Comfy Critters

Over the past week my kiddos have enjoyed playing and cuddling up to some awesome new Comfy Critters! 

Comfy Critters are the first huggable and snuggable hooded blanket. From playtime to bedtime, they are designed to spark a child's imagination! 

Comfy Critters make the perfect gift! For each Comfy Critter purchased during December using the discount code BUY1GIVE1 a comfy critter will be donated to each child at Atlanta's Scottish Rite Children's Hosptial during this holiday season! There are many different characters to choose from. Among them are a cat, a unicorn. A monkey and many more!! 

You can visit www.mycomfycritters.com to purchase. 

So what are you waiting for? Go grab one for your child and help put smile on a child's face in the hospital this holiday season! 

How do you give back during the holidays?

You can help give back this holiday season by purchasing tickets to this spectacular event this holiday season!! 

Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes

Nov. 12 Performance to Benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

 

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes is returning to Atlanta's Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center with an all new show for the first time in four years this holiday season. For one night only, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m., proceeds from the show will benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. 

This timeless holiday tradition offers something for everyone: the Rockettes will perform five new numbers as well as cherished favorites like the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and the Living Nativity, all while showcasing their signature eye-high kicks and new costumes and sets. Bring the whole family!

Tickets to this special performance are available exclusively on the Children's website. Also being offered are priceless behind-the-scenes experiences, such as a dance class taught by the Rockettes. This event is made possible by our generous sponsor, Delta Air Lines. For more information and to purchase tickets, visitwww.choa.org/rockettes.

 

Support Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities and win a 2014 BMW

Help support Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities and you could win a. Rand new 2014 BMW! 

There is no time more difficult in a family’s life than when a child is sick or injured. BMW is proud to join ARMHC and help these families find comfort and hope during their time of need,” said Wayne Schulte, Field Marketing Manager for BMW of North America, Southern Region.

This year’s grand prize winner will drive away in a 2014 BMW Z4 sDrive 28i valued at $50,675. 

The second prize winner will receive a $2,500 shopping spree courtesy of H. Stockton. The third prize is a suite of jewelry from Mayors Jewelers at Phipps Plaza.

Raffle tickets are $100 each with 100% of the net proceeds benefiting the two Atlanta Ronald McDonald Houses. Tickets are available until December 4, 2013 by visiting www.armhc.org or by calling (678) 704-8097.

Since the annual car raffle began 15 years ago, more than $1.75 million has been raised to help fund the operations of Atlanta’s two Ronald McDonald Houses.

About Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities:

ARMHC is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to serving the needs of children by providing temporary housing and support services to families of critically ill and injured children being treated at local hospitals. The two Atlanta Houses have provided a home away from home to more than 42,000 families since the first Atlanta House opened in 1979. For more information about ARMHC, please visit www.armhc.org or call (404) 315-1133.

At the Ronald McDonald House, families can enjoy many of the comforts of home, receive nutritious meals prepared and served by volunteers and obtain emotional support through contact with other families experiencing similar situations. No family is turned away if they cannot afford the small $20 requested contribution and many of these families stay at the Ronald McDonald House for weeks, and sometimes months, while their children receive medical treatment. 

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Offers Back-to-School Tips

                                Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Offers Back-to-School Tips

              Doctors recommend ways to keep children healthy as they head into the classroom

 

When it is time to go back to school, your kids' focus should be to learn important things like reading, writing and arithmetic. Your focus, as a parent, should remain the same–keeping your kids healthy so they can learn and grow.

 

To help you do that, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta offers some back-to-school tips centered on common school-related issues:

 

·         Backpack Safety - Backpacks are a very handy way for your child to carry his books and other school materials, but they can also put strain on his back muscles and joints and cause back pain if used incorrectly.

·         Sleep - During summer vacation, many children and teens get to stay up later and sleep in longer than they would during the school year. This shift often makes returning to an earlier schedule difficult. Getting enough sleep is important to a student's physical health and school performance.

·         Germs - Exposure to germs can be a big problem as children go back to school. Germs can be found in all kinds of places and can be spread by any child, adolescent, teen or adult. Addressing the spread of germs in schools is essential to the health of your child. Nearly 22 million school days are lost in the U.S. each year due to the common cold alone.

·         Healthy Lunches - Eating a healthy lunch at school is just as essential as having the proper supplies like backpacks, paper and pencils. Whether your child gets their lunch from the school cafeteria or brings a meal from home, it is important to ensure they are eating a well-balanced meal that provides them with the proper daily nutrients. For more info you can also visit www.strong4life.com

For more detailed information about Children’s Back-to-School tips, visit www.choa.org/backtoschool 

 

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Urges Families to Leave Fireworks to the Professionals

Fire

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is reminding families to be safe this July 4th and avoid directly handling fire-related devices like fireworks and sparklers. During this time of celebration, Children's urges everyone to leave fireworks to the professionals.

"The Fourth of July is an occasion to celebrate outdoors and spend time with family, but nothing ruins a party like a trip to the emergency room," says James Fortenberry, M.D., Director of Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrician-in-Chief at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. "With the long list of local professional firework displays available, there's no reason to risk life-threatening injuries and burns by putting on your own show. Leave the fireworks to trained professionals."

According to the National Fire Protection Association, during the weeks surrounding July 4th an average of 200 people visit an emergency room with fireworks-related injuries. Fifty-seven percent of all fireworks-related injuries occur during this time each year. The risk of fireworks injury is highest for children ages five to 14, with more than twice the risk for the general population.

Children under 15 years old account for 39 percent of the estimated fireworks injuries, which can include burns, contusions/lacerations, concussion, scarring and even death, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

A list of some Atlanta-area public firework shows can be found here. For more tips on summer safety from Children's, please visit www.choa.org/summersafety.

Feb 12-CHD Awareness- Lance's Story

Lance is a very happy-go-lucky 9 year old that sees the good in people and in life. When he was born, we had no idea he had any heart defects, but soon found out what would change our lives forever. Lance was born with an underdeveloped right ventricle and two holes in his heart. When he was 6 months old he had his first open heart surgery and recovered quite well from this surgery. Our lives seemed to be back to normal and that is how we strive to keep his life "normal" as possible. However, 4 years later he got really sick and we were told that he needed his next surgery which was the Fontan, this surgery made us very nervous, because we were told that this surgery would mean some time down the line, he would need a heart transplant. We had no choice, he was too sick to not have the surgery. We just prayed that he would be in the category of "needing a transplant" twenty years after the Fontan. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, Lance's Fontan was considered to be a " Failed Fontan". I will never forget that feeling, when I heard that term! It stills makes me sick to my stomach. After a couple attempts to help his heart, we had no choice, Lance needed a new heart. So many emotions rush to me whilewriting this...After going through the whole process, Lance was listed for his heart as "A1" status. Our prayers were answered very quickly, he got his gift of life 5 days from the date he was listed. We are so thankful for the donor's family, they were going through such a difficult time, yet they had enough heart to save so many others' lives. We think of them often and hope to meet them one day. We understand if this day doesn't come,but if it does, it will be in their time. Lance leads a very active life and is involved in so many sports and activities. Thank you for taking the time to read Lance's story and hope it raises awareness to DONATE LIFE!!

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=a866f4778759ac671e264e&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Feb. 11-CHD Awareness- Braden's Story

Braden was born December 7th, 2009. He was diagnosed in utero with Coarctation of the Aorta (CoA). After he was born, things seemed to improve and we were sent home from the birthing hospital. Two days later, December 14th, we saw our pediatrician for a routine check-up. Dr. Setia discovered Braden had no palpable pulses in his legs and we were immediately sent to Dr. Videlefsky’s office. Once arriving there, an Echocardiogram and EKG were performed. Braden was then transferred to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. We handed over our perfect, beautiful baby boy. A few hours later, we were allowed back into the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) to see him. He looked so pitiful. He was hooked up to so many machines and had IVs and oxygen. It was absolutely unreal to see him that way. We were told the Coarctation of the Aorta was present and they would be performing surgery. On December 16th, at 9 days old, Braden had his first heart surgery. They separated his ribcage and entered below his shoulder blade. The CoA was repaired. The surgeon also discovered Braden had a Hypoplastic Aortic Arch. They did a left subclavian artery flap to repair it. He struggled post-op and remained on the ventilator longer than we expected. Once it was removed, he drastically declined and they had to reinsert it. Finally, on December 23rd, we were able to take our precious baby home, just in time for Christmas. He was too weak to suck a bottle so he came home with a Nasogastric tube for feeding. Unfortunately, on January 4th, Braden began to drastically decline and we rushed him into CHOA. Pressures in Braden’s lungs had changed and it revealed several VSDs in his heart also known as Swiss Cheese VSDs. He underwent his second heart surgery on January 12th, 2010. The surgeon placed a Pulmonary Artery band to help slow the blood flow to his lungs. After struggling yet again to come off the ventilator, and needing to be re-intubated, we finally returned home on January 19th. Sadly, our stay at home was short lived. Something was not right with Braden. We made several trips into the ER for respiratory distress. Braden was once again readmitted to the hospital. After staying for a week, it was discovered that Braden was micro-aspirating. He was aspirating everything he ate, along with reflux. On March 11th, 2010, Braden underwent his 3rd surgery. He had a Nissen Fundoplication and a G-tube inserted. He finally came home, but was on oxygen due to issues with his pulse ox after all the damage that was caused to his lungs. We continued to follow up with our cardiologist, pulmonologist and Gastroenterologist. Braden had several hospital admissions from his discharge in March until July. In July 2010, Braden underwent a heart cath to check things over. We were very blessed to have been able to avoid the hospital from August-November .Braden finally was strong enough and was removed for Oxygen in November. In December 2010, Braden had a heart cath done. It revealed that the Pulmonary Artery Band was ready to be removed. On January 11th, 2011, Braden underwent his 3rd heart surgery and 4th overall surgery. The Pulmonary Artery band was removed, an ASD was closed and approximately 6 VSDs were closed as well. There was some damage done to his heart in the form of dilation and thickening of the heart muscles. It was thought to be related to the Pulmonary Artery banding and we were optimistic it would slowly improve as time went on. We continued to follow up with our doctors, mainly Cardiology. In April 2012, a heart cath was done. It showed signs of (RCM) Restrictive Cardiomyopathy but no official diagnosis was made. We didn’t get discouraged and continued following up with the cardiologist. In July, 2012, Dr. Videlefsky recommended we make a visit to Dr. Mahle, Egleston’s Transplant doctor. Our lives changed in a way they had never changed before. Dr. Mahle not only confirmed the diagnosis of RCM, but told us our only option for Braden would be transplant. Thankfully Braden remains stable so they are able to hold off and not list him yet. We ask for prayers to keep our son stable as long as possible. The doctors are projecting that Braden will be listed and possibly transplanted within the next three years. Nothing is a guarantee. He could decline tomorrow and need to be listed. Every day with him is a blessing.