Tree of Hope
Give hope to a child this Christmas
Tree of Hope
Give hope to a child this Christmas
Thank you for supporting Cardinal Glennon kids!
Nothing is scarier than having a sick child. What’s even worse is not knowing what is wrong or how to help your little one get better. During the early stages of pregnancy, doctors informed Ebony and Curtis that their daughter had a 1 in 17 chance of having Down Syndrome. When Faith was born, she did not have any characteristics of Down Syndrome, but something still wasn’t right.
By age 1, Faith was unable to stand, crawl or sit up on her own. She developed Eosinophilic Esophagitis, a severe G.I. disease, and food allergies, as well as experienced significant delays in her motor skills and intellectual function. Faith’s family knew they had to get the answers they desperately needed about her health issues, and fast.
After a visit to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, a team of doctors found the cause of Faith’s debilitating medical condition. She was born with a cyst on her brain and a rare Chromosome abnormality. Thanks to our skilled physicians, her family was able to get the correct diagnosis and receive the tools to help Faith not only survive, but thrive.
Today, Faith is living life to the fullest as a happy 8-year-old. She has defied the odds and loves to talk and play with her siblings, one of whom also receives care at our hospital.
Your heartfelt donation will not only impact the lives of the children in our care, but also contribute to our mission:
“Through our exceptional health care services,
we reveal the healing presence of God.”
Meet some Cardinal Glennon kids you can support today!
Emma Peper
Emma is 17 years old and dealt with the pain and symptoms of IBS for years. All treatment options had been unsuccessful until recently, when Emma’s gastroenterologist and motility disorders specialist, Dr. Dhiren Patel offered her the opportunity to try the IB-STIM device.
IB-STIM is a small, electrical nerve-stimulating device that children wear behind their ear. This stimulation targets brain areas involved in processing pain and aids in the reduction of functional abdominal pain associated with IBS. It was recently approved by the FDA and is a non-drug alternative to relieving this type of pain for patients ages 11 to 18.
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is the only hospital in the region to offer gastrointestinal motility related diagnostic and therapeutic services such as IB STIM treatment. Emma had her first device placed on August 11th and then weekly for another 4 weeks. She had AMAZING results and today happily reports that her pain and symptoms are completely gone.
Blake Bahr
Blake’s journey with SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital began at just 2 days old when he was transferred by ambulance and officially went into kidney failure. At 3 days old his dialysis catheter was surgically placed and we knew our son would need a lifesaving kidney transplant once he met the size and age requirements. During Blake’s first year Cardinal Glennon became like a second home for our family with our son spending 135 days in the hospital. The doctors and nurses are an incredible group of people that not only excel in their field but genuinely care deeply for our little guy. Our family spent time in the NICU, PICU and TCU for dialysis treatments, multiple surgeries and various therapy sessions.
On January 18, 2016 an incredible woman named Laurie donated her kidney to save Blake’s life. Blake went through an eight hour transplant surgery that was beautifully executed. Our family came home from Cardinal Glennon a week after transplant and our son has been doing wonderful ever since. He went from being on dialysis 13-24 hours every day to survive, having a feeding tube for nutrition and being completely lethargic and immobile. Now a year post transplant Blake is a thriving tube free 2-year-old little boy. We continue to visit Glennon regularly for labs and ultrasound to check Blake’s kidney function and we know the hospital helped save our little boy’s life. On average a kidney transplant will last around 15 years. We know our son will need multiple transplants in his lifetime but we are so blessed to have Cardinal Glennon with us for this journey and caring for Blake every step of the way.
Our hospital is a special place caring for children of all ages with countless different diagnoses. We love being at a faith based hospital, because the power of prayer got us through some very difficult days. Please consider giving back to the hospital that gives our family and so many other families so much to be grateful for. It’s not easy to have a chronically sick child but knowing we have a place like Cardinal Glennon to count on for our son means the world to us.
Konnor Jones
Tiffani Jones, a teaching assistant in the Illinois Special School District was expecting her first child, in early March, 2016. Unexpectedly, Tiffani contracted pneumonia in December 2015. Complications required her to be hospitalized for the remainder of her pregnancy at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Her illness lingered on and baby Konnor was born at 34 weeks on January 23, 2016. Konnor was born with cerebral palsy and had multiple feeding issues in addition to his premature age. Both Tiffani and Konnor remained at SSM Health St. Mary’s through February, each with their own milestones to achieve before discharge. Because Tiffani had been hospitalized for so long, with no assistance or resources to maintain her home, she was forced to seek alternative housing. A social worker at SSM Health St. Mary’s helped Tiffani navigate housing with family and co-workers, WIC assistance, and other resources she needed to provide a safe and supportive environment for her and Konnor. Together, Tiffani and her social worker agreed that SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital would be the home of Konnor’s pediatrician and health care. Tiffani already had a great comfort level with SSM Health Cardinal Glennon from past experience. She brought her sister and nephew for appointments to see his pediatrician, Dr. Kenneth Haller, in Danis Pediatric Center. “He was only 2 pounds and premature when he was born, and now he’s healthy and 20 years old. They were always wonderful to him, and to me, when we came,” says Tiffani. “So I knew I wanted the same experience with my own child.”
Tiffani and Konnor began coming to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon shortly after their long stay at SSM Health St. Mary’s. At Konnor’s four month checkup, she met his pediatrician, Joshua Arthur, MD and social worker, Bridgette Bobo. Through a comprehensive exam and needs assessment, it was clear that Tiffani needed help with some additional resources to manage the ‘day-to-day’ life of a baby with special needs. Konnor’s cerebral palsy could likely present multiple physical and developmental challenges over the course of his life. But at his current age, it has manifested itself in some significant right-sided muscle weakness, which affected his ability to chew, swallow and process food. He also had bowel issues and sleep apnea. Occupational therapy was arranged to start right away and Tiffani was quickly introduced to multiple sub-specialists, who would all play a role in Konnor’s care management as he developed through the years.
“We’ve had lots of hurdles to overcome the last couple years,” Tiffani says, “but the two people besides Dr. Arthur who really went to bat for me early on were Bridgette and Miss Lori.” Bridgette introduced Tiffani to Lori Winkler, MSN, RN, TNS, injury prevention nurse and coordinator of Safe Kids St. Louis, at one of their first visits to the hospital. The goal was to work as a team and identify what was needed to get Tiffani the resources she would need to live and work independently and manage travel back and forth from the hospital as Konnor’s needs dictated. Bridgette began working on housing and day care options. Lori began working on the necessary resources to keep Konnor safe at home and on the road. Tiffani recalled, “It was such a blessing that Miss Lori does classes in Illinois. I was able to attend the class that Bridgette encouraged me to go to, because it was closer to where I live and easier to get to. I loved Lori’s class about safe sleeping and not only did I learn as a mom what Konnor should have, but she gave me the things I needed!”
As a participant in the 2-hour class, attendees receive group instruction, a Safe Sleep Sak, a Pack-N-Play with sheet and a large bag filled with educational videos, a child-proofing kit, a bulb suction, a baby rearview mirror, pacifier and more.
Since that class, Tiffani and Lori keep in touch during hospital visits. “Lori is always making sure I have what I need to keep Konnor safe as he’s growing and changing. Since that first class, she’s helped me get a convertible car seat for Konnor, and a humidifier when he was having some respiratory issues. She’s even gone above and beyond, assisting me to find proper day care, since many have not been able to monitor him properly for his swallowing and sleeping risks. She educated me about what to look for to keep Konnor safe and for that, and so much more, I am so very grateful.”
Konnor is now 2 years old. Once overwhelmed as a new single mom with a premature infant and complicated diagnosis to navigate, Tiffani is working full time, managing all of Konnor’s care and appointments and living with Konnor in their own place. Working as a special education assistant, Tiffani says she “takes pride in being compassionate, respectful and dedicated to the kids she cares for.” She adds, “You never want to be the mom who needs someone like me. But since I am that mom now, I have certainly learned how to advocate for the very best for my child…whether that’s his care or the people caring for him and I am truly grateful for my angels at Cardinal Glennon who have nurtured that confidence in me, and gave my son and I the tools for a good start.”
Barrett Earnest
Barrett Earnest has a calm demeanor and contemplative eyes. In six short months of life, he has undergone 10 medical procedures to address a cleft lip and palate, a heart defect and lung problems. His family anticipates several more procedures to deal with other health issues before Barrett turns 5 years old. “I promised myself I would never ask, ‘why us?’” says his mother Monica. “I decided that I would always look forward. The only way to make it through all of this is to stay positive. Cardinal Glennon helps us do that.” Monica had what she describes as a very healthy pregnancy. At 20 weeks, however, an ultrasound revealed the cleft lip and palate as well as a condition called Tetrology of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, a complex congenital heart defect.
“We met with a cardiologist and he told us that Barrett wasn’t getting blood flow to his pulmonary artery,” says Monica. “He would have to undergo a procedure to restore that blood flow after he was born.” When Barrett finally arrived at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis, doctors did an immediate evaluation and discovered other medical problems in addition to the heart defect. They rushed Barrett to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “We learned about the other problems within minutes of his birth,” says Monica. “He had an underdeveloped lung and a perforated bowel. But we had already met with Dr. Fiore, the cardiothoracic surgeon, and he was so reassuring both before and after Barrett was born that we felt at peace with everything the doctors and nurses were doing.”
Barrett was in the intensive care unit at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon for more than five months. He had a shunt placed in his heart to temporarily reroute blood flow, was placed on a ventilator and had to have a gastrointestinal tube for feeding. One night, at 11 o’clock, Monica and her husband received an emergency call from the hospital. “They had been trying to wean Barrett off the ventilator and his heart suddenly arrested; it stopped beating.” Barrett experienced cardiac arrest two more times over the next two weeks. Instead of waiting until Barrett was six months or older to undergo a heart repair, doctors made the difficult decision to do open heart surgery on Barrett at two and a half months and when he weighed less than seven pounds. “There were definitely times when I felt overwhelmed, especially as the medical problems continued to appear and the number of doctors kept growing, too,” says Monica. “But I had faith that God would give me what I could handle.” The Earnests also were enrolled in SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s Complex Medical Care Program, which assists families whose children have five or more specialists involved in their care. Barrett currently sees 11 subspecialty pediatric specialists. The program, which officially started two years ago, has grown to include more than 220 young patients and their families. “Previously, these children had multiple medical issues and great subspecialty care providers, but they didn’t have a key quarterback that was leading the charge in terms of collaborating with all physicians to develop a single, comprehensive care plan,” says SLUCare pediatric pulmonologist Kurt Sobush, MD, co-founder and co-director of the Complex Medical Care Program. “That’s why we started this program and it’s already been a great success.”
The program coordinates care in such a way that families can see several specialists and complete exams and blood work over a shorter period of time. “You almost always see a sigh of relief from these families and you can see their stress level go down because we handle all of the logistics involved in their child’s care,” explains Dr. Sobush. The benefits of care coordination are quickly obvious. Dr. Sobush says that since the Complex Medical Care Program began in April 2016, the number of unplanned ER visits is down, attendance at subspecialty clinic visits is up, transitions from hospital to home resources are smoother, and both the patient and the physician’s satisfaction are high. “We’ve had amazing doctors and nurses so far,” says Monica. “I actually lived at the hospital for about two and a half months after Barrett was born, and the hospital became a home away from home for us. Now that we’re back at our own home, it’s definitely reassuring that we still have the resources and help whenever we need it.”
Meet some Cardinal Glennon kids you can support today!
Emma Peper
Emma is 17 years old and dealt with the pain and symptoms of IBS for years. All treatment options had been unsuccessful until recently, when Emma’s gastroenterologist and motility disorders specialist, Dr. Dhiren Patel offered her the opportunity to try the IB-STIM device.
IB-STIM is a small, electrical nerve-stimulating device that children wear behind their ear. This stimulation targets brain areas involved in processing pain and aids in the reduction of functional abdominal pain associated with IBS. It was recently approved by the FDA and is a non-drug alternative to relieving this type of pain for patients ages 11 to 18.
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is the only hospital in the region to offer gastrointestinal motility related diagnostic and therapeutic services such as IB STIM treatment. Emma had her first device placed on August 11th and then weekly for another 4 weeks. She had AMAZING results and today happily reports that her pain and symptoms are completely gone.
Blake Bahr
Blake’s journey with SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital began at just 2 days old when he was transferred by ambulance and officially went into kidney failure. At 3 days old his dialysis catheter was surgically placed and we knew our son would need a lifesaving kidney transplant once he met the size and age requirements. During Blake’s first year Cardinal Glennon became like a second home for our family with our son spending 135 days in the hospital. The doctors and nurses are an incredible group of people that not only excel in their field but genuinely care deeply for our little guy. Our family spent time in the NICU, PICU and TCU for dialysis treatments, multiple surgeries and various therapy sessions.
On January 18, 2016 an incredible woman named Laurie donated her kidney to save Blake’s life. Blake went through an eight hour transplant surgery that was beautifully executed. Our family came home from Cardinal Glennon a week after transplant and our son has been doing wonderful ever since. He went from being on dialysis 13-24 hours every day to survive, having a feeding tube for nutrition and being completely lethargic and immobile. Now a year post transplant Blake is a thriving tube free 2-year-old little boy. We continue to visit Glennon regularly for labs and ultrasound to check Blake’s kidney function and we know the hospital helped save our little boy’s life. On average a kidney transplant will last around 15 years. We know our son will need multiple transplants in his lifetime but we are so blessed to have Cardinal Glennon with us for this journey and caring for Blake every step of the way.
Our hospital is a special place caring for children of all ages with countless different diagnoses. We love being at a faith based hospital, because the power of prayer got us through some very difficult days. Please consider giving back to the hospital that gives our family and so many other families so much to be grateful for. It’s not easy to have a chronically sick child but knowing we have a place like Cardinal Glennon to count on for our son means the world to us.
Konnor Jones
Tiffani Jones, a teaching assistant in the Illinois Special School District was expecting her first child, in early March, 2016. Unexpectedly, Tiffani contracted pneumonia in December 2015. Complications required her to be hospitalized for the remainder of her pregnancy at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Her illness lingered on and baby Konnor was born at 34 weeks on January 23, 2016. Konnor was born with cerebral palsy and had multiple feeding issues in addition to his premature age. Both Tiffani and Konnor remained at SSM Health St. Mary’s through February, each with their own milestones to achieve before discharge. Because Tiffani had been hospitalized for so long, with no assistance or resources to maintain her home, she was forced to seek alternative housing. A social worker at SSM Health St. Mary’s helped Tiffani navigate housing with family and co-workers, WIC assistance, and other resources she needed to provide a safe and supportive environment for her and Konnor. Together, Tiffani and her social worker agreed that SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital would be the home of Konnor’s pediatrician and health care. Tiffani already had a great comfort level with SSM Health Cardinal Glennon from past experience. She brought her sister and nephew for appointments to see his pediatrician, Dr. Kenneth Haller, in Danis Pediatric Center. “He was only 2 pounds and premature when he was born, and now he’s healthy and 20 years old. They were always wonderful to him, and to me, when we came,” says Tiffani. “So I knew I wanted the same experience with my own child.”
Tiffani and Konnor began coming to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon shortly after their long stay at SSM Health St. Mary’s. At Konnor’s four month checkup, she met his pediatrician, Joshua Arthur, MD and social worker, Bridgette Bobo. Through a comprehensive exam and needs assessment, it was clear that Tiffani needed help with some additional resources to manage the ‘day-to-day’ life of a baby with special needs. Konnor’s cerebral palsy could likely present multiple physical and developmental challenges over the course of his life. But at his current age, it has manifested itself in some significant right-sided muscle weakness, which affected his ability to chew, swallow and process food. He also had bowel issues and sleep apnea. Occupational therapy was arranged to start right away and Tiffani was quickly introduced to multiple sub-specialists, who would all play a role in Konnor’s care management as he developed through the years.
“We’ve had lots of hurdles to overcome the last couple years,” Tiffani says, “but the two people besides Dr. Arthur who really went to bat for me early on were Bridgette and Miss Lori.” Bridgette introduced Tiffani to Lori Winkler, MSN, RN, TNS, injury prevention nurse and coordinator of Safe Kids St. Louis, at one of their first visits to the hospital. The goal was to work as a team and identify what was needed to get Tiffani the resources she would need to live and work independently and manage travel back and forth from the hospital as Konnor’s needs dictated. Bridgette began working on housing and day care options. Lori began working on the necessary resources to keep Konnor safe at home and on the road. Tiffani recalled, “It was such a blessing that Miss Lori does classes in Illinois. I was able to attend the class that Bridgette encouraged me to go to, because it was closer to where I live and easier to get to. I loved Lori’s class about safe sleeping and not only did I learn as a mom what Konnor should have, but she gave me the things I needed!”
As a participant in the 2-hour class, attendees receive group instruction, a Safe Sleep Sak, a Pack-N-Play with sheet and a large bag filled with educational videos, a child-proofing kit, a bulb suction, a baby rearview mirror, pacifier and more.
Since that class, Tiffani and Lori keep in touch during hospital visits. “Lori is always making sure I have what I need to keep Konnor safe as he’s growing and changing. Since that first class, she’s helped me get a convertible car seat for Konnor, and a humidifier when he was having some respiratory issues. She’s even gone above and beyond, assisting me to find proper day care, since many have not been able to monitor him properly for his swallowing and sleeping risks. She educated me about what to look for to keep Konnor safe and for that, and so much more, I am so very grateful.”
Konnor is now 2 years old. Once overwhelmed as a new single mom with a premature infant and complicated diagnosis to navigate, Tiffani is working full time, managing all of Konnor’s care and appointments and living with Konnor in their own place. Working as a special education assistant, Tiffani says she “takes pride in being compassionate, respectful and dedicated to the kids she cares for.” She adds, “You never want to be the mom who needs someone like me. But since I am that mom now, I have certainly learned how to advocate for the very best for my child…whether that’s his care or the people caring for him and I am truly grateful for my angels at Cardinal Glennon who have nurtured that confidence in me, and gave my son and I the tools for a good start.”
Barrett Earnest
Barrett Earnest has a calm demeanor and contemplative eyes. In six short months of life, he has undergone 10 medical procedures to address a cleft lip and palate, a heart defect and lung problems. His family anticipates several more procedures to deal with other health issues before Barrett turns 5 years old. “I promised myself I would never ask, ‘why us?’” says his mother Monica. “I decided that I would always look forward. The only way to make it through all of this is to stay positive. Cardinal Glennon helps us do that.” Monica had what she describes as a very healthy pregnancy. At 20 weeks, however, an ultrasound revealed the cleft lip and palate as well as a condition called Tetrology of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, a complex congenital heart defect.
“We met with a cardiologist and he told us that Barrett wasn’t getting blood flow to his pulmonary artery,” says Monica. “He would have to undergo a procedure to restore that blood flow after he was born.” When Barrett finally arrived at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis, doctors did an immediate evaluation and discovered other medical problems in addition to the heart defect. They rushed Barrett to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “We learned about the other problems within minutes of his birth,” says Monica. “He had an underdeveloped lung and a perforated bowel. But we had already met with Dr. Fiore, the cardiothoracic surgeon, and he was so reassuring both before and after Barrett was born that we felt at peace with everything the doctors and nurses were doing.”
Barrett was in the intensive care unit at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon for more than five months. He had a shunt placed in his heart to temporarily reroute blood flow, was placed on a ventilator and had to have a gastrointestinal tube for feeding. One night, at 11 o’clock, Monica and her husband received an emergency call from the hospital. “They had been trying to wean Barrett off the ventilator and his heart suddenly arrested; it stopped beating.” Barrett experienced cardiac arrest two more times over the next two weeks. Instead of waiting until Barrett was six months or older to undergo a heart repair, doctors made the difficult decision to do open heart surgery on Barrett at two and a half months and when he weighed less than seven pounds. “There were definitely times when I felt overwhelmed, especially as the medical problems continued to appear and the number of doctors kept growing, too,” says Monica. “But I had faith that God would give me what I could handle.” The Earnests also were enrolled in SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s Complex Medical Care Program, which assists families whose children have five or more specialists involved in their care. Barrett currently sees 11 subspecialty pediatric specialists. The program, which officially started two years ago, has grown to include more than 220 young patients and their families. “Previously, these children had multiple medical issues and great subspecialty care providers, but they didn’t have a key quarterback that was leading the charge in terms of collaborating with all physicians to develop a single, comprehensive care plan,” says SLUCare pediatric pulmonologist Kurt Sobush, MD, co-founder and co-director of the Complex Medical Care Program. “That’s why we started this program and it’s already been a great success.”
The program coordinates care in such a way that families can see several specialists and complete exams and blood work over a shorter period of time. “You almost always see a sigh of relief from these families and you can see their stress level go down because we handle all of the logistics involved in their child’s care,” explains Dr. Sobush. The benefits of care coordination are quickly obvious. Dr. Sobush says that since the Complex Medical Care Program began in April 2016, the number of unplanned ER visits is down, attendance at subspecialty clinic visits is up, transitions from hospital to home resources are smoother, and both the patient and the physician’s satisfaction are high. “We’ve had amazing doctors and nurses so far,” says Monica. “I actually lived at the hospital for about two and a half months after Barrett was born, and the hospital became a home away from home for us. Now that we’re back at our own home, it’s definitely reassuring that we still have the resources and help whenever we need it.”