Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program

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1 Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program Reducing pain and suffering for children. Gala

2 The pain was excruciating... there were no tears to shed, no moans to whisper, no place to withdraw and hide. Just like adults, children can suffer greatly with acute and chronic pain issues for a variety of reasons. Though often lacking words to describe their pain, the resulting fear and anxiety can greatly diminish their quality of life. As a leading children s hospital, a pain management program designed for infants, children and teens is essential. The pain and palliative care program at Helen DeVos Children s Hospital reduces the pain and suffering of children and adolescents. We promote comfort and heal the whole person thereby improving both the health and quality of life for these children. Watching a child suffer in pain, whether from a needle poke or from complications of a chronic illness, can be unbearable to witness. No one wants to think of a loved one suffering this way. Helen DeVos Children s Hospital has two cornerstone programs for pain management our sedation services and our child life specialist program. The sedation service is very helpful for painful procedures and for procedures requiring patients to be perfectly still. The child life program uses various forms of therapy, such as music therapy to distract the patient alleviating pain and concurrent fear and anxiety. While these programs provide wonderful services to many of our patients, a significant number of children still suffer with acute or chronic pain. 2 A comprehensive pediatric pain medicine program will allow us to provide state-of-the-art pain prevention and treatment techniques to all children treated at Helen DeVos Children s Hospital, maximizing their comfort. Similarly, pediatric pain treatment and palliative care are essential aspects of medical care for children with simple and complex medical conditions, improving quality of life and minimizing suffering through aggressive treatment of pain and troublesome symptoms and working with families with medical decision making concerns. Fundraising from the annual gala is our best opportunity to support expanding our pain treatment services. Expanded pain treatment services include inpatient consultative pain service and an outpatient interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program. These services positively impact the lives of our most medically complex and fragile children treated at Helen DeVos Children s Hospital. Funds are needed to assist us in future initiatives including additional research projects, and the expansion of the care team. An expanded care team will include additional advanced practice providers, a pediatric pain psychologist, a social worker, nurses and a dedicated child life specialist. Your sponsorship will help the pain and palliative care program fulfill a commitment to comfort by providing high quality and exceptional care for our children and adolescents facing pain and suffering, whatever the underlying cause. Please join us by supporting Gala Your generous support will help us be the leader in minimizing pain and distress in all children needing our care from near and far. Sincerely, Mike and Sue Jandernoa Gala 2016 Chairs 3

3 Sponsorship Levels Miguel s Story Founder $25,000 All of the benefits of partner Prestigious seating for 20 at the gala dinner Recognition in media releases as a sponsor Miguel lives every day in excruciating pain physical pain from acute flares requiring frequent hospitalization and emotional pain from the looks and stares of others ignorant of his condition. Miguel is 13 years old and has years of pain ahead of him. Partner $15,000 All of the benefits of fellow Special recognition from the podium Fellow $10,000 All of the benefits of patron A sponsorship plaque His mother, Monica Herrera had a normal pregnancy and delivery. She looked forward to bringing a healthy baby home. We knew something was wrong immediately, she said. Miguel was born covered with open sores and looked as if he were badly burned. He has a blistering skin condition called epidermolysis hyperkeratosis (EHK), a rare skin disorder affecting 1 in 250,000 people. It presents at birth and is a lifelong disease there is no cure. Miguel is missing the protection provided by normal skin. He is at risk of constant dehydration and severe infections throughout his body. EHK is a genetic condition caused by mutations in the genes encoding the proteins keratin 1 or keratin 10. Gene therapy is possible in the future but until then sufferers must treat their fragile skin carefully and find ways of managing the pain. Patron $5,000 All of the benefits of donor Preferred seating at the gala dinner Donor $3,500 Seating for 10 at the gala dinner Recognition in the foundation annual report, foundation newsletter and The Grand Rapids Press Recognition in the gala program Name prominently displayed at the event 4 Bradd Hemker, MD and Miguel Herrera 5

4 Through it all, Miguel remains positive and loves school. Math is his favorite subject. Unfortunately, Miguel misses a lot of school and must work very hard to stay current on his studies and maintain his grades. His family drives to Chicago to see a dermatologist every six months. It used to be worse, everything we needed to treat Miguel was in Chicago and this meant a trip to the pain clinic every six weeks, more time away from school, more time in pain from the arduous car ride, more stress on the family and our resources, said Monica. Thanks to the Helen DeVos Children s Hospital Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Team he can now receive pain treatments here close to home. In addition to the numerous daily medications, I continue to try everything to manage Miguel s pain including aromatherapy (he especially likes the smell of tangerines), funny movies and acupuncture, said Monica. The pediatric pain and palliative care program is creating a plan specifically designed for Miguel. Your sponsorship will provide an interdisciplinary pain management team capable of treating Miguel and the many other children living in horrible pain. Already, the team improves acute pain management for Miguel through the use of new medication combinations and regional anesthesia techniques during inpatient stays. They continue to search for a local dermatologist able to partner with them in caring for Miguel. For Miguel, better pain management is a meaningful improvement in his quality of life. Spectrum Health Foundation Board Of Trustees Davey Mehney, Board Chair Marge Potter, Vice Chair Maria DeVos, Secretary Richard Antonini, Treasurer Vicki Weaver, President Ron Alvesteffer Jeffrey Bennett Patricia Betz David Bottrall Richard C. Breon Ryan Cook Dale DeHaan Eleanor Gorman Nancy Hanenburg Candace Matthews Sarla Puri, MD Brian Roelof, MD Bob Roskam Joan Secchia David Van Elslander Cynthia Walker Aaron Wong Eleonora Frey Zagel Emeritus Jack Carter Dick DeVos Joyce Winchester Lifetime Members Wilbur A. Lettinga Helen DeVos Children s Hospital Foundation Board Of Trustees Patricia Betz, Board Chair Tom Kyros, Vice Chair Vicki Weaver, President Shirley Balk Peg Breon Robert Connors, MD Mimi Cummings Janice Currie Kristin Duryee James Fahner, MD Tim Feagan Lou Ann Gaydou Eleanor Gorman Ron Hofman, MD Dan Hurwitz Rabih Jamal Sue Jandernoa Michele Maly-Dykema Davey Mehney Doug Meijer Kimberly Moorhead Walter Perschbacher IV Alejandro Quiroga, MD Beth Robinson, DDS Scott Robinson, DDS Glynn Ann Ruggeri Robert E. Schermer, Jr. Cynthia Walker Laurie Wierda Meg Miller Willit Honorary Dick DeVos Ethie Haworth Emeritus June Hamersma Barbara Ivens Leonard Radecki, MD Lifetime Member Gala 2016 Fundraising Committee Bill Currie, Chair Karl Betz David Bottrall Peg Breon Bill Bush, M.D. Bob Connors, M.D. Matthew Denenberg, M.D. Jim Fahner, M.D. Lou Ann Gaydou Rabih Jamal Brad Kaufmann Bruce Matthews Patrick O Hare Rick Redetzke Sandy Roelof Glynn Ann Ruggeri Vicki Weaver 6 7

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