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Children's patients visit Iceland

Through the generosity of the Icelandair Special Children's Fund, a small group of Children's Hospital Boston patients and their parents were given the opportunity of a lifetime: three nights and four days in Iceland, a country of the size of Kentucky on the border of the Arctic Circle. Accompanied by a small team of clinicians, the four teenagers with chronic illnesses—strangers whose paths would otherwise never have crossed—bonded over their shared hospital experiences and became fast friends in a country 2,500 miles away from home.

"This trip was very special for us, because Cody was able to go away and be with other kids who have special needs," says Heather MacWhinnie, the mother of Cody Huntington, 14, and an OR nurse at Children's. "Kids with cystic fibrosis aren't allowed to be together, so he found great support with this group of teenagers. They're each dealing with their own issues but they also have a lot in common."

On the bus to the Reykjavik hotel, at the crack of dawn following an all-night flight, Casey Roach, 15, and Cody claimed the back seats and invited the other near teens, Brianna Unsinn, 14, and Amiel Reid, 15, along for the ride.  It became a regular routine, the teenagers in the back, laughing, singing and talking about everything from music to their lives at home to the interesting culture of a country they had never imagined visiting.

The Icelandair Special Children's Fund was founded five years ago by Sigurdur Helgason, former President and CEO of Icelandair, and his American-born wife, Peggy. The fund's original purpose was to give children from Iceland with long-term illnesses or other difficult circumstances an opportunity to see other parts of the world. Since then, Helgason and his wife have expanded the program to bring children who are ill from other countries to visit Iceland. Children's was the second U.S. hospital to have the opportunity.

Children's International Program—as well as individual clinicians here—have had a fruitful and longstanding relationship with the people of Iceland and its national health service. Over the last two years, 58 Icelandic children have come to Children's for treatment, for a range of complex and life-threatening disorders that were unable to be treated there, including cardiac disease, epilepsy and other neurological disorders, immune deficiencies, genetic disorders and other conditions. 

This trip for Children's patients to visit the breathtakingly beautiful island of volcanic rock and glaciers brought this relationship with the people of Iceland full circle. Says Jackie Unsinn, mother of Brianna, 15, who was treated for ulcerative colitis, "In the wake of Brianna's recovery from a long, three-and half-year illness, this came at a time to support her continued healing. It meant so much to Brianna—she was not only very happy, but proud, to be included. And it meant so much to me to see her so excited and able to enjoy such a beautiful trip. It's a memory that both of us will cherish forever."

Peabody Outpatient Clinics

Children's Hospital Boston has purchased a new location, 10 Centennial Drive, for its Peabody outpatient clinics. Children's is currently leasing space in the Lahey North Building. That lease will expire in March 2011. There is increasing demand for subspecialty pediatric care from North Shore families, and Ten Centennial Drive provides a great location and space for to respond to that demand, since it's convenient for patients and their families and allows Children's to free up space at the Longwood location for the most critical of needs. Ten Centennial Drive is located in the Centennial Business Park, off Route 128 close to the intersection of 95 North. The hospital will occupy approximately 120,000 square feet of space.

The new and expanded space is expected to provide many new construction, health care and support services jobs to the area. Peabody Mayor Michael Bonfanti says the new location is great news for the city. "This is a win-win-win for the city, Children's, and Centennial Business Park, in terms of jobs, economic development, and the spin off that some 300 new jobs and a state of the art medical center will generate throughout the community," he says.

Drawing the body

Armed with rough sketches and diagrams documenting his learning process, bestselling author David Macaulay visited Children's in November to read from his latest book The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body, which explains the inner workings of the body. Lois Smith, MD, PhD, of the department of Ophthalmology at Children's, was one of Macaulay's science and medical advisors during the creation of the book. The Way We Work aims to demystify the workings of the body to the average reader and can be used as a tool for clinicians to communicate with patients.

The Ball Rolls On

Continuing the success of the Boston University chapter, members of Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) fraternity at Tufts University's put together their own "Get on the Ball Fundraiser," and rolled a six-foot-wide ball around campus to collect signatures in support of Children's. Generous individuals and local sponsors made pledges based on the number of signatures on the ball. The national ZBT fraternity recently chose the Children's Miracle Network, a non-profit organization that raises funds for 170 pediatric hospitals including Children's, as its national charity. Proceeds from local ZBT fundraisers benefit Children's. Tufts President Lawrence Bacow, who is a former ZBT member, was the first to sign the ball. So far Tuft's chapter has rolled its way to $2,450.

Balloons, bake sales and big hearts

Employees from six Costco locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire were recently honored for their dedication to Children's. Through hard work and a can-do spirit, Costco associates from Avon, Danvers, Dedham, Everett, Nashua and Waltham raised $140,081 for Children's in a little more than 30 days. They received certificates of appreciation for selling balloon icons and putting together bake sales and golf tournaments during a month-long national fundraising campaign conducted through Children's Miracle Network (CMN). CMN saves kids lives by helping 170 children's hospitals across North America, including Children's, raise funds.

Since 2003, Costco has raised more than $610,000 for Children's, successively topping each previous year's total. During next May's campaign they hope to raise even more to support Children's life-changing work. 

American Girl Comes to Massachusetts

Girls of all ages jumped and squealed for joy at the recent American Girl Grand Opening Benefit for Children's. The benefit delighted girls and their families with hors d'oeurves, a dessert buffet, a silent auction and an evening of private shopping in the first and only American Girl store in Massachusetts, which opened in Natick. All ticket and silent auction proceeds, along with 10 percent of all in-store sales from the evening and opening weekend—totaling $30,000—was donated to Children's.