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| Vol. 24, No. 4 |
| March 1, 2002 |
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World-Class Pediatric Care by MONICA BYARS Texas Children's Hospital When Damaris Cantu was two months old, her mother Laura noticed that her baby girl’s skin was yellow and she always seemed to have a cold. Concerned, she took Damaris to a physician in their hometown of Monterrey, Mexico. "The doctor told us that she needed to get more sun," Cantu said. "We also modified her diet by changing the milk she drank." But Damaris continued to be ill and was unable to digest the milk. At one point she was rushed to the emergency room, where Cantu was told Damaris had liver problems. Unfortunately, medication failed to help, and Damaris’ gall bladder was removed six months later. Then physicians confirmed that Damaris was suffering from liver failure and would need a liver transplant. "There was no history of pediatric liver transplants in Mexico, and there had been only limited success with adults," Cantu said. "An organization that assists families of critically ill children in Mexico provided us with a list of U.S. hospitals that could perform the surgery." Once Cantu and her husband reviewed the list, the choice was clear – Damaris would go to Texas Children’s Hospital. "Texas Children’s had the highest success rate with liver transplants and was closest to home," Cantu said. Once Damaris and her parents arrived in Houston, she was placed on the organ transplant waiting list. One year later, Damaris received her new liver. Since opening its doors in 1954, Texas Children’s has cared for thousands of children like Damaris from every corner of the world. As the largest pediatric hospital in the United States, Texas Children’s goes to great lengths to address children’s special needs. Texas Children’s International Patient Services acts as a bridge between the hospital and international families by assisting them with every aspect of their visit. Each year, more than 1,000 patients from more than 80 countries visit Texas Children’s. "I will never be able to repay God, the doctors and the other people who helped Damaris while she was in the hospital," Cantu said. "I will be forever grateful because Texas Children’s Hospital is where they saved my daughter’s life." For details on Texas Children’s International Services, visit http://www.texaschildrenshospital.org.
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/03_01_02/page_13.html |