Annelizabeth ’s story: Care that feels like home, close to home

When you’re 5, it’s nice to have a place that feels like a second home. Where there are lots of hugs. And songs. And games. And you can curl up and watch “Frozen,” your favorite movie. For Annelizabeth Jean-Baptiste, a spunky Waltham kindergartener, that place is Boston Children’s Hospital at Waltham. Annelizabeth, or Annie (but never Anna, she says), first came to Boston Children’s at Waltham two weeks after she was born. Her mother Elcie wasn’t expecting that her fourth child would need special care. “It was a difficult pregnancy. I was very excited and relieved when she was born.” But that sense of relief turned after to surprise shortly after Annelizabeth’s birth. She tells me, ‘Mommy, I’m a big girl. I’ll go by myself,’ when it’s time for her blood draw. Elcie had undergone prenatal screening for sickle cell disease, and her baby had tested negative. After Annelizabeth was born, her first test for the disease was positive. Her second test also came back positive, and Annelizabeth’s pediatrician referred the newborn to Dr. Rachael Grace, a hematologist at Boston Children’s. “Dr. Grace explained what sickle cell disease meant. I hadn’t known before,” says Elcie. Grace sees patients twice weekly at Boston Children’s at Waltham, allowing the Jean-Baptistes to stay close to home for Annelizabeth’s ongoing sickle cell care. Charleen Colleran-Lombardi, a social worker at Boston Children’s at Waltham, is an important part of Anneliza...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Boston Children's at Waltham Dr. Rachael Grace sickle cell disease Source Type: news