IMPORTANT UPDATES
On April 26, GDOT will begin work to replace the North Druid Hills Road bridge over Peachtree Creek. All lanes will be closed for 90-days.
Entrance and exit routes for the Center for Advanced Pediatrics impacted by road construction on Tullie Road.
IMPORTANT UPDATES
Think back to when you were a kid. What did you want to be when you grew up? Maybe you didn’t end up becoming a mail man, hair stylist or firefighter, but what if you never even had the chance to find out?
In honor of national childhood cancer and sickle cell awareness month, we asked a few of our patients at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center what they wanted to be when they grew up and then facilitated a photo shoot to allow them the experience a ‘day in the life’ in this profession.
Through these visuals, we get a glimpse into the joy these patients experience outside of our hospital walls and celebrate their ongoing fight against pediatric cancer and blood disorders.
Ariana, 15, wants to be a chef when she grows up.
Ariana has found peace and happiness in cooking while recovering from the BMT and staying in the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House. She was even participated in “MasterChef Junior,” a national cooking show for kids in California. Her favorite thing to cook is chicken alfredo, in addition to baking cupcakes for patients at Children’s who are staying in the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House.
Alivia, 7, wants to be a hair stylist.
After strep throat didn’t go away with antibiotics, bloodwork indicated Alivia had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Her first round of chemo wasn’t helping get rid of the leukemia, so doctors scheduled Alivia to undergo a blood and marrow transplant (BMT) on Aug. 27. She will remain in the hospital for about 100 days, first in the BMT Unit for post-transplant observation and care, then the remainder of her time in the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House.
When treatment for the transplant is completed, Alivia looks forward to going home, and she hopes her hair grows back curly and that her mom can dye it pink just like her favorite wig. Alivia’s mom, Denise, has been a hair stylist for 11 years. Alivia has told her that she, too, would like to be a stylist when she grows up. She loves to shampoo hair, blow dry it and flat iron it. She’s trying to learn how to make curls.
Andrew, 7, wants to be a professional soccer player.
After struggling to breathe on the basketball court last winter and multiple visits to the pediatrician, Andrew was referred to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Emergency Department for additional bloodwork. And just two days before Thanksgiving 2018, they received very difficult news—Andrew was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Andrew was immediately admitted into the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center to begin chemotherapy treatments.
Today, Andrew is in the maintenance phase which will last about two years and includes additional medicine and check-ups for monitoring the disease. Andrew is excited to return to playing soccer, a sport he loves because of the non-stop running and scoring goals.
Matthew, 16, wants to be a doctor and researcher.
Matthew’s cancer journey began in 2016. A swollen neck brought him to Children’s, and after an MRI and blood tests, Matthew was diagnosed with Pediatric T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He began treatment at 13-years-old, underwent a blood and marrow transplant (BMT) at 14, and not long after turning 16 years old, Matthew’s cancer relapsed, and he underwent yet another BMT four months later.
Today, Matthew is in remission and looks forward to returning to school in November, as the 11th-grader has had to take online classes for the last few years while his body heals from having cancer treatments. And while graduation is still more than a year away for Matthew, he does have dreams of one day working in a forensics lab in the healthcare industry, helping come up with treatments to heal people like him one day.
Dakota, 9, wants to be a marine biologist.
For several weeks, Dakota complained about her vision being blurry when she was in class. After trips to the pediatrician, ophthalmologist, and an MRI at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Dakota was diagnosed with a brain tumor known as juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA). Her tumor is in both parts of the thalamus, which has a main function in the body to relay motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex. For Dakota specifically, the tumor was sitting on her optic nerve.
Dakota began chemotherapy treatments on April 26. As a chronic illness, Dakota’s brain tumor will need to be monitored every three months moving forward, making sure it doesn’t grow. The outgoing, spunky little girl who aspires to be a marine biologist one day, was excited to start fourth grade this August. She currently has a 100 in her science class and loves watching Animal Planet.