Update on the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford
Posted by Sara Calkins
on Sep 05, 2012
In response to a thank you note to last week's speaker from our program chair, Lee Fort, Candace Roney gave this update on the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford:
Today we are taping an hour-long segment for Dateline about a family here who amazingly, have 5 children who will eventually need heart transplants. Sadly, the congenital issue that all five of these children have (but the parents do not) was not discovered until the oldest child’s heart was failing, and the other four children had been born. It was not something that was evident shortly after birth of the first child. Otherwise, it is probable that the couple would not have gone on to have five children. And one by one, each child has developed the symptoms that will eventually cause the need for a transplant. The two oldest children have received their new hearts and are doing well. The three younger children are OK now, but are in varying stages of heart problems. It is hard to imagine a nicer or more beautiful family, but also hard to imagine the stress they are under. Miracles every day here.
Today we are taping an hour-long segment for Dateline about a family here who amazingly, have 5 children who will eventually need heart transplants. Sadly, the congenital issue that all five of these children have (but the parents do not) was not discovered until the oldest child’s heart was failing, and the other four children had been born. It was not something that was evident shortly after birth of the first child. Otherwise, it is probable that the couple would not have gone on to have five children. And one by one, each child has developed the symptoms that will eventually cause the need for a transplant. The two oldest children have received their new hearts and are doing well. The three younger children are OK now, but are in varying stages of heart problems. It is hard to imagine a nicer or more beautiful family, but also hard to imagine the stress they are under. Miracles every day here.
Candace Roney
Executive Director, Community Partnerships
