, every day, no matter where you are or who you’re with?
(a) think about what’s for lunch tomorrow
(b) put your finger in your nose
(c) hum your favorite song
(d) breathe
It’s possible that some kids could say (a) or (c) or that others might even say — yikes! — (b). But every single person in the world has to say (d). Breathing air is necessary for keeping humans (and many animals) alive. And the two parts that are large and in charge when it comes to breathing? If you guessed your lungs, you’re right!
Your lungs make up one of the largest organs in your body, and they work with your respiratory system to allow you to take in fresh air, get rid of stale air, and even talk. Let’s take a tour of the lungs!
Tabitha is 15 years old and has both cystic fibrosis and diabetes. Despite her illness Tabitha is extremely positive and some great words of encouragement for others that are going through a tough time or dealing with illness. Watch more videos from Tabitha!
Kids who have CF have to take care of themselves, but thanks to a better understanding of what causes CF and improved treatment, they can go to school and do regular stuff, just like other kids. Meanwhile, researchers are working on even better treatments and hoping that one day there will be a cure. Learn more
Juliana is a brain tumor survivor. She talks about the complications through the years and how she has used art and family to help her through tough times.
A tumor is any mass caused by abnormal or uncontrolled growth of cells. Tumors in the brain are categorized according to several factors, including where they’re located, the type of cells involved, and how quickly they’re growing. Learn more
Vanessa’s younger brother Caleb was diagnosed with cancer when he was 13 years old. Watch as Vanessa talks about how she and her family worked through Caleb’s treatment and helped support one another.
Siblings can be many things: friends, allies, role models — and let’s face it, pests. (Of course, it goes without saying that if you’ve got a sibling, you are a sibling!)
But when your sibling has a serious illness, like cancer or autism, it adds another dimension to your relationship — and to your life. You may find yourself juggling some pretty intense and confusing emotions. You’re not alone in feeling this way, and it’s important to take care of yourself during this stressful time. Learn more about how to cope with a sick sibling.
Dominique helps us understand the fears of cancer and explains ways in which he deals with fear.
Fear is one of the most basic human emotions. It is programmed into the nervous system and works like an instinct. From the time we’re infants, we are equipped with the survival instincts necessary to respond with fear when we sense danger or feel unsafe.
Fear helps protect us. It makes us alert to danger and prepares us to deal with it. Feeling afraid is very natural — and helpful — in some situations. Fear can be like a warning, a signal that cautions us to be careful. Learn more
Deontay has Hodgkin lymphoma cancer. Is this segment he talks about getting his treatment at Kosair Children’s Hospital and the things that he enjoys while being at the hospital. Hodgkin disease, or Hodgkin lymphoma, is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
Decades of pediatric expertise, comprehensive treatment and support services make Kosair Children’s Hospital an excellent choice for the treatment of all forms of childhood and adolescent cancers. Their multidisciplinary approach to children’s care integrates the efforts of many specialists in cancer, including oncologists, surgeons, nurses, social workers, chaplains and pharmacists. Learn more about the unique features for fighting cancer at Kosair Children’s Hospital.
Cameron explains what sickle cell is and how he deals with the pain.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder in which red blood cells (RBCs) are abnormally shaped. This abnormality can result in painful episodes, serious infections, chronic anemia, and damage to body organs.
These complications can, however, vary from person to person depending on the type of sickle cell disease each has. Some people are relatively healthy and others are hospitalized frequently.
But thanks to advancements in early diagnosis and treatment, most kids born with this disorder grow up to live relatively healthy and productive lives. Read More
Callie shows some breathing techniques and ways to cope with Vocal Chord Dysfunction (VCD) and Stress. Callie’s VCD was a result of her asthma.
People who have asthma might cough or wheeze, two sounds that come from the lungs. Be sure to tell a parent or check with your doctor anytime your breathing is unusually noisy or you have trouble breathing. Learn more about asthma and the sounds, signs, and symptoms at the Asthma Center.
Kristen is 18 years old and has acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the body’s white blood cells (WBCs).
Normally, WBCs help fight infection and protect the body against disease. But in leukemia, WBCs turn cancerous and multiply when they shouldn’t, resulting in too many abnormal WBCs, which then interfere with organ function.
Thanks to advances in therapy and clinical trials, the outlook for kids with AML is promising. With treatment, most are cured.
Learn more: About Leukemia | Causes | Signs and Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Coping
Kristen is 18 years old and is undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This type of leukemia affects 20% of kids with this cancer of the blood cells. Watch as Kristen demonstrates going through her treatments and administering her shots.
Treatment is divided into two phases. The goal of the first phase, called induction, is to kill as many cancer cells as possible and achieve remission (a state where there is no evidence of disease in the body). The second phase (called post-remission, consolidation, or continuation therapy) is designed to eliminate any remaining leukemia cells.
When was the last time you had a stomachache? It’s normal for all kids to get bellyaches once in a while. But some kids get bad stomach pain all the time. They are tired and even feel like they might throw up. Some of these kids may have what’s called inflammatory bowel disease (or IBD).
About 1 million Americans have IBD, and 30,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. IBD, which can be diagnosed at any age, most often affects people between 15 and 35 years old but has even been found in babies as young as 18 months old! In the United States, it’s thought that as many as 100,000 kids younger than 18 years old have IBD.
So, just what is IBD? How do you know if you have it? And what help is available if you do? Learn more
Watch as Hayley talks about dealing with cystic fibrosis and goes through her treatments.
Doctors and people with CF can do several things to slow the progression of the disease and fight its complications. To loosen mucus, people with CF exercise regularly and may use inhalers (like kids with asthma use) or nebulizers that help deliver medication to the lungs.
Coughing helps people with CF clear the mucus from their lungs. They may also take antibiotics to prevent or fight lung infections. Chest physical therapy may also be an important part of a person’s CF treatment routine. After lying down in a position that helps drain mucus from the lungs, the person has a helper, such as a parent, gently bang on his or her chest or back to loosen the mucus. And a newer device called a therapy vest that shakes the chest allows teens to be more independent by doing their therapy on their own.
Hannah is 9 years old and would like to offer a few tips for you when you are getting an IV.
IVs are a way to get fluids or medicines directly into a person’s vein. IV is short for intravenous. Yes, there’s a needle involved — but only for a couple of seconds. Watch additional videos on how this process works.
Seth Jacobs has cystic fibrosis and has created this video to explain how he deals with CF.
Right now, there is no cure for CF. Even if symptoms are mild at first, they get steadily worse over time.
But there is hope. Fifteen years ago, most children with CF would die before reaching their teens. Now, with new treatments available, more than half live into their thirties, and new research is leading to the possibility of a cure. Statistics now show that nearly 40% of the people living with CF in the United States are 18 years or older.
Learn more about living with CF.
Lanie is 12 years old and has cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease that causes the body to produce mucus that’s extremely thick and sticky. The mucus in people with CF is thicker than normal because CF affects cells in the epithelium (pronounced: eh-puh-thee-lee-um), the layer of cells that lines the passages in the body’s organs. In a person who does not have CF, the epithelial cells produce a thin, watery mucus that acts like a lubricant and helps protect the body’s tissues. In a person with CF, however, the thicker mucus doesn’t move as easily. This thick, sticky mucus clogs passages in many of the body’s organs and infection sets in.
Learn more about living with cystic fibrosis.
Hannah is 9 years old and is coping with ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease.
Inflammatory bowel disease can cause symptoms that range from mild to severe. Symptoms include, but are not limited to diarrhea that occurs again and again, with or without blood in the bowel movements, rectal bleeding (blood coming out of your rear end), large weight loss over a short period of time, fatigue, abdominal pain and crampiness that occurs again and again, delayed growth and development.
The most common symptom of ulcerative colitis is loose (and bloody, if a person has ulcers) stools. Sometimes, going to the bathroom can be crampy and painful.
Nashawnte is a 9 year old diagnosed with pancreatitis. When her pancreatitis flairs up she has a lot of pain and has to go to the hospital. Sometimes she has to have an NJ tube inserted which requires sedation. She’s SCARED of sedation but has been working very hard to overcome her fears! Learn more [...]
Cody has cancer and also has had a hard tough taking his medication. He has to swallow many large pills for his medication. While this has been difficult, Cody has learned some tips and ways to help get him used to swallowing medicine. Watch as Cody walks through a few different techniques. You can also [...]
Tyler’s gives tips and advice to kids and parents who are going through divorce. Divorce is stressful for parents and kids alike. Although reactions will depend on a child’s age, temperament, and the circumstances surrounding the split, many kids feel sad, frustrated, angry, and anxious — and it’s not uncommon for them to act out because [...]
