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  • Want to save a life today? How about three? You can do just that by donating blood.

    It’s easy to overlook the importance of donating blood because most of us just don’t think about it until it applies to us. However when the unthinkable happens- an unexpected surgery, a cancer diagnosis, a premature baby is born- donated blood can make the difference between life and death. One out of every three people in the United States will need donated blood at some time in their lives. And for some, that time is now.

    I’d like you to meet Ethan.

    Ethan is ­14 years old. In May of 2013, Ethan was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. After undergoing 14 rounds of chemotherapy treatment, he was cancer-free and ready to go back to life as a normal teenager. However, a few months later during a routine follow-up, doctors diagnosed Ethan with a blood disorder called myelodisplastic syndrome (MDS), which then progressed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), likely an unwanted side effect of his previous chemotherapy. He underwent another round of chemotherapy treatment and a bone marrow transplant that required him to spend 67 consecutive days in the hospital. He made it home just in time to spend Christmas with his family. He’s looking forward to finishing his treatment so that he can go back to school, play video games with his friends and enjoy his favorite sports like soccer and baseball.

  • What does Florida’s new booster seat law mean for your family?

    On January 1st, 2015 a new law became effective in Florida requiring children under the age of six years old to be restrained either in a child safety seat or booster seat while riding in a vehicle. Previously, Florida law mandated only that children under three years of age be restrained in a car seat, allowing parents to use seat belts for older children. Until this law took effect, Florida was one of only two states that did not require these safety measures for children under five years of age.

  • What every parent should teach their teen about sexual assault

    As a counselor with the Teen Xpress program, a part of The Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families, I provide therapy for middle and high school students at select schools in Orange County. Each year, conversations with the older high school students turn to the future - college, careers, and choices. We talk about their goals, plans and dreams. We talk about the fun stuff, like majors or classes they are planning to take and the not-so-fun stuff, like safety, personal responsibility and accountability.

  • What to do if you think your child has the flu

    This year has been a particularly difficult flu season, and it’s not over yet. Experts estimate that we’re about halfway through the season (although the flu virus can often be unpredictable), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported an alarming number of hospitalizations and flu-related deaths. Especially concerning is the number of pediatric deaths related to the flu; 26 children have died this year from flu-related illnesses, and we know from previous experience that there are likely more that haven’t been reported.

  • Does swimming cause ear infections?

    This blog post was originally published in June 2014

  • What we can learn from Leelah Alcorn’s suicide

    *this photo was posted on Leelah Alcorn's tumblr site

  • Marching for hope in the fight against childhood cancer: Ethan’s story

    Ethan was a happy and healthy 13-year-old who loved football and soccer. But about a year-and-a-half ago, Ethan’s parents knew something was not right with him. Ethan began to experience incredible pain in his hip, and so they began the daunting search to try and find answers to what was causing his pain. Life quickly became a flurry of emergency room visits, tests, nurses, doctors, needles, ambulance rides - all while their other kids were still at home. Ethan and his parents were sent to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children to meet with the pediatric oncology team.

  • How to talk to your teen about drinking and driving

    When it comes to parenting, some safety lessons we impart to our kids are simple. Look both ways before you cross the street. Don’t play with matches. Never put anything into an electrical socket. These things are black and white, clear as day. It would be nice if things stayed this easy, but they don’t. We all know that as our kids grow, teaching about safety becomes more complicated.

  • Look Before You Lock

    This post was originally published June 2013

  • Preschoolers aren’t getting enough active play time

    A new study tells us that preschool-aged children aren’t getting enough active play time at their childcare facility.