Bleeding disorders are a rare group of conditions that affect blood clotting. The human body has 13 blood clotting factors — blood components such as clotting proteins and platelets — that work together to help blood clot. Should any of these clotting factors be missing or deficient, blood clotting is affected, causing a bleeding disorder….
Each year, about 1,000 babies are born in the U.S. with sickle cell disease (SCD), one of the most common genetic disorders. Curative options for SCD include bone marrow transplantation and the emerging gene therapies that are available currently mostly in research settings. Red cell exchange is a specialized form of sickle cell treatment that…
Natalie F. Slone, D.O., pediatric hematologist/oncologist with Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, always knew she wanted to be a doctor. According to Dr. Slone, her mother said she talked about becoming a doctor from a very young age — and mom has a photo of her at 4 or…
Counseling children with cancer has become more important in recent years for a simple reason. It used to be that not many kids with cancer got to grow up. Now they do. That is great news, but it is not an easy path. Most families cope relatively well, but some families experience difficulty with depression or anxiety….
With a few tugs on a knotted rope, 16-year-old Jillian Hebermehl rang the bell that marked the end of her chemotherapy. Norton Children’s Cancer Institute Offering unparalleled and individualized childhood cancer care to families. Call (502) 629-7725 The ringing echoed past cheering nurses, signifying an incredible milestone for yet another pediatric cancer patient at Norton…
When Frances Price, R.N., was a teenager, she felt a calling to nursing. She had watched her grandfather struggle with health complications, including heart attacks and strokes. Today, as a patient navigator with Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, she helps children and families through their entire journey with childhood…
In 2016, not long after his fourth birthday, Jameson Milby started having headaches, nausea and vomiting. “I’m one of those moms who calls the doctor for a scrape on the knee, so I made an appointment right away,” said his mother, Angela. The family’s pediatrician, James A. Tavelli, M.D., with Norton Children’s Medical Group –…
“Your child has cancer.” Those are words no parent ever wants to hear. It’s heartbreaking news that takes you on an emotional roller coaster, filled with difficult decisions. Emily and Jason Fox’s son Boone was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in May 2019 at the age of 2. “Boone has Down syndrome, so we…
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic disorders in the world. Each year, 1,000 babies in the U.S. and 500,000 children worldwide are born with the condition, according to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month –– what should you know about this condition?…
Heather Kays was a 12-year-old girl newly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was a cancer patient at Norton Children’s Hospital. Now, as a 23-year-old healthy woman, she is on the staff as a patient care associate in the hospital’s Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center. As she cares for children undergoing treatment with…
Eli Thompson dreams of becoming a basketball coach. While the sophomore at Central Hardin High School in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, may have his sights set on championship wins on the court, he has achieved an even bigger win in his young life. Eli is a leukemia survivor, beating B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common…
Many warm-weather activities are just around the corner. In an effort to maintain a sun-kissed look, many teens will turn to tanning beds, which can come with an increased risk of developing skin cancer. “A considerable problem with that is many people, especially young people, turn to tanning beds in order to accomplish what they think…