Connecticut Children's Blog

Determined to make patients with Sickle Cell Disease and their families feel more comfortable while at Connecticut Children’s, Kelly Ha, LMSW, a member of Connecticut Children’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Board, turned a creative idea into reality in launching the “I See Me” Story Club in September of 2022 in honor of Sickle […]

By Kelly Muccino, Connecticut Children’s Child Life Specialist When a child learns their sibling has cancer, they may have many questions, or want to know how to help. Connecticut Children’s Child Life Specialist, Kelly Muccino, tackles challenges you might encounter, and ways to solve them, if you are ever in this position.  Want more articles […]

By Kelly Muccino, Connecticut Children’s Child Life Specialist When it comes to teaching children about their own cancer diagnosis, a step-by-step approach can be helpful. Talk to your child about each step of the treatment process as it’s happening. Connecticut Children’s Child Life team explains…   Want more articles like this from pediatric experts you trust? […]

By Kelly Muccino, Connecticut Children’s Certified Child Life Specialist When a family faces a cancer diagnosis, life changes. What does today look like? What about tomorrow? This begs another question for many parents and caregivers: how do you talk to kids about cancer? We called upon Connecticut Children’s Child Life team – experts in providing […]

In 2019, a very pregnant Kristina Gisonde studied two dots on her latest ultrasound. The dots represented her baby’s kidneys, and they were different sizes – not a good sign. Her doctor recommended that, soon after birth, they see a specialist at Connecticut Children’s. Kristina and husband Matt had just moved to Fairfield County with […]

Milagros knew in her heart that her daughter was sick. But for a long time, no one else seemed to believe her. Jazz, age 3, had been plagued with mysterious symptoms for months. She’d been spitting up for no reason, and waking with bad headaches. Milagros brought her to doctors all over Massachusetts, but no […]

One day, when Danny Sullivan was 8 years old, he began to feel very tired. Everyone thought it was allergies, maybe, or a growth spurt. He’d always been a healthy kid, with nothing more than the occasional cold. But this time, it got worse. Suddenly, he could barely stand up. His father had to carry […]

Alexandra was the first baby born in Danbury Hospital, an event celebrated in the local newspaper. As she grew, there was more cause for celebration: She became a formidable athlete. Swimming was her love, but when she got to Danbury High School, they didn’t have a swim program, so Alex decided to try running. And […]

There is no one else quite like Youssef Shahine. Sure, when he’s blasting music on his headphones or glued to a video game, he’s a typical 14-year-old. But ask him a question about life, and he’s wise beyond his years. “I like to look at the good stuff,” says Youssef. “Yes, there are rough times. […]

Before COVID-19, Jillian Duffy, Miss Connecticut 2019 and 2020, visited the Medical Center once a month and made her way room-to-room meeting with patients. The visits are part of the partnership between the Miss America Organization and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and they connect directly with her platform “Jillian’s Journey: Pediatric Cancer Research and Awareness.” […]