february 2014 YNHH UPDATE news for supporters and friends of yale - new haven A STORY OF BRAIN SURGERY, COMPASSION AND RECOVERY It took seven hours for neurosurgeon Michael DiLuna and his multidisciplinary team at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital to remove Giana Cardonita’s craniopharyngioma. The tennis-ball sized tumor was in the worst of all possible locations – in the middle of the brain, surrounded by blood vessels and nerves. To get to the tumor, Dr. DiLuna had to remove a sizable amount of Giana’s skull and take apart her eye. But with successful surgery, the only thing she lost was the connection between her brain and her pituitary gland, a condition corrected by taking a hormone daily. “She very quickly recovered,” said Dr. DiLuna, “and her personality came back after only a couple days and she was immediately entertaining the nurses. And in fact, she was the mayor of the intensive care unit. She took over the entire place and as far as I understand, the nurses at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital were fighting over who got to care for her the next day.” Post-recovery, Giana was “adopted” by the Yale Women’s Hockey Team as a Bulldog Buddy. The program was the brainchild of Dr. DiLuna, and is designed to provide long-term support for children recovering from brain surgery. As a member of the team, Giana socializes with the players, has a locker and a team jersey, and sometimes performs ceremonial functions, such as dropping the puck to start a game. “To see her walk out on the ice and be such a part of the game was a great feeling,” said Donna, Giana’s mother. “And without knowing she had brain cancer, you might look at her in disbelief.” According to Dr. DiLuna, difficult cases such as Giana’s require the services of a multidisciplinary team of advanced medical specialists. “And without those services at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, the surgery couldn’t have been attempted and certainly could not be done safely.” Ultimately, however, advanced medical services are only part of the story. Patients, especially young patients, need compassionate care and post-operative support for the long haul. In Michael DiLuna and the Bulldog Buddies program, the patients of Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital have both. Giana poses with two of her best friends, Nishi Rampal, MD, and Michael DiLuna, MD, at a donor recognition event. Support for At-Risk Kids People often treat the terms “medical care” and “health care” synonymously, but kids sometimes face non-medical issues at home and school that can prevent them from getting well. Housing, mental health screenings, disability and basic needs benefits, utilities, employment law, Medicaid and special education rights can all affect children’s health in dramatic ways. Yale-New Haven Hospital has a new office to help tackle those issues. It is the result of a partnership between the hospital and the Center for Children’s Advocacy. Under the supervision of Alice Rosenthal, a lawyer and native of New Haven, the new office works with families to support children’s health. From bedbugs to unpaid utility bills, Rosenthal has seen and overcome many obstacles to child health. In the long run, this partnership will control medical costs by attacking the root causes of illness for at-risk children. Yale-New Haven Hospital 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06510-3202 www.ynhh.org THE GREATEST ACT OF LOVE “Can you imagine? How lucky is that?” said Krista Guarnieri, 32. “I thought I was going to be on a waiting list for four or five years.” She was in end-stage renal failure with a poor prognosis when she learned that she and her husband, Michael Guarnieri, were perfect matches for blood, white blood cells and tissue. Michael donated a kidney to his wife, and after the transplant surgery, her outlook is excellent, and his life is unchanged – except now he has a wife in the peak of health who owes her recovery to a loving husband. Yale-New Haven Hospital does about 125 kidney transplants per year, with more than half coming from living donors. You may never have the opportunity to save someone you love with the gift of a kidney, but you can save the life of another human being simply by filling out a form – an organ donor registration form. Find out what organ donation is all about by reading the myths and facts at ynhh.org/transplantation-center/become-an-organ-donor.aspx. Or call Donate Life Connecticut at 203.387.1549. Ninety thousand Americans are waiting for organ transplants. Your help can begin when you no longer need your organs. Just register to make your intentions known, then enjoy the feeling of knowing that you are saving the life of someone else with a supreme act of charity. FOR YOUR HEALTH: DROP A FEW POUNDS Nationally, more than a third of the population could benefit from losing weight. The proportion is higher in New Haven, where much of the population does not meet national guidelines for diet and exercise. Join Get Healthy CT’s new initiative: a challenge to all of New Haven to lose a collective 375,000 pounds in honor of New Haven’s 375th anniversary. Visit gethealthyct.org for lots of useful and practical information: activities for all seasons, ideas to get your kids up and moving, guidelines for healthier eating and advice on exercising safely. E A S Y S T E P S T O G E T S TA R T E D L O S I N G W E I G H T Drink water. Avoid soda and even fruit juice. Flavor your water with a slice of lime, lemon, cucumber or watermelon. Use smaller plates, bowls, and cups. Studies show you’ll feel satisfied sooner. It really works! Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Your meals will be satisfying but you’ll get fewer calories than you will from other sources. Use small containers for snacks. When you first open a bag of snacks, split them into serving sizes. Don’t eat them from the bag. Keep healthy snack food handy. Bring lunch and healthy snacks to work and school. How You Can Help! Please consider making a contribution to Yale-New Haven Hospital by sending a check made out to The Fund for Yale-New Haven, or by visiting our web site at www.ynhh.org/donate Yale-New Haven Hospital, Office of Development, P.O. Box 1849, New Haven, CT 06508-1849