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At first glance, it was a science fair: Teams of middle schoolers proudly presented their projects as judges milled about the room. But a closer look revealed that what the students had constructed was far more meaningful than a classic paper mâché volcano. …
Gun violence and children: Why it’s a public health issue
“There have been more than 52,000 pediatric firearm deaths in the past 18 years,” says Dr. Eric Fleegler, a pediatric emergency physician at Boston Children’s Hospital as he kicks off his talk. It’s May 3, 2018, and he’s sharing the startling statistic with a rapt audience at the hospital’s Special Grand Rounds on Trauma and Gun Violence.
Later that same day, a 10-year-old Ohio boy will be shot in the face while he sleeps in bed, one of 11 bullets to enter his home during a drive-by shooting. Three North Dakota siblings ages 6 to 14 will be murdered by their mother — who will then kill herself — with a handgun. The following day, a 3-year-old South Carolina boy will fatally shoot himself in the head while playing with a gun he finds at a family friend’s home. …
Vaping, JUULing and e-cigarettes: What teens and parents need to know
“Which flavor is this? Cherry cheese cake? French vanilla? Crème brûlée?” If you are a teen in high school these days, chances are that you’ve already asked yourself this question and have inhaled at least a few breaths of some of the powerful scents coming from a JUUL or other type of e-cigarette.
The popularity of electronic cigarettes has increased exponentially in the past five years: nearly one in three seniors in high school say that they have used an e-cigarette in the past year. The FDA has recently released a statement warning about the risks of vaping and supporting strict regulations to avoid exposure to e-cigarettes for children and teens. But are e-cigarettes all that bad? …
26.2 for three: A transplant nurse’s tribute to her patients
Heartbreak Hill: It’s the notorious Boston Marathon landmark that runners both anticipate and dread. But when Deshanthi “Desh” Perera approaches that challenging climb on April 16, she’ll have special motivation propelling her uphill. Perera, a nurse working on the organ transplant inpatient unit of the Pediatric Transplant Center at Boston Children’s Hospital and first-time marathoner, isn’t just running for the glory of a personal best time or the satisfaction of completing the race. She’s running for all of the remarkable patients at Boston Children’s, including three of her own. …