Looking beyond the horizon - Miami Children's Hospital Foundation

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SuccessLinet Achieves HerMilestonesFirst feedings and potty training successesare developmental milestones that mothersand fathers take quiet delight in recognizing.But for the parents of Linet Travieso, theseseemingly routine accomplishments havebeen cause for major family celebration.Thanks to Dr. Stylianos, we have theperfect baby girl we dreamed of.— Elizabeth Alvarez, Linet’s motherBorn in August 2006 with an esophagus thatwas connected to her trachea and withoutan anus, tiny Linet was transferred to MiamiChildren’s Hospital within hours of her birth.In 2007, with five major reconstructivesurgeries behind her, Linet was wowing herdoctors and family, eating pureed food on herown and making strides with toilet training atonly 18 months of age.Linet’s case presented special challenges.The first step was to disconnect theesophagus from the trachea and reconnectthe esophagus to itself. A feeding tube wasalso placed so that the baby could receivenourishment until the upper digestive tractrepair was complete. In addition, a seconddefect in the esophagus was repaired in thespring of 2007.A colostomy was performed in 2006 tohelp Linet function until she had matured tothe point where an anal opening could beconstructed in the summer of 2007.Everything came together in the fall of 2007when the colostomy was closed up and thefeeding tube removed. Remarkable for achild who has undergone so many surgeries,Linet is making all her developmentalmilestones and is a happy and playful child.“We are so very blessed,” said Ms. Alvarez.“Thank you, Miami Children’s.”A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR ALEXWhen Alex Rodriguez was 8 years old,he began experiencing numbness in hisright hand, particularly when trying to gripa pencil. Alex’s mother, Lisi Guerrier, firstassumed that her budding student wassimply trying to dodge his homework. Shewas completely unprepared for a Browardneurologist’s diagnosis: Alex had a tumor inthe left lobe of his brain, perilously close tothe area that controlled his motor movement.For several years, doctors in Hollywood nearthe family’s home monitored the benigntumor. They recommended against surgicalremoval due to concerns that the procedurewould impair Alex’s motor ability. So thefamily waited. Alex, a straight A student,was put on medication to control seizuresassociated with the tumor.Having heard about the world-renowned teamat Miami Children’s Brain Institute, Ms. Guerrierbrought Alex to see neurosurgeon Dr. DavidSandberg in July 2006. “He was the first doctorin December 2006, Dr. Sandberg removedthe tumor using intraoperative motormapping technology developed by the MiamiChildren’s Brain Institute. The technologysupports the surgical team in ensuring thatall tissue necessary to preserve motor skillsis left intact.When school resumed in January 2007,Alex was back in the classroom. Today, at 13,he is completely seizure-free with no motorimpairment. The Indian Ridge Middle SchoolDr. David Sandberg was the first doctorwe’d spoken to who was confident hecould remove the tumor without impactingAlex’s motor skills.— Lisi Guerrier, Alex’s motherseventh grader continues to rack up mostlystraight A report cards and plays trumpetin band.Elizabeth Alvarez and Raul Travieso, Linet’sparents, say they owe it all to Dr. StevenStylianos, Chief of Pediatric Surgery atMiami Children’s Hospital and a nationallyrecognized pediatric surgical leader.we’d spoken to who was confident he couldremove the tumor without impacting Alex’s motorskills,” she said. “He assured us he would notdo anything that would leave Alex in a worsesituation. But he felt surgery would make itpossible for him to live a completely normal life.As for Dr. Sandberg, he is the family’s hero.“He is the most amazing, gentle person,”said Ms. Guerrier. “Throughout the entireprocess he was so caring and thoughtful.We are so fortunate that Alex was in his care.”Linet Travieso and Dr. Stylianos“Dr. Stylianos was very brilliant with Linet,”said Ms. Alvarez. “Before she was born, Inever would have imagined having a childwith such medical needs. Now, thanks to Dr.“Without the procedure, it was unlikely that Alexwould ever be able to drive a car because hewas prone to break-through seizures even whileon his medication.”Stylianos, we have the perfect baby girl wedreamed of.”To set the stage for surgery, Dr. Sandbergfirst worked with Dr. Trevor Resnick, Directorof the Division of Neurology at the BrainInstitute, to pinpoint the precise locationof the tumor and the seizure activity. Then,Alex Rodriguez12 13
Looking ahead with advanced research.‘Smart’ Brain implants andimplantable heart valvesThe future of medicine is happening now atMiami Children’s thanks to new treatmentsbeing developed through the hospital’sresearch institute. 2007 was a standoutyear as the hospital brought to life improvedinterventions for those children struggling withchronic conditions ranging from congenitalheart disease to chronic brain disorders.“Miami Children’s Hospital is one of the largestproviders of top quality pediatric medicalresearch in the region,” said Chief ResearchOfficer Raul Herrera, MD, who was appointedto lead the Miami Children’s Hospital ResearchInstitute in 2007. The institute, including itsClinical Research Center, is currently activein more than 150 research protocols with acontract value of more than $12 million.“I am proud of the commitment of our doctors toimproving the lives of children and their familiesthrough leadership in academic, clinical andtranslational research,” said Dr. Herrera.2007 Highlights:‘Smart’ Brain ImplantsWhat sounds like a futuristic fantasy is fastbecoming reality for children with chronicbrain conditions. Continuing its nationalleadership, Miami Children’s Brain Institutehas established a Smart Brain Implants Centerto begin development of minimally invasiveneurosurgery procedures to treat childrenwith chronic conditions such as epilepsy,movement disorders and severe depression.The procedures, to be offered starting in 2008,will involve placement of tiny implant devicescapable of modifying adverse brain activity.“We are working with our university affiliatesOur philosophy has always been to minimize thecumulative trauma that our young patients mustendure over the course of their lifetime.— Dr. Evan Zahn, MD,Chief of Cardiology, The Congenital Heart Instituteand industry partners to create new hopefor children with debilitating brain disorders,”said Dr Prasanna Jayakar, Chairman ofthe Brain Institute. “The smart implantsapply minute electrical pulses to specificareas in the brain, acting as miniaturizedpacemakers that ease the abnormal firing ofbrain networks to alleviate symptoms. Thepacemaker is activated only when a smartmicrochip detects impending abnormal brainfiring, a novel approach with unparalleledefficacy and safety that offers great promiseto improve the lives of our children,” he said.Minimally Invasive HeartValve ReplacementThe Congenital Heart Institute at MiamiChildren’s Hospital was one of only threepediatric heart centers nationwide – and theonly center in the Southeast – to participatein a study to evaluate use of a first-of-itskindheart valve replacement system thatcan be delivered to pediatric patients withoutinvasive open-heart surgery. Typically,children with congenital valve defects mustundergo multiple open-heart surgeriesover a lifetime as replacement valves areoutgrown or wear out. “Our philosophy hasalways been to minimize the cumulativetrauma that our young patients must endureover the course of their lifetime. This new,non-surgical method of valve replacementis a quantum leap forward toward achievingthis goal,” said Dr. Evan Zahn, the hospital’sprincipal investigator in the study to evaluateuse of the Medtronic Melody TranscatheterPulmonary Valve and EnsembleTranscatheter Delivery System.Improving Lives of Childrenwith Scoliosis and LimbDeformitiesMiami Children’s Hospital’s Department ofOrthopaedics plays a leading national andinternational role in developing and refiningtreatments for children with scoliosis andlimb deformities. Dr. Harry L. Shufflebarger,head of the department’s Spinal SurgeryDivision, conducts ongoing research tooptimize surgical methods associated withthe use of an implantable rod for correctingspinal curvatures that he helped to developmore than a decade ago. Dr. Shufflebargershares his research findings through nationaland international conferences and haspublished more than 15 textbook chapters.Dr. Christopher Iobst, who heads thedepartment’s Limb Correction Division, wasthe recipient of the 2007 St. Giles YoungInvestigator Award presented by the PediatricOrthopaedic Society of North America forhis national research leadership. The awardrecognizes young physicians who are dedicatedto conducting research to benefit orthopaedicpatients. Dr. Iobst specializes in the correctionof limb length discrepancies and deformitiesand conducts research to evaluate outcomesassociated with the latest techniques.Research1415
Page 2 and 3: Founded in 1950, Miami Children’s
Page 4 and 5: Looking to expand for a growing com
Page 6 and 7: SLIMMING DOWN ANDSHAPING UP WITH SH
Page 11 and 12: 35,000Patients who seek care each y
Page 13: “Fit to Play” Program Promotes
Page 17 and 18: EDUCATION TEAM ACHIEVESTOP REGIONAL
Page 19 and 20: A SPECIAL THANK-YOU FROMMIAMI CHILD
Page 21: The donor list reflects support rec

Looking beyond the horizon - Miami Children's Hospital Foundation

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