Posts filed under ‘Videos’
Documenting illness: Medical students’ films capture how patients, caregivers live with illness
They came without warning and didn’t go away: uncontrollable muscle twitches, weakness in his arms and hands, slurring of speech.
Even before the diagnosis in August 2011, Don Farrell and his wife Joan Darrah had figured out what they were confronting: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurological disease that is 100 percent fatal within two to five years after onset of symptoms.
“I can tell you that after the initial shock and grief, one makes a decision to move forward or not,” says Farrell in a documentary made by Penn State College of Medicine students Arissa Torrie and Brian Kinsman.
“It stimulated me to complete my life—not that I know what my life should be—but it stimulated me to finish it out strong, however that may be.”
Told through photographs and audio, “Don Farrell” is one of ten student documentaries that explore in searing and haunting detail the lives of patients facing debilitating diseases and terminal illnesses. Screened on May 1, the “Video Slam: Patient Project Documentary Films” is part of Penn State College of Medicine’s yearlong curriculum focused on giving first-year medical students insights into how patients live with illness.
Zeke pays a visit to the Life Lion team
On April 4, Zeke, the Harrisburg canine officer who was recently shot in the line of duty, and his handler, Cpl. Ty Meik, were reunited with the Penn State Hershey Life Lion Critical Care Transport team that treated Zeke in the moments after the shooting and flew him to an animal trauma center. It was at that center that Zeke received life-saving care.
Crew members say caring for Zeke was a first, but it was made easier by his demeanor. “He was never, ever nasty toward anybody,” said Steve Weihbrecht, flight paramedic. “Obviously, he was extremely frightened. Ty, his handler, did a great job of keeping him under control.”
“It looks like he’s doing well,” said Daniel Mease, a flight nurse who administered intravenous fluids to Zeke after the March 15 shooting. “It was fun watching him on the news, getting better each day.”
Medical Center patient first in Pennsylvania to go home with total artificial heart
Before August 2012, if you had asked Bob Phillips of Palmyra, Pa. about his health, he would have told you he’s been nothing but healthy during his 73 years on this earth. No serious health concerns meant he had not been to a doctor in 25 years.
So he never expected to turn 74 amid a five-month stay at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center or that he would become a milestone in medical history.
Phillips has become the oldest in the United States and first person in Pennsylvania who has received a total artificial heart (TAH) to be discharged to live at home with a portable driver, the external power source for the heart, while awaiting a donor heart.
He never saw it coming.
“I was never sick,” Phillips said. “I was 73 years old and I thought if I had gotten that far I’d be cruising down the main stretch.”
On his way out, Bob Phillips is greeted by the Nittany Lion, who presents him with a ballcap and a t-shirt signed by well-wishers.
Just a few short months ago, Phillips was returning from a Sunday afternoon trapshoot when he noticed an odd pain in his shoulders and chest. During his 30-minute drive home alone, the pain subsided and he thought nothing more of it. The next morning, he mowed the lawn and took his daily walk. His week continued as normal until Thursday afternoon, when the symptoms returned.
His wife Norma insisted he call a doctor immediately. He did so–reluctantly–and was told to go straight to the emergency room.
The couple learned that Phillips had suffered a massive heart attack. He was initially treated with two stents in his heart. He remained in cardiogenic shock and required therapy designed to give his heart time to rest. This therapy, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), uses a machine to do the work of the heart. An ultrasound later revealed a hole in the center of his heart and a heart rupture that was beyond repair.
His only option for survival was a total artificial heart connected to an external power source at all times.
Phillips was in a state of disbelief. How could his heart be damaged beyond repair?
“I always felt good; always exercised,” Phillips said. “I never dreamed that anything like this was happening to me. I was never doubled-over or short of breath or anything like the classic stuff you see.”
What he did not realize is he had coronary artery disease, and that led to advanced cardiogenic shock. On the spectrum of severity, his heart attack was the highest. (more…)
February 5, 2013 at 3:11 pm pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
A one-minute vote that could help fund a cure for breast cancer—and support a darn good video
The fight against breast cancer is real—that’s why more than 600 Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center faculty, staff, patients, survivors and the Nittany Lion donned pink gloves and broke out their best dance moves to show that no one should fight this disease alone.
Voting is now open for the national Pink Glove Dance Video contest, and Penn State Hershey is in the running to win a $10,000 donation to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.
We were inspired by not only our patients, but also each other: Dan, a human resources professional who danced for his wife, a 10-year survivor; Maggie, a critical-care nurse celebrating 12 years of survivorship; and more. Backed by a breast center team that ranks nationally in patient satisfaction; Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute multidisciplinary cancer teams including specialists, nurses, and support staff; and research that has led to promising new discoveries, our commitment to fighting breast cancer goes well beyond the gloves.
Together, we give hope, courage, and faith—and continue to fight for a cure.
Penn State Hershey is currently in second place out of more than 260 entries. Your vote could push us to the top! Every vote counts until November 2. Use your Facbook account to vote for Penn State Hershey’s video at http://pinkglovedance.com . Click on the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, click the Vote button, and then use the link provided to share with all of your Facebook friends. Please encourage them to share it with their friends, too.
October 24, 2012 at 9:32 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
Paz reports on highlights of Medical Center’s fiscal year
Highlights from across all four parts of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center’s mission were at the center of this week’s annual public board of directors meeting. Dr. Harold L. Paz, CEO of Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Health System, Penn State’s senior vice president for health affairs, and dean, Penn State College of Medicine, addressed faculty, staff and community members. Paz discussed how new and expanded collaborations, growth in its clinical and research missions, and the presence of the first group of medical students in State College were all part of a successful 2011-12 fiscal year.
Read more about Dr. Paz’s presentation in this article >>
The presentation also included the following videos, each highlighting a key story from the past year:
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September 14, 2012 at 8:12 am pennstatemedicine Leave a comment
Advancing to the next level of technology
With the addition of the new Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, Penn State Hershey Medical Center welcomes the first significant advance in Gamma Knife technology in the past thirty years. Gamma Knife surgery is a well-established method used to treat selected targets in the brain. More than 50,000 patients undergo Gamma Knife surgery every year.
There are many additional benefits of the new stereotactic radiosurgery system. In particular, the new positioning system moves the entire table during the procedure, rather than just moving the patient’s head back and forth. This enables physicians to treat a greater area, including the upper cervical regions.
“With the current Gamma Knife technology, we have to be concerned about the location of multiple tumors,” says Sandra J. Brettler, M.S.N., R.N., C.C.R.N., C.N.R.N., nurse coordinator, neurosurgery. “Sometimes, we have to treat them twice, because we cannot reach all of the tumors in the same session. Now, with Perfexion, we can treat them all at once.” (more…)
Class of 2016 White Coat Ceremony
Students from the Penn State College of Medicine‘s Class of 2016 officially began their medical careers last Friday with a White Coat Ceremony at the Hershey Lodge. During this annual rite of passage that included family and friends, 145 first-year medical students received their white coat from a distinguished faculty member and recited the Oath of Modern Hippocrates – the universally recognized creed for physicians. Students in this class represent twenty-five U.S. states and seven foreign countries.
The College of Medicine initiated its annual White Coat Ceremony in 1996 with funding support from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a public foundation fostering humanism in medicine. A White Coat Ceremony or similar rite of passage takes place at more than ninety percent of schools of medicine and osteopathy in the United States.
Making the Children’s Hospital a reality
Anticipation is growing for the opening of the new 252,000-square-foot Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, set for late this fall. While progress on the building’s exterior is visible for everyone to see, the transition plans are in full swing behind the scenes. The contractors are moving level by level through the interior of the building to finish walls and run cables and wiring, to lay flooring materials and install cabinetry, and to prepare each room to receive the equipment that has been designated for the space.
The project team, equipment planners, purchasing agents, move planners, internal unit managers, and various other teams along with Gil Pak, operations director for Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, are managing every detail of the move. “We are meeting regularly to finalize the process. We’re also preparing and educating the staff before the move so we’re fully functional once we’re open,” explains Pak. (more…)
From Israel to Hershey, in search of hope – and a cancer cure
Eli and Miriam Safrai say the decision to temporarily relocate their family from Jerusalem to Hershey was easy. They knew the trans-global move could represent their best hope of connecting their son Muli (short for “Shmuel”) with cancer treatment that could save his life.
It all began in late 2009, shortly after their son Muli’s first birthday.
“He seemed tired, often complained of a pain in his stomach and was constipated,” Miriam says. Despite these symptoms, Muli’s doctor found no medical problem. When the symptoms persisted, his parents sought a second opinion – and shortly thereafter, Muli was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. A tumor had formed in Muli’s adrenal gland, not far from his kidney.
Apart from tumors of the brain and spinal cord, neuroblastoma is the most common tumor affecting children. Roughly half of all patients who are treated for it recover. But the other half relapse, and when the cancer returns, it’s usually very aggressive and brings a grim prognosis. In fact, relapse neuroblastoma has a five-year survival rate in the single digits.
Immediately after he was diagnosed, Muli entered a vigorous, year-long treatment regimen that included a stem cell transplant, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and immunotherapy. Muli was declared to be in remission. But within weeks, Eli and Miriam received the news they feared most: the cancer was back, this time in Muli’s arm. After hearing about the various options, Eli and Miriam agreed to more chemotherapy and radiation. The treatment warded off the cancer, but caused a fungal infection that made Muli gravely ill.
After Muli cleared that hurdle, Eli and Miriam – knowing Muli’s cancer was almost definitely going to come back – scoured the Internet for clinical trials that would accept him. However, they found none for neuroblastoma patients in remission. Just as they thought all options had been exhausted, they received encouraging news on an online forum for parents of children with cancer. They learned of a trial taking place nearly 6,000 miles away at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
After reviewing Muli’s recent scans and other medical records, Ken Lucas, M.D., director of the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, accepted the toddler into the trial. “While by scans we know he was tumor-free, this child most definitely had tumor cells in him to some degree,” Lucas says. “That’s why we enrolled him in this study – because his chances of relapse are so high.”
The trial consists of four, one-month treatment cycles. Each begins with a chemotherapy drug that makes tumor proteins increase on the surface of the tumor cell. The patient is then given a vaccine that targets those proteins. The vaccine is created using the patient’s own white blood cells, which are isolated, modified, and transfused back to the patient.
The Safrais did not put life on hold while living in Hershey. On the contrary, Miriam received her doctorate in medicine from an Israeli university and traveled home to give birth to the couple’s third child, Lechem, during their months-long stay in south central Pennsylvania. Meantime, Eli continued to work toward his Ph.D. in physics. And their daughter, Liam, attended pre-K classes at the Jewish Community Center in Harrisburg.
Along with Muli’s treatments, the Safrais say their top priority was trying to maintain a semblance of family life.
“When Liam [came] home from school each day, we often [tried] to make family time together – by going someplace or seeing something,” Eli says. One such excursion led the family to New York City where they took in the view from the Statue of Liberty. They also enjoyed the Pennsylvania Farm Show, as well as a visit to an Amish farm in Lancaster County.
Muli and his family are now back home in Israel. Lucas and his team will continue to monitor Muli’s condition in conjunction with his caregivers back home. Muli will undergo scans every three to four months to ensure his cancer stays in remission.
Muli is the fourth patient to be enrolled in the cancer vaccine trial. Lucas hopes to enroll a total of fifteen, with an ultimate goal of discerning which patients the vaccine therapy was able to help.
Despite the long odds, his parents are optimistic that Muli will be one of those people.
“We really have a lot of hope,” Miriam says with a reassuring smile. “And for us, just hope is also something good.”
US News ranks Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital
Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital has once again earned a ranking among the nation’s best children’s hospitals in multiple specialties by U.S. News and World Report. This year, the Children’s Hospital is ranked in orthopaedics (for the second straight year), cancer, and diabetes and endocrinology.
This news serves to affirm for members of the Penn State Hershey community both the quality of the care and the quality of the caring that happens at our Children’s Hospital every day. The daily commitment so many people make to provide vital services to the children and families of our community is what makes recognition like this possible.
This honor belongs to each person involved with the care of our pediatric patients and families — our faculty and staff, our students, our volunteers, our friends, and our supporters.
On behalf of the children and families we serve, thank you and congratulations to all who have made it possible.
