Jun 5, 2006 3:58 pm US/Eastern
Children's Hospital Helps Save Life Of Young Girl
by Lisa Hughes
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
This Wednesday, CBS4 is teaming up with Children's Hospital for a day of giving to help the hospital continue its life-saving mission.
One of the young patients who was treated there is Nichole Paone from Melrose. Her mother just knew something was wrong.
That intuition led the family straight to Children's Hospital Boston for a surgery that saved Nichole.
"I knew something was wrong when I kept throwing up in class during school," said Nichole.
You wouldn't know it to look at her now, but Nichole Paone was one sick kid. Nichole had a tumor the size of a baseball on her brain.
To be certain they removed the entire tumor, Children's Hospital surgeons used this new, and very impressive piece of equipment -- it's called the "MR-OR" -- a 15,000 pound magnet that can "image" the brain, before, during and after surgery. Children's is the only pediatric hospital in North America to have one.
"It allows us to actually take an MRI while the patient is asleep," said Dr. Liliana Goumnerova, a surgeon at Children's Hospital.
Dr. Goumnerova operated on Nichole. In the past, doctors would have to wait a few days after surgery before checking their work with an MRI, but with this equipment right in the operating room, they can do it immediately.
"This is a tremendous advancement for us," said Goumnerova. "It's really probably going to make a difference for the management of a lot of children with brain tumors."
When Nichole returned to the hospital for a checkup, technicians scanned her brain to make sure everything was alright.
Lisa Hughes: Since the surgery, what has the recovery been like?
Nichole: First when I went home I couldn't wrestle with my dad and brother and I couldn't do what I used to do. But now I can wrestle with my dad and do really whatever I want.
Lisa Hughes: And do you beat your brother when you wrestle with him?
Nichole: Yeah, I can pin him.
Nicole's mother, Michele, told CBS4's Lisa Hughes that Children's Hospital had everything they needed. "They have specialists for everything," she said.
Today Nichole is just fine. And she told Lisa Hughes she wasn't afraid to have the surgery because she had been to Children's before, and knew they would take good care of her.
Children's Hospital Boston does whatever it takes to help kids and save lives. You can support that effort this Wednesday. That's when the CBS4 Kids campaign is holding a special "Day of Giving" to benefit the hospital. Phone lines will be open all day to take your donations.
You can help Children's Hospital continue its' life saving work and breakthrough research.
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