Growth - Our Lady of the Lake Children`s Hospital

www.ololchildrens.org
e
e
W
Growth
Spring 2011
Indiyah’s Story
inside this
8
Homegrown Emergency
6
Driving the FutureGrowing to Meet the Need
Outgrowth of Artists Support
10
Welcome to
Believeng
Wee
Where Little Things Mean Everythi
Welcome to the spring issue of Wee Believe
magazine, filled with little stories and big
developments at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s
Hospital. With spring abloom and green foliage
budding, we reflect in this issue on growth.
All children deserve a chance to grow up
healthy. Children come to OLOL Children’s
Hospital because they are very sick or seriously
injured. In many cases, these children are given
a second chance at life, a chance to grow up
and hit that first home run, dance in a ballet
recital, get married, even have children of their
own one day.
Growing to meet a need for specialty care in
Louisiana so children don’t have to travel out of
state, OLOL Children’s Hospital has amassed an
impressive array of pediatric specialists, ready
and waiting should any child ever need help.
Perhaps one day, even a child you hold dear.
We are now growing partnerships with
supporters from around our state. In this issue,
you will also learn about novel ways we are
raising funds for our not-for-profit hospital
which treats all children in need regardless of
circumstance. Perhaps you will want to help.
Wee Believe is a publication designed to keep
you informed about, and hopefully involved
with, the amazing work being done at OLOL
Children’s Hospital.
We truly believe in making things better
for children.
Growth is never by mere chance; it is the
result of forces working together.
—James Cash Penney
ololchildrens.com
a prayer for peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
—St. Francis of Assisi
table of
contents
4
6
8
10
11
12
14
A Chance to Grow up
for Indiyah
Homegrown Emergency
Holden’s story
Kids Growing Obese
Because of Lack of Sleep?
Driving the FutureGrowing to meet the need
Outgrowth of Artists Support
Novel fundraising project
back for round two
Message from the Foundation
President/CEO
our mission
Inspired by the vision of St. Francis of Assisi
and in the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church,
we extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to
God’s people, especially those most in need.
We call forth all who serve in this healthcare ministry,
to share their gifts and talents to create a spirit of healing –
with reverence and love for all life, with joyfulness of spirit,
and with humility and justice for all those entrusted to our care.
We are, with God’s help, a healing and spiritual presence
for each other and for the communities we are privileged to serve.
On the cover and opposite page:
Indiyah Ned, Age 8, OLOL Children’s Hospital cardiology patient.
Cover Photography: Jeannie Frey Rhodes
The Giving Tree Grows Ideas
How you can help
All information provided on diagnosis
and therapy reflects the care environment
of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital
and related physician practices. It is not a substitute
for the professional judgment of a qualified
healthcare provider based upon actual examination
of a patient’s condition and history. Therefore, it
should not be construed as medical advice for
any particular patient’s condition, and may not
be altered in different care environments.
3
A Chance to Grow up for
Indiyah
4
Just this fall, Indiyah Ned was like
any other child enjoying classes at her
Eunice elementary school. Her mother
Tracy Ned remembers, “We’re talking
about a perfectly fine, healthy,
8–year-old; normal,
smart. I never
dreamed
this would
happen to
her.”
Things
changed in the
blink of an eye.
Indiyah was
experiencing upper
respiratory problems
and stomach pain
which necessitated a trip
to the local emergency
room. Once there, doctors
discovered Indiyah not only
had pneumonia but one of
her kidneys wasn’t getting
enough blood damaging
part of it.
Because that hospital
lacks pediatric specialists,
Indiyah was driven by
ambulance 85 miles to
Baton Rouge and Our
Lady of the Lake Children’s
Hospital, where pediatricians
trained in specialty care
were waiting. What they
discovered was troublesome
and highly unusual. Not only
was her kidney function an
issue, parts of her liver and
intestines were failing.
To donate visit ololchildrens.org
Tracy remembers doctors explaining
“basically her kidneys and some of her
other organs were starving for blood.”
Doctors discovered numerous tiny
blood clots in Indiyah’s kidney, liver,
intestines and brain.
When they scanned her chest,
doctors saw a large mass in Indiyah’s
left lower pulmonary vein, one of the
main veins that connects the lungs
back to the heart.
Indiyah was admitted to the
pediatric intensive care unit at OLOL
Children’s Hospital where specialists
began their detective work to try and
solve this medical mystery. Where
were all these tiny clots coming from?
What was the mass in her heart?
Pediatric cardiologist on the case Dr.
Les Hixon had several possibilities in
mind, saying, “There’s just something
there (in her heart). We don’t know
what it is. Is it infection? Is it a clot or
is it a mass like a tumor?”
Not only was her kidney
function an issue,
parts of her liver and
intestines were failing.
Tracy says it was the “toughest time
of my life. Keep in mind we were told
this could be cancer.”
Pediatric hematologist/ oncologist
Dr. Emma Jones began to run blood
tests to see if Indiyah might be
suffering from an underlying disorder
that made her blood more likely to clot.
Other doctors started Indiyah on a
special blood thinning medicine and
antibiotics. All of them kept watch.
Because so many different organ
systems were affected by Indiyah’s
illness, she required care from eight
different pediatric specialists at OLOL
Children’s Hospital. They are part of
a larger group of over 50 pediatric
specialists assembled in recent years
to treat Louisiana children here so
they don’t have to travel for that care.
Tracy is thankful for that, saying
even though they live an hour and a
half from Baton Rouge, being here was
great “compared with having to go out
of state. What a blessing.”
Specialists ruled out an infection,
and when the blood thinners began to
shrink the mass in Indiyah’s chest and
dissolve the smaller clots permeating
her tiny body, all indications were they
were dealing with a large blood clot
in Indiyah’s heart and not a tumor.
They theorized that the large clot was
throwing off smaller clots to Indiyah’s
other organs.
The cause is still somewhat of a
mystery. Remember that troublesome
case of pneumonia that sent Indiyah
to the emergency room in the first
place? Dr. Jones believes there was a
s Hixon checking
Cardiologist Dr. Le
Indiyah’s heart.
connection and that she was seeing,
“an abnormal inflammatory response
to a common respiratory infection
(mycoplasma pneumonia) that
put Indiyah at higher risk of blood
clotting.”
Dr. Jones says Indiyah’s case
is highly unusual and that “it may
be difficult to say exactly why this
happened to her. I can find only
two previously reported cases of
intracardiac clot associated with
mycoplasma infection.”
Dr. Hixon says they may never know
what caused the clot in Indiyah’s heart
and that, “I’ve never seen anything
like it before.” Nor apparently have
many other doctors across the
country. He says, “A pulmonary vein
thrombus (clot) is exceedingly rare in
children.”
Weeks at OLOL Children’s Hospital
saw Indiyah begin to turn the corner.
Today Indiyah takes injections of
blood thinners at home in her belly
twice a day to keep the same thing
from happening again. Indiyah
continues to be monitored by
many different specialists at OLOL
Children’s Hospital and makes regular
trips to Baton Rouge.
A scan of Indiyah’s heart shows a large mass
highlighted here.
“
OLOL Children’s
Hospital is the best.
I have never met
more caring, sincere
people in my life.
—Tracy Ned
”
Tracy says that until Indiyah’s illness
she was unaware there was a children’s
hospital in Baton Rouge, much less one
capable of offering the excellent care
that her daughter received at OLOL
Children’s Hospital. Tracy says, “OLOL
Children’s Hospital is the best. I have
never met more caring, sincere people
in my life. They became like family
for me and Indiyah. I’ve never met
people like that - hands down. Totally
impressive, nice without a reason, just
because - generous and joyful.”
The Ned family is joyful that Indiyah
is alive and recovering so beautifully
after all that has happened to her.
And while her long-term course of
treatment is still uncertain because her
condition is so rare, specialists at OLOL
Children’s Hospital will remain on the
case to make sure Indiyah continues on
her journey back to health.
Indiyah Ned is just
one of thousands of
children who travel
from across the state
to Baton Rouge to
seek specialty care
at OLOL Children’s
Hospital. Last year,
OLOL Children’s
Hospital treated
children from 59
of 64 Louisiana
parishes.
5
Homegrown
Emergency
Holden’s Story
W
6
hat parent hasn’t used a
sippy cup in that toddler
stage when a child doesn’t
take a bottle anymore but can’t drink
out of a regular cup without spilling?
Hard to imagine something so simple
and useful could, under the wrong
circumstances, become dangerous.
The Peterson family discovered just
that. Dad Dave Peterson had returned
from work with daughter Holden, age
3. Preparing for a quiet family night,
he handed Holden a snack and a drink
in a sippy cup and went to change his
clothes.
The next thing he says he heard
was “a cry like I have never heard
before. As a parent you know. It was
just a completely different cry.”
Dave ran to Holden’s bedroom
and found her on the floor where
she had fallen. When he rolled her
over, he received the shock of his life.
The sippy cup she was holding was
embedded in her face just above her
left eye.
Dave frantically loaded Holden
in his car and rushed to a local
emergency room. The staff there took
one look at Holden and sent her by
ambulance to the place best equipped
to help her, Our Lady of the Lake
Children’s Hospital, where pediatric
specialists are on staff, waiting to help
any child at any moment should the
unexpected happen.
“
A normal day had
turned quickly into
something blurry,
desperate. You’re
helpless to what
happened.
—Dave Peterson
”
Holden underwent cat scans so
the pediatric emergency team could
find out exactly what they were
dealing with. Once they looked at
the film, that team quickly called
neurosurgeon Dr. Gregory Fautheree,
who was on call that night.
Upon examining Holden, Dr.
Fautheree says he felt “sheer horror.
She had a sippy cup lodged above
her eyeball, in her eye socket. The
most frightening part of it was, when
I walked in, there was still soft drink
in the cup and it was pulsating up
and down with her heartbeat.”
Dr. Fautheree took Holden into
surgery to remove the cup. Once
scrubbed and in the operating
room, Dr. Fautheree discovered the
To donate visit ololchildrens.org
Photos taken in the
emergency room of
the cup
in Holden’s eye.
cup was stuck in the frontal lobe of
Holden’s brain. He says the straw of
the cup, shaped like a tea spout, had
fractured through bone and locked
in place. Dr. Fautheree had to take
part of Holden’s skull off to delicately
maneuver the spout out of Holden’s
brain and then repair the damage.
The situation was serious.
Dave remembers the long wait
outside of surgery at OLOL Children’s
Hospital and how vulnerable he felt
as a parent saying “a normal day had
turned quickly into something blurry,
desperate. You’re helpless to what
happened. And my God, is this going
to change her life and in what way?”
Because the brain’s frontal lobe
controls impulses, behavior and
some movement, Dr. Fautheree was
concerned as well. There was also
a chance spinal fluid might leak
through her eye. And because the
straw of the cup had been in Holden’s
mouth and a soft drink was involved,
Dr. Fautheree worried about
infection.
After two and a half hours in
surgery, Holden was moved into the
pediatric intensive care unit at OLOL
Children’s Hospital, the largest one
of its kind in our region.
There, a team of pediatric intensive
care specialists monitored Holden
round-the-clock. It was touch and
go, the first 24 hours being the most
critical.
While watching and waiting, Dave
remembers reflecting on the accident
itself.
Instinct told Dave to pull the sippy
cup out when he first found Holden
but something stopped him. Dave
says, “That wasn’t me. That was God
saying, ‘Don’t do that.’”
Dr. Fautheree says the fact that
Dave didn’t try to remove the cup is
in itself a miracle, that “Holden could
have bled to death.”
And there have been more miracles
for Holden.
Today, just months after the
accident, she seems like any other
normal 3-year-old; talking, walking,
running and jumping. And she can
see - her vision has been totally
unaffected. Dave says other than a
scar, a metal plate in her head and a
few screws,“there’s also nothing I can
tell that’s changed in her personality
in any way.”
Dr. Fautheree says, “If you can call
someone who had this happen to
them lucky, she is. The cup managed
to miss every major muscle and nerve
in her eye. I’m not even sure you can
tell she had brain surgery
at this point.”
Dave says he is
thankful Our Lady of the
Lake Children’s Hospital
was here when he and
his daughter needed help that only
specialists can provide. And as any
parent would feel after coming so
close to losing a child, Dave says he
now truly appreciates every moment
he has with his daughter – “I just
grab her and thank God everything
is okay.”
A scan
s
that ha hows the ou
tli
d beco
me lod ne of the cu
p
ged in
Holden (highlighted
)
’s brain
.
Dave Peterson and daughter Holden today.
7
Kids Growing Obese
Because of Lack of Sleep?
A
long with proper nutrition and
exercise, adequate sleep has
always been considered an
important component of a healthy
lifestyle for children. The latest
research is showing just how important
– sleep deprivation can actually set
children up for a host of diseases,
deficits in brain development and is
now being linked to obesity.
A new study just completed and
published by University of Chicago
researchers shows young children who
skimp on sleep have a four-fold risk of
obesity compared with their more wellrested peers.
Dr. David Thomas, one of the
only board certified pediatric sleep
specialists in our area, runs Our Lady
of the Lake Children’s Respiratory and
Sleep Center. He says sleep disorders
in children can fall into one of five
different categories: sleep disordered
breathing, movement disorders,
neurologic issues, behavioral and
reflux. Dr. Thomas treats children of all
ages and says that while infants may
8
have sleep disordered breathing (think
snoring, always a bad sign in babies)
teenagers’ sleep problems more often
stem from behavior. Specifically,
texting and talking on the phone,
watching TV or spending hours on
the computer or playing video games
(often two or more of these at once!)
Teens stay up until all hours of the
night engaged in these activities, then
have to get up early the next morning
to go to school. “Teenagers should go
to school later,” says Dr. Thomas, “Their
brains are wired for them to sleep later
until they’re 19 or 20.” Some states
have implemented later starting hours
for high schools, but since Louisiana
has yet to catch on to this trend, it
follows that teenagers here need to
switch off the
phones and
computers
and get
to bed
earlier.
And
the
To donate visit ololchildrens.org
modern technology that allows for
constant electronic communication
and entertainment isn’t the only thing
to blame. “What we’ve forgotten,”
continues Dr. Thomas, “is that in the
genes of every mammalian species
there is a clock whose timing is synced
with light and dark. You can only push
it so far.” And so far, we’ve pushed it to
becoming he says, “ a whole generation
of people who are basically sleep
deprived.”
It seems counterintuitive, but
people who deprive themselves of
sleep actually gain weight. Technology
presents a double whammy: while
robbing children of sleep, it fails to
provide any useful physical activity.
“It’s all about activity and sleep,” says
Dr. Thomas, “We weren’t made to sit
all day long. You can diet all you
want, but if you don’t change
your activity level, your
metabolism will
never rotate
upward”
and
get you to a healthy weight. If the time
spent not sleeping was spent on some
calorie-burning activity, this might
not be the case; most often children
spend it sitting with their brains
overstimulated by the television or
computer and their bodies motionless.
Inadequate sleep disrupts the body’s
metabolism and has an adverse effect
on the endocrine system, whose
hormones regulate hunger and
appetite. Sleep deprivation, inactivity
and a sluggish metabolism then
become a vicious circle.
And unlike most of that time in front
of the screen, “sleep is not a waste of
time,” Dr. Thomas emphasizes. The
body uses it to restore and recharge.
He says sleeping poorly actually causes
oxidative injury to the blood vessels,
leading to chronic inflammation, which
can cause many diseases, both physical
and neurological, including heart
disease.
The fix, he says, is behavioral and
needs to start when a child is 2-3 years
of age. “Train your children from the
time they’re infants to sleep according
to their biological clocks, which is
synced with light and dark. If you
allow preschool children to stay up
later, then sleep in, when school starts
they won’t be in sync.” A preschooler
needs to be in bed by 8 p.m. and should
get 10-12 hours of sleep. This routine
should continue through elementary
school. Teenagers can get by with nine
hours, but should get 10 for complete
body restoration if they’re performance
athletes.
Emma Rose Hatsu
ko Hanaki, Age 7,
wired up for her sle
ep test.
Your child is sleeping poorly and
it’s started to affect his health,
physically and/or emotionally.
Is there a breathing disorder?
Are there bladder issues? Is
medication interfering? What about
parasomnias, such as night terrors
or sleepwalking? Parents can get
to the bottom of their children’s
sleeping problems at the Our Lady
of the Lake Children’s Respiratory
and Sleep Center sleep lab, the
only one of its kind in our region.
A sleep lab doesn’t look like a
laboratory at all. Expanding soon,
the center now contains two rooms
that resemble hotel rooms, one with
a crib, the other with a full-sized
bed. Both contain Murphy beds for
accompanying parents. A control
room with monitors, computers and
other equipment is connected to both.
9
Driving the Future
Growing to meet the need
D
on’t miss your chance to take
the wheel and test drive an
exciting new fundraiser that will
‘Drive the Future’ for Our Lady of the
Lake Children’s Hospital.
For $50, you can purchase a ticket
for a chance to win one of five red
vehicles. From a luxury convertible to a
hybrid car, this raffle benefiting OLOL
Children’s Hospital is sure to have many
racing to buy a chance to win. Five carsFive winners!
All proceeds benefit lifesaving
care for children at OLOL Children’s
Hospital, which serves over 70,000
children annually and is a not-for-profit
hospital. OLOL Children’s Hospital
never turns a child away regardless of
ability to pay and relies on community
support like that you may be able to
provide with your ticket purchases!
Thanks to our sponsors WAFB
Channel 9, Price LeBlanc Automotive
Group, IBERIABANK, 100.7 the Tiger and
TALK 107.3 FM.
Tickets are on sale now. Five winners
will be drawn for the five vehicles on
Friday, May 20, on WAFB Channel 9.
Tickets can be purchased online
at www.ololchildrens.org or by
calling 855-50-DRIVE (1-855-5037483) or at the following locations:
IBERIABANK (Greater Baton Rouge
locations); Price LeBlanc Toyota;
Price LeBlanc Lexus; LeBlanc
Nissan; and Our Lady of the
Lake Foundation.
Five Cars, Five Winners!~
Toyota Tundra Double Cab Truck • Toyota Prius • Toyota Highlander
Lexus ISC (convertible) • Nissan 4-door Altima
Tickets available
here or check
online for other
locations
10
To donate visit ololchildrens.org
Price LeBlanc
Outgrowth of
Artists Support
Novel fundraising project back for round two
Across Louisiana, artists have
been dipping their brushes in color,
placing mosaic tiles, photographing
images or shaping clay- all to help the
children treated at Our Lady of the
Lake Children’s Hospital. Inspired by
the bravery and courage of the 70,000
children treated at OLOL Children’s
Hospital every year, more than 30 artists
have answered a call this year to unite to
serve those children.
These renowned artists have agreed
to donate their time and talent to create
one-of-a-kind wooden serving trays
that are being auctioned online now.
Serving the Children-Artists Unite is an
innovative project now in its second year
that unites the creative arts community
in a fundraising effort for OLOL
Children’s Hospital.
Last year 25 rectangular wooden
serving trays created by 25 artists
brought in $25,000 to fund lifesaving
care for the patients treated at OLOL
Children’s Hospital. OLOL Children’s
Hospital is a not-for-profit hospital that
treats all children in need regardless of
ability to pay.
Rhea Gary
This year the trays are an assortment
of round and square shapes. Participating
artists come from as far away as New
Orleans and Lafayette and as close
as Baton Rouge; mirroring the young
patients treated at OLOL Children’s
Hospital who come from across
the state. Last calendar year, OLOL
Children’s Hospital treated children from
59 of 64 Louisiana parishes.
The tray auction will culminate the
night of the OLOL Children’s Hospital
Fiesta on May 12 at the Louisiana
Governor’s Mansion. That’s just one
reason Supriya Jindal and daughter Selia
are each creating trays for the auction.
Supriya Jindal says, “What an
inspiration! It is truly amazing to witness
the bravery and optimism in the eyes
of our young children who battle with
courage day in and day out. With these
young patients and their families in my
thoughts and prayers, I am honored to
be a part of OLOL’s ‘Serving the Children’
project.”
If you’d like a firsthand look at the
trays, look for them on display in
Tsunami Sushi Restaurant at the Shaw
Katherine Rutledge
Hannah Lane
Center for the Arts in downtown
Baton Rouge.
You can be a part of this effort and
perhaps become the proud owner of a
one-of-a-kind piece of art. You can see
photos of the trays and place your bid
by going to www.ololchildrens.org.
Pictured above: First Lady Supriya Jindal with the tray she
created to serve the children at OLOL Children’s Hospital
(left). Daughter Selia even got in on the act (right).
Thanks to these amazing artists
who are serving the needs of
children we treat by donating
their incredible time and talent.
Alvin Batiste
Hannah Lane
Tony Bernard
Kevin Leblanc
Helen Bolin
Leigh Ann Maddox
Billie Bourgeois
Thad Morgan
Jo Busse
Tony Mose
Louis DeAngelo
Jennifer Oliver
Mary Claire Delony Jeannie Frey Rhodes
Tanya Dischler
Katherine Rutledge
Erin Chance
Danni Shobe
Fenstermaker
Dixon Smith
Ginger Ford
Saliha Staib
Rhea Gary
Donna West
Marita Gentry
Stephen Wilson
David Harouni
Plus a special tray
Lauren Barksdale Hill created by pediatric
cancer patients
David Humphreys
at OLOL
Amy James
Children’s Hospital
Jeanne James
Handles on trays
handcrafted
by metal
Selia Jindal
artist Hank Chiro
Supriya Jindal
11
In addition to more than 100
pediatricians and family practice
doctors, these pediatric specialists
offer services here:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
John deBack, MD
Warren Trask, MD
Melissa Watson, MD
Pediatric Allergy & Immunology
Theron McCormick, MD
Sandhya Mani, MD
Pediatric Anesthesiology
Abe Reddy, MD
Pediatric Cardiology
Michael Brumund, MD
Michael Crapanzano, MD
R. Lester Hixon, MD
Pediatric Critical Care
Brian Binck, MD
Kelechi Iheagwara, MD
Firdous Laique, MD
Stephen Papizan, MD
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Urvashi Barua, MD
Shannon Boudreaux, MD
Angela Byrd, MD
Richard Lasseigne, MD
Brian Stout, MD
Cristina Zeretzke, MD
Pediatric Endocrinology
Chantal Lutfallah, MD
Pediatric Gastroenterology
J. Brannon Alberty, MD
Ian Kang, MD
Patrice Tyson, MD (August 2011)
Pediatric Genetics
Duane Superneau, MD
Pediatric Hematology/
Oncology
Jeffrey Deyo, MD, PhD
Andrea Dimond, MD
Emma Jones, MD,
Sheila L. Moore, MD
12
Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Lynzie Boudreaux, MD
Natalie Evans, MD
Erin Hauck, MD
Clay Jones, MD
Shaun Kemmerly, MD
Steve Narang, MD
Erika Rabalais, MD
Pediatric Infectious Disease
Michael Bolton, MD (July 2011)
Karen Williams, MD
Pediatric Nephrology
Ghazala Abuazza, MD
Scott Williams, MD
Pediatric Neurology
Barbara J. Golden, MD
Charlotte A. Hollman, MD
Lalania K. Schexnayder, MD
Pediatric Developmental
Medicine
Steven Felix, MD
Pediatric Neurosurgery
Allen S. Joseph, MD
Scott Soleau, MD
Pediatric Ophthalmology
Andrew Black, MD
Bradley Black, MD
Candace Collins, MD
Stephen Sessums, MD
Pamela Williams, MD
Pediatric Orthopedics
Tina Creekmore, MD
Michael A. Frierson, MD
Pediatric Pulmonology
Rafael Cilloniz, MD
Thomas Horsman, MD
David Thomas, MD
Pediatric Surgery
Faith Hansbrough, MD
John B. Lopoo, Jr., MD
J. Robert Upp, Jr., MD
ololchildrens.org
To donate visit ololchildrens.org
A Message from
the Foundation’s
President/CEO
If you love a
child, the stories
in this issue
may have you
thinking, “That
could have been
_______”. To
those of us with
children, the reason our child might
end up at Our Lady of the Lake (OLOL)
Children’s Hospital isn’t as important
as how quickly the healing process
can begin. When accidents happen
or an initial diagnosis is made, no
parent is completely ready for what
will happen. Ironically, parents then
place their trust in a person they have
traditionally warned their children
about – a stranger. In this case, the
stranger is a specialist, a doctor with
additional training in a particular
medical specialty.
OLOL Children’s Hospital has over
50 Pediatric Specialists and another
group of specialists who treat both
children and adults. Unlike the
strangers we warn our children about,
these special people don’t remain
strangers for long. In these stories,
the stranger becomes a hero and a
person to whom families are forever
grateful. A parent of a child who
experiences a head trauma requiring
surgery probably never knew OLOL
Children’s Hospital has neurosurgeons
on call 24/7/365, but I can guarantee
you they will never forget the name
of the neurosurgeon who operated on
their child.
Head traumas aren’t the only
emergencies treated at OLOL
Children’s Hospital and neurosurgeons
aren’t the only specialists standing by.
We are blessed to also have pediatric
specialists in 21 other specialties, ready
whenever one of our children requires
their expertise. Almost half of these
specialists (see the list on page 12)
have been recruited to OLOL Children’s
Hospital in the past four years
and have allowed us to treat more
Louisiana children closer to home. One
of the reasons we have been successful
in recruiting these specialists is
because of your generosity. A
significant percentage of the money
we raise for OLOL Children’s Hospital
goes to purchase equipment and
instrumentation so these specialists
have everything they need to save
lives and do their job. This equipment
is expensive and requires frequent
upgrading or replacement but, because
of the generosity of our donors and
supporters, we’ve never had to tell
them “no”. The cost of this equipment
rises each year and we’ve always been
blessed to raise the money we need.
Even with our recent recruiting
success, we can’t overlook the pediatric
specialists who came before we had
a dedicated children’s hospital at
OLOL and provided a critical need for
the children in our community. They
were an answer to the prayers of local
pediatricians, who were sending their
complex patients away from Baton
Rouge. In some cases, they endured
years of practicing by themselves and
being “on call” every night. No matter
how much OLOL Children’s Hospital
grows, these pioneers will always be
remembered for the sacrifice they
made and continue to make for our
children and our community.
Contrary to what we sometimes
think, our children don’t grow up
overnight. OLOL Children’s Hospital
is no different. When I look back on
the last four years, I am amazed at our
growth. What will the next four years
look like? Or the next decade? One
thing is certain – our reliance on the
financial support of our community
will be greater with each passing
year. You may have read elsewhere
in this issue that OLOL Children’s
Hospital treated children from 59 of
64 Louisiana parishes in 2010. I don’t
know if we’ll treat children from the
five remaining parishes in 2011, but I
am certain we will continue to see a
growth in the total number of children
we treat. The numbers do not lie.
Each year we recruit more pediatric
specialists, which allows more
Louisiana families to seek specialized
pediatric care close to home. The
cycle never stops and we are taking
important steps to make sure we are
always ready for the next patient and,
as a result, our need for your financial
support is greater today than it has
ever been. Your donations ensure
that our mission to treat all of God’s
children, especially those most in
need, is never compromised. Whether
you make an online donation at www.
ololchildrens.org , mail a donation in
the enclosed envelope or purchase
“Driving the Future” raffle tickets;
you will be helping create a brighter
future for the children in Louisiana.
One of the most difficult things
for our doctors, nurses, therapists,
clinicians and staff is when they have
to transfer a patient out of state for
care we don’t yet provide at OLOL
Children’s Hospital. As hard as it is
to say goodbye, we all know it’s in the
best interest of the child. Although
the number of transfers declines each
year, I pray for the day there are so few,
I can name all of the patients.
The idea for a multi-vehicle raffle
and the name “Driving the Future”
came from our Community Relations
Director, Melissa Anderson. At the
time, she explained to me that raffling
off five red vehicles would not only
raise much needed funds, but also raise
awareness about our children’s hospital
and the lifesaving care provided every
day. She explained that the purchase
of a $50 ticket would help “Drive the
Future” for OLOL Children’s Hospital.
She was right and now you have the
opportunity to help us “Drive the
Future”. Please consider purchasing
tickets and/or “Driving it On” by
e-mailing your family and friends
across Louisiana and the country
and asking them to take part in this
exciting contest. For the cost of
a dinner for two, you can help our
children’s hospital and take a chance
on winning one or more of five vehicles
from the Price LeBlanc Automotive
Group – a Lexus ISC convertible, a
Toyota Tundra Double Cab Truck, a
Toyota Highlander, a Toyota Prius or
a Nissan Altima. Five Vehicles, Five
Winners!
Thank you for your past support
and for considering a donation or the
purchase of raffle tickets. With your
help, our Children’s Hospital continues
to grow each day. Please Drive it On!
John Paul Funes
Our Lady of the Lake Foundation
13
GIVINGtree
the
Do you have a great idea that benefits lifesaving care
for children at OLOL Children’s Hospital?
Contact Teddi Hessburg at [email protected] for more information.
Twilight a
Highlight
Twilight star Kellan
Lutz spends time
making new friends
smile during his visit
to OLOL Children’s
Hospital.
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Whole Nine Yards
Once again, Whole Foods and its
customers go all the way to help the
children at OLOL Children’s Hospital.
Kelly LeFevre of Whole Foods delivers
gifts for the kids, donated by Whole
Foods patrons during their “Giving
Tree” campaign.
Philanthropy Parade
Shintech continued their tradition of
giving to OLOL Children’s Hospital over
the Christmas holidays by donating toys,
games, electronics and wagons. Patients
at OLOL Children’s Hospital are riding
in style in 25 brand new Cozy Coupes
donated by Shintech employees.
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Saunders Lux Jeweler helps kids at OLOL
Children’s Hospital by raising $3,000
through an in-house jewelry auction.
Our Lady of the Lake Foundation
5000 Hennessy Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4398
Address Service Requested
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Baton Rouge, LA
Permit No. 753
Events
Annual Ace Hardware Cajun Classic Golf Tournament
The Lakes at Pelican Point
April 28
Kids Healthy Fun Fest
Mall of Louisiana
April 30, 10am-2pm
Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital Fiesta featuring
the “Serving the Children-Artists Unite” Tray auction
The Louisiana Governor’s Mansion hosted by Coach Les and Kathy Miles
May 12, 6:30pm-10pm
“Driving the Future” Live Drawing on WAFB
Five Vehicles, Five Winners!
May 20
Formosa Plastics Children’s Miracle Network
Golf Tournament
The Lakes at Pelican Point
May 21
For more information on Our Lady
of the Lake Children’s Hospital or
Wee Believe magazine, please contact:
Melissa Lewis Anderson
Community Relations Director
OLOL Foundation
5000 Hennessy Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Phone (225) 765-5016
Fax (225) 765-6480
[email protected]
Wee Believe is published by OLOL
Foundation Copyright 2011
Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, Inc.
If you know someone who would like to receive Wee Believe, please
let us know by going to ololchildrens.org or call (225) 765-5951.
Five Cars,
Five Winners
Purchase raffle tickets at ololchildrens.org or 1-855-50-DRIVE
To give visit ololchildrens.org
'Like' Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital on Facebook!
FOU-351(4/11)BRP