Thursday, July 29, 2004 TODAY

LLU Children's Hospital news

• Graduation ceremony comes to LLUCH transplant patient
• Ventura County girl donates birthday gifts to Children's Hospital
• Happy Hats brings smiles to LLU Children's Hospital patients
• RN residency in pediatrics graduates fifth class

Graduation ceremony comes to LLUCH transplant patient

Juanita Padilla dresses for graduation ceremony in her hospital room on unit 4800.

Seventeen-year-old Juanita Padilla, a patient at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, enjoyed a complete in-hospital graduation ceremony thanks to her teachers and counselors at Moreno Valley High School. On Wednesday, June 16, at 11:00 a.m. they brought graduation to her on unit 4800 at Children's Hospital.

Diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in September, 2001, Juanita has attended all of her regular classes save for two stints--one during the beginning of her 11th grade year and one at the end of this year due to a bone marrow transplant she received on April 7. Her brother, Salvador, a 14-year-old freshman at Vista Del Lago High School, matched her marrow and was the donor.

Juanita was rehospitalized on May 6 for complications, but was more than excited to dawn her cap and gown Wednesday morning. Besides her graduation on June 16, she celebrated her 18th birthday on June 24. She plans to attend college, where she wants to study to become an elementary teacher or a nurse.

Juanita enjoys listening to music and volunteering. She has been involved with the Candlelighters, a counseling group for cancer patients, and also volunteers to help kindergarten teachers during her summer vacation in her hometown of Moreno Valley.

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Ventura County girl donates birthday gifts to Children's Hospital

Shelby Bowman helps Sharon Robie, RN, administrative director of heart transplant, load toys she donated to LLUCH for her birthday.

For Shelby Bowman, giving truly is better than receiving. For her 11th birthday on July 2, this Ventura County girl decided to donate her birthday gifts to the kids at Loma Linda University Children'sHospital on unit 5800. Sharon Robie, RN, administrative director for heart transplant, was thrilled to accept Shelby's generous donations, and led her and her family with friends from Mesa Union Elementary, Itzel Ccaihuari and Kelsey Nolan, to unit 5800. There, charge nurse Jolanda Jones, RN, gratefully acknowledged Shelby's generosity. From the infant swings to the activity wagons and Disney movie DVDs, Shelby's unselfish attitude will make a difference.

Not only is Shelby an active philanthropist, she is also an advocate of organ donation. She and her mother, Nancy, who teaches high school anatomy, help promote organ donation at school and community functions.

For her 11th birthday, Shelby Bowman donated her gifts to the children on 5800 along with her friends Itzel Ccaihuari, also 11, and Kelsey Nolan, 10.

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Happy Hats brings smiles to LLU Children's Hospital patients

Left: Uriel Deanda enjoys the attention from media on July 8 as the Happy Hats for Kids foundation passes out hero hats to the 6 year old and his fellow patients. Center: Brandon Otanjah, 15, from Redlands, wears his hero hat. This was the first time he has ever spoken with a hat before. Right: Iva Reneau, 4, loves her Celebrate America hat.

On July 8, Loma Linda University Children's Hospital patients received a special visit from a walking, talking hat.

"HH," short for Hero Hat, the mascot for Happy Hats for Kids, a nonprofit organization that donates felt hats to hospitalized kids across the nation, bounced into a conference room full of kids and media photographers to hand out some hats and smiles.

"It raises all the little kids' spirits up," says Michael Escalante, 15. "And that's cool." Michael is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.

Brandon Otanjah, also 15, got to speak with HH during the visit. "Some people were going to pass out hats," he says. "I wasn't expecting a person in a hat suit. So I talked with the hat. I've never, ever talked to a hat in my life."

At least it got him out of bed, which Brandon, who is receiving treatment for sickle cell anemia, considers mostly boring.

Uriel Deanda, 6, soaked up the attention at the event, loving his new title of hero.

"I'm gonna wear it all the time," he says of his hero hat.

Happy Hats for Kids was started by Sheri and Gene Schrier of Rolling Hills in 1991, after the couple lost five family members to cancer.

"It is such a hit to uplift the children's spirits," says Mrs. Schrier. Along with the help of volunteers, Happy Hats for Kids has passed out nearly 500,000 hats and 200,000 coloring books at 124 hospitals across the country. The hats brought to the Children's Hospital July 8 were part of a donation from the Chino-based California Institution for Women. Acting Warden Dawn Davison brought 113 hats assembled by 30 inmates who volunteered to work during their free time to make the hats.

"They really want to be able to give back to the community, especially the children," says Ms. Davison. "A lot of the women are mothers themselves."

Denise Winter, director of volunteer services at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, coordinated the visit from Happy Hats.

"It's a way to help children cope," she says. "It provides some distraction and gives them some normalcy."

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RN residency in pediatrics graduates fifth class

Thirty-two nurses are recognized on June 25 for completing the 6-month RN residency program in pediatrics. "I sincerely believe that to be a part of a health-care team that brings healing and hope to children is courtside seating," said Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, administrator of Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, to the group of 32 individuals making up the fifth graduating class from the RN residency in pediatrics. "It doesn't get any better than this," he told the nurses. "You get to be an extension of Christ."

Thursday, July 29, 2004 TODAY

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