
Four-year-old Bently Barnes needed to get ready. He opened the closet door, reached for his camouflage backpack, then scanned his bedroom for the essentials.
He grabbed his favorite stuffed animal named, “Marshall,” a truck, tractor and his most prized possession – his blanket. He placed them in his backpack with care, zipped the travel bag and placed it next to his bed.
Bently told his mom he was packed and ready to travel from their home in North Carolina to Boston Children’s Hospital. And he was “ready for a new belly,” he said.
From finger painting to Boston Children’s for acute pancreatic care
Three-year-old Brooklyn loves to get her hands dirty. When it comes to playtime this spunky and vivacious toddler shies away from tiaras and princess garb and heads straight for her overalls.
“Brooklyn is adventurous, curious, and loves dirt, mud and paint,” said Kristen, Brooklyn’s Mom. “We have an art room, and she has a blast with paint in there.”
Though the tiny finger painter and mud-pie maker loves all-things mucky, her passion for excavation and exploration was recently put on hold.
Soon after Brooklyn’s third birthday, sudden bouts of intense stomach pain and vomiting became frequent.
“She vomited around 9 a.m., then again at noon, and from then she threw up about every 20 minutes,” recalls Mom, a nurse at her local hospital.
Brooklyn was quickly seen by her pediatrician who believed the toddler had a viral illness. He prescribed anti-nausea/vomit medication and recommended Pedialyte to prevent dehydration.
The hope was the pain and vomiting would pass. Unfortunately, it didn’t. In fact, it worsened.
“The next few days involved episodes of awful vomiting and contorting discomfort to the point she would just pass out,” says Kristen.
Brooklyn needed specialized emergency attention. …