Our work never stops. All day, every day kids come to Children's
Hospital Los Angeles for treatment. Some need only a simple doctor's
visit. Others, as you will see below, find a second home in CHLA. They
all benefit from the support provided by community members like you.

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Awaiting a Butterfly's Flight Home

Until just weeks ago, Children's Hospital Los Angeles had been the
only home Quinn has known. The 7-month-old was born with a
life-threatening condition in which her diaphragm failed to develop
properly. "Right now your babies are caterpillars, but they will get
their wings and become butterflies," her mother says. "When Quinn has
her butterfly moment and we go home, it's going to be amazing!"

Read her story:

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'A Rare Disease, But Not For Us'

Oliver was born with a lymphatic malformation, a 12-ounce mass under
his arm in which lymphatic fluid, instead of draining properly, was
developing into large cysts. The doctors at his delivery hospital
quickly got in touch with CHLA's Vascular Anomalies Center, led by
Dean Anselmo, MD. "It was on the order of 1 in 5,000 to 10,000
births-this is a rare disease, but not for us," says Dr.
Anselmo. "We're now one of the largest multidisciplinary vascular
clinics in the western United States, and we see kids not just from
Southern California but the Middle East, South America and Asia."

See Oliver's progress:

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Putting the NG in Empathizing

This is what empathy looks like: a nasogastric (NG) tube up Child Life
Specialist Amanda Cleary's nose. NG tubes are inserted through the
nose and carry food and medicine to a patient's stomach. Cleary has
helped hundreds of kids go through this procedure. One day, she
decided to experience it for herself.

Dive in with Amanda:

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In His Blood

Three-year-old Braxton was born with hemophilia, a bleeding disorder
in which blood can't clot normally. The condition has been tough not
only for Braxton, who has suffered bleeding on his brain, but also for
his parents. "I remember thinking, 'How are we going to keep this kid
alive without sticking him in a bubble?'" says his mother. "I was
truly terrified."

See the family's story:

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How Child Life Specialists Help Kids at Children's Hospital Los
Angeles

Child Life Specialists make the hospital less scary for children and
help them feel like kids instead of patients. As educated experts in
child development and the family unit, they are able to make decisions
about how best to help each child and their family through stressful
situations. A typical day for a Child Life Specialist includes
preparing kids for medical procedures, offering self-expressive
creative activities and helping families cope with stress.

Learn more:

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