TODAY news - Apr 24, 2003

Thursday, April 24, 2003 TODAY

Loma Linda University Children's Hospital news

Dillon Sellers goes home from LLUCH

Dillon Sellers, in the arms of his mother, Betsy, says goodbye to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital where he received a heart transplant to fix his case of hypoplastic left-heart syndrome on March 13. Anees Razzouk, MD (third from right), chief of the cardiothoracic surgery division, and the neonatal intensive care unit nurses wish him well.

Dillon Sellers turned 6 months old on April 19, and was able to spend the day outside the hospital.

The heart transplant recipient, who has been fighting daily for life, went to battle on a new front April 17. His mother, Betsy, took him home from Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Thursday, five weeks after Dillon received a heart transplant on March 13.

“ He’s still got a lot of catching up to do,” says Anees Razzouk, MD, chief of the cardiothoracic surgery division at LLUCH. “But his cheeks are rosy and filling up with much needed nutrition.”

Doctors released Dillon from the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital just before 4:00 p.m., April 17, to go with his mother to temporary housing near the hospital. Dillon will spend several months there while he receives careful follow-up care.

Dillon’s parents, Marine Major Hal Sellers, and his wife, Betsy, learned that their son Dillon had a defective heart 10 days after he was born on October 19, 2002. Dillon’s condition, hypoplastic left-heart

syndrome, leaves the left side of the heart underdeveloped and too weak to pump blood well enough to keep circulation going to all his organs.

After waiting four months with no sign of a donor, Maj. Sellers chose to fulfill his duty as executive officer and second in command of the 700-member 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion by shipping out to the Middle East on February 21.

“ He just felt a duty and sense of responsibility to his Marines,” says Mrs. Sellers. “I support his decision, his commitment to his country.” As of yet, there is no definite sign for when Maj. Sellers will return home, but the two have spoken to each other almost once a week since his deployment.

“ I think he likes his new heart,” smiles Dr. Razzouk, the presiding surgeon in Dillon’s transplant. “He’s a fighter and is winning, though he still has some battles ahead. He’s got his parents’ genes in him.”

At a brief press conference held at Dillon’s release, Mrs. Sellers shared her appreciation and gratitude toward the donor family who gave the precious gift of life. She also thanked the doctors and nurses who have been caring for Dillon during his months at the Hospital. In addition she thanked the media for helping to raise the awareness of organ donation.

“ There are hundreds of Dillons around waiting,” Dr. Razzouk says. “In fact, 20 to 30 percent of babies waiting do not make it.”

Dillon’s plight has received national attention from all three major broadcast networks: ABC, NBC, and CBS. His story was also aired on CNN. Several print media news organizations, including Associated Press and Los Angeles Times, carried the word across the country as well.

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11th Annual Kids Care Fair brings health screenings for Inland Empire children

Miles Pulliams, 6, and Alina Pulliams, 7, cooperate with the physical therapists at the scoliosis screening booth.

On April 13, Loma Linda University Medical Center & Children’s Hospital hosted the 11th Annual Kids Care Fair at Drayson Center. The event began at 9:00 a.m. and continued until 3:00 p.m. offering free immunizations, health screenings, and educational clinics for kids 2 months to 18 years old.

Drayson Center’s air-conditioned facility, usually a boon against the California sun, instead provided a dry place for children to receive free immunizations provided by the San Bernardino County Health Department.

Health screenings included blood pressure, dental health, fingerprinting, hearing, height/weight, respiratory, tuberculosis, scoliosis, and vision screening. There also were educational clinics and demonstrations throughout the day. Topics covered car seat and bicycle helmet safety, fire safety, a gymnastics demonstration, and a karate demonstration. Various prizes and giveaways were also raffled off throughout the day.

The purpose of the event is to provide various health and dental screenings to children in the communities served and to bring attention to various programs and services available for families in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It is dedicated to children’s health and other well-being issues.

Local sponsors include: Radio Disney AM 1290, OMNITRANS, San Bernardino County Sun, PennySaver, Press-Enterprise, KOLA 99.9 FM, 92.7 Lite FM, Alcancia de Ahorros, and the American Red Cross.

The Family Medical Group sponsored a face painting booth, which 5-year-old Shannon McCarthy took advantage of during her visit.

Steven Campbell, 7, gets his blood pressure tested at the Kids Care Fair on Sunday, April 13.

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LLUCH holds strategic planning retreat

On Tuesday, April 8, the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Executive Committee held a strategic planning retreat to discuss the vision and mission of Children’s Hospital. The team members spent the afternoon in a conference room in Riverside reviewing current accomplishments and challenges while strategizing for the future.

The united charge of the group was to actively enhance the culture of Children’s Hospital, where every interaction between staff, patients, and families would be seen as an opportunity to minister. As the result of that experience, people would become better friends with Jesus.

Members discussed several topics in the meeting, including research, diversity of patients and staff, recruitment needs, as well as spiritual needs and wholeness issues. Many committee members, including Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, senior vice president and administrator, LLU Children’s Hospital, emphasized the importance of the spiritual care available, one of the most distinguishing aspects of the hospital which affects everything from patient care to staff retention.

John Mace, MD, chair of the pediatrics department, noted that it was one of the main reasons LLUCH has the lowest turnover rate of physicians in a pediatrics department anywhere in the country.

The leaders of the Children’s Hospital departments engaged in an open discussion about the status of the hospital, its current direction, and the best way to create a team effort in patient care across departments. Everything ranging from database issues and horizontal communication between departments to marketing campaigns, patient flow, and bed allocations came up during the meeting. These topics were presented with the purpose of working out the most efficient way to stay on the cutting edge of service, research, and education.

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Thursday, April 24, 2003 TODAY