C.S. Mott Children's Hospital

🐾 | We're celebrating our tail-wagging heroes on with some pictures of our Paws4Patients Facility dogs! Working across various units, from both C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Michigan Medicine, they touch lives in ways only a dog can! Show some love for Barney, Dashiel, Fawn, Anna, Bugle, McCoy and London.

Here's our full Paws4Patients roll call:

Barney- Mott (12W and Nyman Unit for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellness)
-- 📸 #1: Barney in his "work pose”

Fawn- Mott (Pediatric Palliative Care Service)
-- 📸 #2: Fawn meets Survival Flight

Bugle- UH and occasionally Mott (No One Dies Alone Elder Life Program, AES, and occasionally CES)
-- 📸 #3: Bugle with students

Anna- UH and occasionally Mott (Spiritual Care)
-- 📸 #4: Anna helping with our surgery prep book

McCoy- UH (Adult Psychiatry- 9C/Partial Hospitalization Program)
-- 📸 #5: Maize and Blue McCoy

Dashiel- Mott (7E Coach Carr Cancer Unit, Sophie’s Place Studio)
-- 📸 #6: Dashiel looking very fetching in a raincoat

London- UH (6C, 6D/CCMU)
-- 📸 #7: London upside down

Among things many families don’t wish to pass down to their children and grandchildren: medical issues.

1 in 5 parents say their child has been diagnosed with a hereditary condition, and nearly half expressed concerns about their child potentially developing such a condition, the national Mott Children poll suggests.

But can parents prevent their child from experiencing a health problem that runs in the family?

More on the findings:

Many parents want help preventing their child from developing hereditary health conditions Poll shows two thirds of parents want their healthcare provider to suggest ways to prevent their child from developing a health problem that runs in the family

Have non-urgent breastfeeding questions? Our Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital Lactation Warm Line is always available to support at 844-200-8894. A lactation consultant will get back to you within 24 hours of your call and message.

Meet Owen one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Owen was born with transposition of the great arteries. We were unaware of Owen’s diagnosis until he was 37 weeks gestation. Unsure of what was ahead, we knew our little boy would be a fighter. At just two hours old, he had a balloon septostomy done with Dr. Zampi. At four days old, he underwent his atrial switch operation with Dr. Romano. After 13 days at Mott, Owen came home where he continued to thrive. He is so full of life and the happiest little dude you’ll ever meet! We will forever be grateful for Dr. Zampi, Dr. Romano and all of the PCTU staff who helped our warrior!” Hail, Owen! Learn more at mottchildren.org/calendar.

Meet Hannah one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “At her 20-week anatomy scan, Hannah was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). This was our first time learning of single ventricle heart defects. At 34 weeks, we made plans to deliver at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, 13 hours away from home. Hannah was born full of life and curveballs in October 2022. She underwent the Norwood procedure at five days old and spent three days on ECMO as part of her recovery. After two long months inpatient, Hannah was discharged! Hannah struggled to stay healthy, which delayed her hemi-Fontan and resulted in more time spent inpatient, including another seven days on ECMO. At about 9 months old, Hannah finally received the hemi-Fontan procedure. Hannah is a thriving, spunky and happy one year old! She will have the Fontan procedure in the coming years at Mott. We are so thankful for her care team: Dr. Jennifer Romano, Dr. Todd Sower, Dr. Alyson Pierick, and the many phenomenal nurses!” Hail, Hannah! Learn more at mottchildren.org/calendar.

August is . Breastfeeding is more than a lifestyle choice, it’s an important health decision that provides lifelong benefits. Our Mott and Von Voigtlander Breastfeeding and Lactation Program has many resources available for patients to support them on their breastfeeding journey. Learn more: https://www.umwomenshealth.org/conditions-treatments/breastfeeding

Meet Noah one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Noah's journey began with a simple heart murmur detected at birth. However, on his second day of life, an echo revealed a complex reality: he had four heart defects. He was transferred to Mott via Survival Flight, where at just 8 days old, he underwent open-heart surgery to repair three of the four defects. Incredibly, just one week after the surgery, he was discharged. After months of outpatient physical therapy and hard work, Noah is now on track with every other baby his age. Noah is not just a survivor; he's a thriving, happy, and healthy baby, defying the odds and shining as our true miracle.” Hail, Noah! Learn more at mottchildren.org/calendar.

Meet Sonny one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Sonny was born with critical aortic stenosis. At two months old, he had surgery to have a Berlin Heart implanted as a bridge to transplant. And on February 13, just in time for Valentine's Day, he received his new heart. Following his surgery, Sonny suffered a large stroke that impacted the left side of his body, but after 245 days in the hospital, we were able to bring our Sonny home. He is now 1 year old and continues to defy the odds. He loves being home with his big sister and works hard daily at PT, OT and feeding therapy. We are so thankful for our healthy and happy warrior boy with the smile that lights up any room!” Hail, Sonny! Learn more at mottchildren.org/calendar.

Meet Nathan one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Nathan was born premature at 29 weeks. In October 2018, at 10 weeks old Nathan contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and was rushed to the emergency room at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. He could not breathe on his own. He spent 7 weeks in the PICU and came home with a tracheostomy. Two and a half years later, Dr. Green and his team of ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists removed a narrowed part of Nathan's trachea allowing him to breath without assistance for the first time. He is now a thriving 5-year-old and we are grateful every day for the work of Nathan's team.” Hail, Nathan! Learn more at mottchildren.org/calendar.

Too much screen time isn't just a concern for kids.

Daily notifications from mobile devices may also stress parents out, suggests a new Mott Children study.

“Parents are often juggling parenting and home life with work and other responsibilities simultaneously. It makes sense that feeling pulled away by phones may bring additional stress," said lead author Tiffany Munzer, M.D., developmental behavioral pediatrician at Mott.

More on the findings:

Parents who frequently pick up phones due to device notifications may be more stressed Parents received an average of almost 300 mobile notifications per day between 2020-2021, a small Michigan Medicine study suggests. And when those buzzing pings – whether from work emails, messages or other apps – prompted parents to pick up their phones, they experienced greater daily parental ...

In recognition of its consistent efforts to improve environmental sustainability and planetary health, U-M Health recently received three ‘Excellence’ awards from Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint associated with health care.

One of the awards, ‘Greening the OR Recognition,’ honors hospitals that have made substantial progress in ‘reducing the impact of the surgical environment.’

Here, part of the incredible OR team at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital is pictured with the awards, as they’ve been tremendous in leading our medical plastics recycling initiative alongside our OR teams at U-H and the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this major (eco-friendly) achievement! Learn more here: https://michmed.org/jW4Gq

🎁 TOY-TACULAR with The Bottomless Toy Chest! The Bottomless Toy Chest made a special trip to deliver brand new gift-wrapped toys to EVERY inpatient at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Thank you for bringing so many smiles and fun to our Little Victors. Hail!

✨ Spread Sparkle ✨ A day filled with magic for Little Victors with Spread Sparkle. Complete with princess and superhero capes, masks, a jewelry bar and crafts. The Snow Queen and Spider-Man also made a special appearance. THANK YOU to the generous donors who made this day possible. Hail! 💛 💙

After Caden hurt his arm falling off his electric scooter, his parents turned to the pediatric orthopaedic specialists from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at Trinity Health Oakland for help.

“Caden had a complicated fracture in his arm from his scooter accident. We drove to Pontiac to see Dr. Walick and were pleased with our visit. She got us in quickly – there was no wait time. The office was clean and the staff were friendly, and we appreciated Dr. Walick’s expert opinion and guidance on his injury,” said Caden’s mom, Jen Kulish. Now, Caden is back to doing the things he loves before the summer ends.

In addition to pediatric orthopaedics, U-M pediatric specialty clinics offered at Trinity Health Oakland include pediatric cardiology, pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric hematology oncology, pediatric ophthalmology, pediatric surgery and pediatric urology.

Learn more: https://michmed.org/Y3rkJ

🏕️ 🔦 Camp Little Victors brings summer camp fun to Little Victors at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital made possible by the Mott Golf Classic. Hail! CBS Detroit https://michmed.org/z4jgW

Michigan's Mott Children's Hospital launches Camp Little Victors for patients C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan has launched Camp Little Victors — an immersive experience aimed at bringing the joy of summer in...

It’s week three of Camp Little Victors 2024 and we’re exploring and playing all the games! Cheer on Team USA in the Paris 2024 Olympics while wearing your own gold medal and see how many points you can earn in glow-in-the-dark ring toss. Make your own batch of dice snack mix and design your own board game in this week’s STEAM project.

Last week was week two of Camp Little Victors 2024. We explored everything movies and you can too! Be the producer of your own movie with this week’s craft project and play a few games of popcorn toss. Are you a sweet or savory popcorn person? Make both in this week’s snack and create your own movie reel in this week’s STEAM project.

Meet David one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Before coming to Mott at 7-months pregnant other hospitals did not detect by ultrasound or find anything was wrong with my pregnancy, but the doctors at Mott knew. David was born at Mott Hospital in March 2010 with multiple doctors ready for him to enter this world. David was born with a rare chromosome 18 syndrome and spent his first months in the PICU with unbelievable care from the Mott team. David was assigned to the palliative team care who explained the journey we will be on and gave us all the help and support we needed as a family. He was diagnosed with CH18, craniosynostosis, cleft, deaf, breathing problems, eye problems, club feet, seizures, low muscle tone, G-tube, and a kidney issue. David has had over 20 surgeries and was one of the first patients to be transferred from the old Mott to the new Mott Hospital when it was being built. David has been on multiple floors and spent many holidays at Mott, met so many amazing nurses, doctors and staff and the Child & Family Life program made us want to give back to others as they did for us every visit and surgery. We donated a bunch of toys at Christmas time to Mott Hospital on behalf of David’s first Christmas. David has had so many specialists and one of his favorite doctors is Dr. Craig from ortho. Dr. Craig is one of the best, caring doctors we will ever know. My son’s club feet were turned backwards, and Dr. Craig cast my sons' feet every 2 weeks since he was born, and did this for years and had multiple surgeries on his legs/feet and hip. Dr. Craig and his team were so dedicated and did everything to make sure my son would walk. David is walking with a walker because of Dr. Craig and the Mott team. They never gave up on David. David is the Sweetest, Happiest, loving, cannot stop smiling 13-year-old, Mott Team is learning so much from David and Helping other kids like him on this journey we are all on, we are all better people because of David. We could not thank Mott Hospital enough; I tell everyone my son is alive, thriving and growing each day because of Mott Hospital and their team! Hail, David! Learn more at https://www.mottchildren.org/calendar.

Meet Zachariah one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “We found out during the anatomy scan that Zachariah would have a bilateral cleft lip and palate and a heart condition. During a second fetal heart echo, we found out about a second heart defect. Zach was born in April 2023 and transferred to Mott. He had his first heart surgery at 6 days old and was on the road to coming home when it was noticed that he had a stridor. He had collapsing of his trachea and hypomobility of his left vocal fold. He had a tracheotomy tube put in and is vent dependent. He also has a G-tube. He has a coloboma in his right eye and had a cataract removed from the same eye. He was able to go home in July 2023 and is doing well. He has had his first lip adhesion in October. He is a happy little guy, and we love all his doctors at Mott. They treat us very well!” Hail, Zachariah! Learn more at https://www.mottchildren.org/calendar.

Meet Barrett and Bowen two of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Barrett and Bowen were both diagnosed with a cleft lip and palate at their 20-week ultrasounds, just 18 months apart. They each had two surgeries; the first at around 3 months, and another when they were a year old, with more in their future. From the day of diagnoses, the craniofacial team at Mott has been nothing but magnificent. We are beyond grateful to live close to such an innovative health care system, with the most compassionate, knowledgeable staff imaginable. The boys love to visit the superhero statues in the lobby, as well as the real-life superheroes in the clinic.” Hail, Barrett and Bowen! Learn more at https://www.mottchildren.org/calendar.

In case you missed it: Mott pediatric surgeon Dr. Arul Thirumoorthi was featured on FOX 2 Detroit, highlighting our partnership with Trinity Health MI to offer pediatric specialties in the Metro Detroit area, including:

- Pediatric Cardiology
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Pediatric Hematology Oncology
- Pediatric Orthopaedics
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pediatric Urology

Learn more: https://michmed.org/7kyJd

The Doctor Is In: Exploring the common but complex conditions that can impact children and how to deal with fear and anxiety Dr. Arul Thirumoorthi is a surgeon at Trinity Health IHA Medical Group and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. He discusses what to do when your child has a common but complex medical condition, such as appendicitis, a hernia, or Crohn’s Disease. He also offers advice and guidance on finding the best s...

Are your kids wearing the right shoes?

Findings from our new national poll on children's foot health:

Are your kids wearing the right shoes? In a national poll some parents acknowledged a lack of confidence in ensuring their children are wearing properly fitting shoes – which experts say is necessary to support growth and prevent injuries. One in seven parents also say they’ve had concerns about their child’s feet or the way they w...

Camp Little Victors 2024 kicked off this week and we hope you’re joining us for all of the fun! Click through for the first week’s activities as we explore our favorite sports. Decorate a pennant for your favorite team and feeling bored on a rainy day? Grab some paper plates and a balloon for a game of tennis that can be played indoors. Shoot baskets with this week’s snack and test your field goal making skills with this week’s science project.

Because of worldwide computer outages, at University of Michigan Health we have experienced technical issues in some areas, and there may be delays in trying to connect with our services. However, our operations are continuing, and we are not canceling procedures or appointments at this time. All of our resources are currently dedicated to restoring full functionality as quickly as possible. Patients can still use the MyUofMHealth patient portal for non-urgent messaging with care teams, as well as some appointment scheduling and rescheduling.

*UPDATE* 1:35PM: Patients who use our specialty pharmacy for prescriptions that are delivered to their home may experience delays, as we use a third-party delivery service (UPS) which may be affected by the nationwide technology disrputions. For questions about your prescription's delivery status, please contact our specialty pharmacy: https://specialty-pharmacy.uofmhealth.org/contact-specialty-pharmacy-services

Meet Austin one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Austin was born with a bilateral cleft lip and cleft palate. His local doctors did what they could, and when Austin was 1 year old, they referred us to Mott and that’s when Austin became a Little Victor! Dr. Sean Edwards and Dr. David Brown and teams have always been so wonderful to us and have truly helped Austin so much! Fast forward to now, Austin is 15, and 13 surgeries in. Austin still loves going to see his buddies at Mott, and says that’s where he feels comfortable, since he has always seen kids with similar situations as himself. We truly don’t know what we would have done without the Mott team!!” Hail, Austin! Learn more at https://www.mottchildren.org/calendar.

Meet Posie one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “We found out during our 20-week ultrasound with Posie that there were some ‘anomalies’ with her head shape, hands and feet. A genetic diagnosis was suspected, but not confirmed – we were terrified. Many ultrasounds, tests and a c-section later, Posie was born at Mott at 37 weeks and her diagnosis of Apert syndrome was confirmed. Apert syndrome is a rare craniofacial genetic disorder that causes bone fusion in the skull, hands and feet. Posie spent six weeks in the NICU, during which time she had two surgeries to open her narrow nasal passages so she could breathe on her own. She also underwent a surgery at 5 months old to open the closed sutures in her skull. Posie has numerous surgeries ahead of her including syndactyly release, palate repair and multiple craniofacial surgeries, but she is growing and thriving and loving life nonetheless! She is so loved! The Mott NICU staff was absolutely amazing during Posie's six-week stay. They took wonderful care of her day and night, and her primary nurse, April, was her biggest cheerleader, providing such wonderful care. Posie is following with multiple specialties at Mott, including the craniofacial/neurosurgical team, ophthalmology, cardiology, otolaryngology, and physical therapy, and we are so thankful for all her wonderful providers.” Hail, Posie! Learn more at https://www.mottchildren.org/calendar.

Meet Asher one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Asher was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia at just 18 weeks gestation. Throughout my pregnancy, we were told that his prognosis was extremely poor, and we would only have seconds or maybe minutes with him at birth. At just 30 weeks gestation, Dr. Karen Speck and her surgical team performed his diaphragm repair and saved his life! We are and will be forever grateful for all of his care team including his doctors, dietitian, surgeons and all the nurses who have cared for our Little Victor at Mott! Thank you for all that you do!!” Hail, Asher! Learn more at https://www.mottchildren.org/calendar.

Meet Eli one of our Little Victors from our 2024 calendar. “Eli is the happiest Little Victor out there! Eli has Stickler syndrome, impacting his cleft palate and his joints. Eli has worked non-stop between speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and multiple surgeries. He does all of this with a smile on his face every single day! A special thank you to Eli’s team who never lets a diagnosis define him!" Hail, Eli! Learn more at mottchildren.org/calendar.