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Before Dashiel was born, Alissa had expected her son to be hospitalized for two weeks. Because “Dash” had congenital heart defects along with Down syndrome, she wanted him to have the best care — even if it meant driving two hours from her home in the Hudson Valley to NewYork-Presbyterian’s Upper East Side Manhattan campus and the NYP Komansky Children's Hospital.  But after Dash underwent surgery to place a shunt into his pulmonary artery, leading to his aorta, to make sure he had enough oxygenated blood going into his lungs, he suffered troubled breathing and dangerously high fevers. Two weeks turned into six months, making the hospital the only home he’d ever known. 

The family endured their greatest challenges with help from a broad community of caregivers, from the friends and family who watched the kids to the nurses who loved and cared for Dash like Alissa did.

Learn more about Dashiel's Story

Harvard Physician-Scientist Honored for Research on Genetic Blood Disorders

Dr. Vijay Sankaran, a physician-scientist who investigates the molecular underpinnings of pediatric genetic blood disorders, has been awarded the 3rd Annual Gale and Ira Drukier Prize in Children’s Health Research at Weill Cornell Medicine.

The Drukier Prize honors an early-career pediatrician whose research has made important contributions toward improving the health of children and adolescents. Dr. Sankaran is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.  He was recognized for his innovative research on red blood cell disorders, using genetic studies.   Full Story 

Delirium is a frequent occurrence among children hospitalized with cancer, affecting nearly one in five patients, according to new research from Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.

The study, published Nov. 21 in the Journal of Pediatrics, revealed that children who were either younger than 5 years old, had an underlying brain tumor, were recovering from surgery or receiving benzodiazepines — a class of drugs that treat anxiety, nervousness, seizures and other conditions by altering chemical signals in the brain — were at greatest risk for delirium, a mental state characterized by changes in alertness, cognition or awareness. The investigators say their findings demonstrate that children with cancer are at risk for developing delirium, and underscore the importance of routine screenings for the condition, which is associated with poor health outcomes, prolonged hospital stays and increased distress for patients and their families.