Event leaders will be collecting unused and expired medications in a drive-thru in the building’s parking lot, and distributing free medication lockboxes.

Stacey Vanvliet, M.D., an inpatient pediatric hospitalist at Cook Children’s, stresses the importance of locking medications up, even if they seem harmless. She said suicide attempts “have become part of my daily practice” and most are overdoses on a substance that’s “convenient for the children and teens to grab.” While most patients are in their teens, children as young as 8 or 9 are routinely admitted to Cook Children’s for attempting suicide with medication.

“Commonly, we see Tylenol, Motrin, aspirin, Benadryl—things that people just stock in their cabinets to have on hand,” she said. “We see teenagers take huge handfuls of them.”

Each year, Cook Children’s treats hundreds of children and teens for medication poisonings and overdoses. Sadly, the number of these patients continues to reach record levels year after year.

"It is a huge problem right now. We’re seeing more kids in the hospital for opioid overdoses than ever before," said Artee Gandhi, M.D., medical director of Pain Management at Cook Children’s. 

Dr. Gandhi also points out that a recent letter published in the American Medical Association reported a 20% increase in drug overdose deaths among 14 to 18 year olds from 2020. The 1,150 deaths is double the number reported in 2019.

“While teen drug use has remained relatively stable, the biggest problem is kids trying to get their hands on prescription opioids such as oxycodone or other medications such as Xanax and Adderall,” Dr. Gandhi said. “So often, counterfeit versions of these drugs are laced with deadly amounts of fentanyl. Therefore, it is paramount that parents, educators and health care providers argue against medication misuse or drug experimentation at all.”

**Dr. Artee Gandhi and DEA agents will be available for interviews at this event.

This current tic phenomenon is primarily impacting teen girls, many of whom have no previous history of tics. That’s not typical for most tic disorders, such as Tourette syndrome. Tourette’s is a neurological movement disorder that is more common among boys and typically starts between ages 5 and 7 years.

Zelime Elibol, M.D., a pediatric neurologist with a special interest in cognitive and neurobehavioral disorders and director of Cook Children’s Tourette Syndrome Clinic, says the majority of tics observed in this current surge are called functional tics. Functional neurologic symptoms are not associated with any known neurologic cause. There is no structural damage to the brain or a lesion causing them, like in the case of a stroke or multiple sclerosis. Something is wrong, but it’s difficult to identify a physical cause, and it’s not likely to respond to typical medical treatments for tics.

An article published in the British journal “Archives of Disease in Childhood” in March, shed light on the issue. It detailed both an increase in tic symptoms during the pandemic among adolescents already diagnosed with tic disorders, as well as a sharp rise in the sudden and new onset of tic-like attacks among teenage girls. Pandemic stress and social media may be to blame, according to the article’s authors.

The piece highlights a recurring factor at play with this new set of functional tic disorders—the viral TikTok trend of showing one’s tic attacks. Views of #tourettes videos doubled between January and February 2021, and some teen girls report an increased consumption of these videos prior to onset of symptoms. Some also said they post videos of their own tic attacks and gain a level of support and attention from them, according to the article.

We sat down with Dr. Elibol to learn more about functional tic disorders and what parents and caregivers need to know about the recent rise in cases.

How common are tics in general?

About 25% of children will develop tics during early childhood, known as developmental tic disorders. The most common are called transient tics. They get them for a period of time, but they’re gone within a year. A much smaller percentage, about 1%, go on to have what we call chronic tics that last more than a year, often many years. Aside from developmental tic disorders, there are medical and metabolic disorders that cause tics. There are also medications that may cause tics as a side effect.

What are you seeing in your own practice right now related to functional tics?

We see functional neurologic disorder symptoms at times, meaning we see neurologic symptoms that contradict known patterns of disease and are often thought to have a psychological underpinning. They’ve always been around, but there is a notable increase right now. Specifically, what I’m seeing in my practice is a significant increase in explosive tics in otherwise healthy adolescents with a normal neurologic exam. So far, all of my functional tic patients are adolescent girls with symptom onset well after 11 years old and, by this age, 95% of Tourette patients will have already developed tics.

This is outside of the norm for typical tic disorders, like Tourette syndrome, which more often occur in boys between ages 5 and 7, and wax and wane over time. Some of the children I see with Tourette’s do have severe tics, but that’s a little less common. The tics in the girls I’m seeing right now are all very severe. I would describe them as tic attacks, where they have these sudden attacks of various and complicated vocalizations, curse words, body movements, sometimes hitting themselves and hitting others. They often are not waxing and waning, but sustained and so severe that they can’t go to school. There is a typical course, evolution and appearance for most developmental tic disorders. This current wave of functional tics I’m seeing does not follow that typical course and does not improve with tic medication.

What do you think has caused this increase in tic attacks?

Kids with functional neurologic disorders will sometimes deny that they are experiencing any type of psychological stress, but over time, they often recognize that something was, in fact, going on. They’ll return and say they were actually super anxious or even suicidal, and it started coming out in this physical way. There is an evolving theory behind functional neurologic disorders that a predisposing factor is an impairment in emotional processing and difficulty identifying one’s own internal emotional states.

I think the pandemic is playing a significant role in the increase. I’ve never seen it to this degree or had this many functional patients present to my clinic. We’ve seen an increase in mental health struggles like anxiety and depression, and I think it’s triggered an increase in functional neurologic disorders.

Have your patients referenced pandemic stress and restrictions as a trigger for their tics?

My patients don’t necessarily say that they’re stressed because of the pandemic, but when I ask them when things got worse, almost all of them say it’s all been within the past year. Most of them look back and give a history of some anxiety or depression in the past with significant worsening within the last year, including the onset of tic attacks. A lot of them will say they don’t want to go to school for whatever reason or that school is stressful for them and, when they go back to school, they’ll have tic attacks and end up back at home.

Do the patients you see for tic attacks report watching more TikTok videos of someone with tics prior to the onset of their symptoms?

The TikTok factor is new to me. More recently, I’ve been asking my patients if they’ve seen it and they say yes. They’ll also show me videos they’ve recorded of themselves having tic attacks. They’re not necessarily posting their attack on TikTok, but a number of them do say they have seen the videos.

How do you counsel these patients and their parents? What course of treatment do you advise?

The most important thing I tell parents is that I don’t think their child is faking it or that they are crazy. There is something going on, we just have to get to the bottom of it. I have a very long discussion with them about functional neurologic disorders—how the brain is not functioning correctly but there is nothing structurally wrong with it, like a lesion. We talk about why I have diagnosed their child with functional tics versus another developmental tic disorder, like Tourette Syndrome, based on their medical history and the evolution of their symptoms. It’s worth noting that you can have both Tourette’s and functional tics, so that can be difficult to tease apart, but the majority of the increase I’m seeing right now are kids that have no past history of tics.

Then, we talk about what we can do to help their child. Tic medications do not help children with functional tics. We need to address their child’s anxiety and underlying mental health issues, whether it’s with depression and anxiety medication, or therapy, or a combination of both. I will refer them to a psychiatrist or counselor, if they don’t already have one. I have also recommended a type of cognitive behavioral therapy for tics, called CBIT (Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Tics), where they learn how to identify the things that trigger their tics and coping strategies such as relaxation and breathing techniques to help lessen their severity or stop them all together.

We’ll often work with schools to put a plan in place where the student can take a break or go to another room if they need to. But, we emphasize with the patient that this is not going to allow them to get out of their school work. They can take a break, but they need to return to class and complete their work. This is not a reason to go home for the day. It’s important that we have empathy and understanding for these patients and help them work their way through it, but also not allow the tics to keep them out of school.

I would also recommend to children and families to stop watching tic videos on social media. I don’t have a study where I can prove that watching these videos incites tics in others, but if you’re anxious and depressed and not processing your emotions, it’s going to come out in some way. If you are watching a lot of other teens showing their tics on social media and talking about their tic attacks, it makes sense that you might be influenced to release your stress in that way, too. Step away from social media for a while and focus on developing coping strategies for your stress and for managing your tics.

“She was always so happy. Everybody was her friend,” said Mary, Julia’s adoptive mother. “She did not know a stranger.”

Julia was the kind of person who trusted people easily. So years later, when a young woman reached out to her on social media, she didn’t think much about the individual wanting to be her friend. She began to correspond and eventually started meeting her at a local park where Julia liked to skateboard.

“We were so protective of her, and only started letting her go to the park by herself when she was 17,” said Mary. “Still, I would drive around to check on her. She would always say, ‘Mom, why are you always worrying?’ I would tell her, ‘That’s my job.’”

Mary was worried about the new friend in Julia’s life. Something seemed off. But, like most teenagers, Julia didn’t want to listen to her parents. After all, she had finished high school early and was working toward her dream job as a nursing assistant. Julia completed school in December, but hadn’t graduated yet. It was the week of prom when Mary last heard her daughter’s voice.

“She called me after her job interview and told me how it went, and then she said, ‘I’m going to stay with my friend for a couple of days, but I’ll be back in time to do prom stuff later this week,’” said Mary.

At the time, Julia was 18 and Mary knew she couldn’t tell her daughter what to do. Still, she didn’t like the plan.

“I said, ‘Okay, I can’t tell you not to, but I don’t want you to go,” she explained.

At 7:30 the next morning, two state troopers arrived at Mary’s home. They told her and her husband that Julia’s body had been found on a tollway in Dallas. From there, the truth about Julia’s friend unraveled. She was what law enforcement officials call a “bottom girl,” someone who manipulates and baits vulnerable victims into human trafficking. It turned out that Julia’s ‘friend’ had been paid by a human trafficking ringleader to deliver the teen for commercial sex trade. Mary believes Julia was thrown out of the vehicle when she would not comply.

Julia died on May 2, 2018, just 20 days before her graduation.

“Two hours later, my phone rang. It was the person who interviewed Julia calling to let her know she got the job,” said Mary. “That broke my heart all over again.”

This month, a grand jury in Collin County is expected to hear the case against the ringleader charged in Julia’s death. If the grand jury decides to indict, Mary says it will be the first ‘Death by Human Trafficking’ trial in Texas.

Mary and Chris are hoping their daughter’s death can save the lives of others. Working with Rep. DeWayne Burns, R-Cleburne, they’ve created a bill that, if signed into law, will require driver’s education students across Texas to be educated about human trafficking. It’s called ‘Julia’s Act.’

On April 7, Julia’s family testified in favor of the act in front of the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures. In an uncommon move, the act was voted out of the committee the same day, setting forth a high probability it will move to the full Texas House for a vote.

“People need education. They have to know that this happens. I wasn’t educated, and now I’m looking every day to see what else I can learn,” said Mary. “I felt like, if we could get it into the schools, then maybe kids would listen since it’s coming from someone else besides their parents.”

What is Human Trafficking?

A lot of confusion exists about human trafficking. It is not the same as human smuggling, and it rarely involves victims being kidnapped at random. Human trafficking is the process of “trapping people through the use of violence, deception or coercion and exploiting them for financial or personal gain.” Trafficking victims can be exploited for sex and/or labor. It occurs anytime anything of value is exchanged for sex, such as money, food, shelter or gifts.

At Cook Children’s Medical Center, the Child Advocacy Resources and Evaluation (CARE) Team treats human trafficking victims under the age of 17.

“Usually, these are kids who have already been abused. They may have a history of sexual abuse, or are runaways because they don’t have a stable home or are in foster care,” explained Stacey Henley, RN, nurse manager of the CARE Team. “We also see a lot of LGBTQ kids whose parents kicked them out because of their sexual orientation.”

Henley describes human traffickers as ‘master manipulators’ who prey on the vulnerable.

“They are really, really good at understanding human needs and behaviors,” said Henley. “I know that sounds crazy to say, but they are looking at what the person needs, whether it’s love, food or a place to live and they’re fulfilling that need.”

She says knowing how many human trafficking victims are out there is nearly impossible because it’s heavily underreported. Part of the issue is that those being exploited often don’t see themselves as victims.

“A lot of times, the victim will say the trafficker is their boyfriend. They’re being manipulated, which is part of the problem because often teachers and medical professionals are looking for someone who’s wide-eyed and mouthing, ‘Help me,’ but that’s not what happens,” Henley said. “They’re not going to say, ‘I need help, get me out of this,’ so we have to look for other clues.”

To aid with this, Henley is leading the implementation of a child sex trafficking screening tool currently in use at Cook Children’s. Her hope is that a few questions asked by clinical therapists may uncover victims hiding in plain sight.

She also points out that human trafficking is a form of child abuse and should be treated as such. Sadly, the CARE Team has seen many cases of parents trafficking their own children, usually for drugs.

“It’s really sad. The best thing we can do is get them into a stable environment and help them get the resources they need for counseling,” said Henley.

Taking Down Predators

The Human Trafficking Unit at the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department is dedicated to taking as many predators off the streets as possible. With three investigators and a lieutenant, the unit carries out operations each month focused on helping victims and arresting human traffickers and their clients.

“When we find people who are being trafficked, we look at them as victims and set them up with an organization called Unbound Fort Worth that will help them get out of that situation,” said Detective Chris Jarvis, an investigator on the Human Trafficking Unit.

The unit also performs operations focused on the online solicitation of minors, in which they go undercover online posing as children. Detective Jarvis says they regularly catch adults who are trying to solicit sex from kids on the internet.

“Parents need to be involved with what their child is doing online,” he said. “Check their phones, make sure you’re reading their messages and know who they are talking to.”

He says some of the apps that predators use most often include:

• Facebook
• Kik
• Instagram
• Whisper
• Grindr
• Skout
• Meet me

“These are some of the biggest sites that children get on. People can go on there and talk to your child. The more experienced ones can actually find locations, even without asking,” said Detective Jarvis.

This situation is not unusual to the CARE Team at Cook Children’s. Though not always through human trafficking, young patients are frequently seen after being sexually assaulted by an adult they met online.

“I recently saw a victim who met a man on Whisper. It happens, and parents need to be looking for these apps on their kids’ phones,” said Henley.

If lured into human trafficking, Detective Jarvis says it can be extremely difficult to escape. He says traffickers isolate victims from friends and family members, take them to places that are unfamiliar and watch everything they do. They also tattoo victims as a way to brand them. Common human trafficking tattoos include bar codes, lips, cartoon characters, initials and crowns.

Life expectancy for human trafficking victims is much lower than the average person. They’re often murdered or suffer the detriments of drug use and sexually transmitted diseases. That’s why it’s so important to get victims the help they need to overcome the manipulation, which often involves long-term counseling.

A Problem Everywhere

Christi Thornhill, APRN, director of the Trauma Program at Cook Children’s travels all over Texas speaking to medical professionals about human trafficking. She says there’s not a place she’s been that hasn’t seen this problem.

“Before I speak to a group, I always Google ‘human trafficking’ and the name of the town and it never fails,” said Thornhill. “I was in Mineola, Texas, with a population of 5,000 and found an article about a bust.”

She’s also seen victims from upper-class communities like Southlake and agrees that the hardest part about this crime is the manipulation piece.

“We’ve had people from all walks of life arrested for paying for sex with young victims. Police officers, judges, coaches, doctors, clergy members, teachers. Do you really think these kids are going to tell anyone?” she said.

Thornhill points out that believing claims of sexual abuse is one of the key things that people can do to prevent a child from falling into human trafficking. She says children who are sexually abused, but not believed by their adult caretaker, stand to suffer mentally, including loss of self-esteem and self-worth, making them easy prey for traffickers.

In addition to monitoring what children and teens are doing online, parents need to know who their kids are hanging out with.

“We’ve seen cases where kids are being recruited in schools, so it’s really important to be aware of what your child is doing and who they are friends with,” said Detective Jarvis.

It’s also important to note that not all trafficking victims are runaways or missing. The CARE Team at Cook Children’s has seen cases where kids are being trafficked while still living at home with their parents.

“I’ve seen kids who have been trafficked after school, but still make it home and sleep in their own bed at night,” said Henley. “When someone is profiting from someone else having sex with a child, that’s trafficking.”

Fighting Back

You can help deter human trafficking by keeping an eye on your neighborhood. Watch for suspicious activity such as multiple cars coming and going from homes, as well as different people at all times. If you see something strange, call the police.

Red flags to watch out for in kids include:

• Missing school
• Changes in demeanor and attitude
• Odd tattoos
• Seeming like they can’t make a decision or are being controlled

“It takes a community to keep an eye out and be aware of this,” said Detective Jarvis. “We can’t do it alone.”

As for Julia’s parents, they are continuing their push for human trafficking education and hoping to extend the requirement for all state license holders. They’re also hoping to enact stiffer penalties for those convicted of human trafficking.

“The thing that really got me is that we are in a small town,” said Mary. “But going through the process and learning what I’ve learned, it doesn’t matter where you live. These people are looking for anyone willing to talk to them, and they prey on the brokenhearted.”

Hospitalist nurse practitioner Amber Jewison and psychiatrist Kia Carter, M.D. were featured on the nationally-syndicated show “The Doctors” on Thursday, Nov. 5. The show highlighted a recent trend of TikTok videos that encourage viewers to take excessive amounts of the common allergy medicine diphenhydramine, aka Benadryl.

Cook Children’s first reported on these videos on Checkup Newsroom over the summer after three teens were admitted to the hospital for overdoses.

“We had three patients in a week who specifically told me they saw a video on TikTok that told them they could take Benadryl to get high, and it gave them a specific number (to take),” Amber said in an interview on "The Doctors." “When I viewed that video, I was pretty shocked.”

Patients who overdose on Benadryl can have abnormal electrocardiograms (EKGs) and may not be able to urinate. It’s even possible to suffer seizures. Amber has treated such patients and says parents are usually shocked to find out their child has overdosed.

“I try to tell parents that it’s really good to know what’s out there on social media and to be aware of what your kids may be doing,” she said.

And it’s not just shocking for parents. Medical professionals are also surprised to see healthy adolescents and teens taking part in these dangerous challenges.

“I was alarmed, I was extremely shocked that children are participating in something so lethal,” said Dr. Carter, who is also the medical director of Psychiatry at Cook Children’s. “Being a parent myself, it’s petrifying to think about the idea of my pre-adolescent daughter participating in this.”

So why do teens participate in dangerous viral challenges like the one involving Benadryl?

“I think people have to realize that children’s brains are not fully developed like an adult and judgement and executive function are a huge part in making decisions. When we see kids participating in these high-risk behaviors, we have to remember that their brains are not fully developed,” said Dr. Carter. “There’s some research also to show that social media and participating in these challenges is activating the reward center in the brain, which can cause kids to become further attached to participating in these challenges.”

Dr. Carter says it’s also important to realize the difference between a child participating in an online challenge, and one who is actively trying to harm themselves. She says kids who are taking part in challenges because they want to fit in are usually active and part of a social group. Kids who are taking medicines or over-the-counter substances to harm themselves are often excluded or bullied on social media.

Her advice for parents - be aware.

“Know what your children are doing on social media, participate and ask questions,” Dr. Carter said.

Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, only one parent or caregiver can attend appointments with patients. So each Tuesday, Aiden and his mother, Lori, attend appointments at Cook Children's where he receives chemotherapy. During his treatments, Aiden's father, Chuck, waits patiently outside of the building until Aiden is taken into a room with a window.

Once Aiden can see outside, Chuck hosts a one-man, music-free dance party for Aiden (and anyone else who happens to see him). The two are usually on the phone, talking to each other at the time. Aiden will call out dance moves for Chuck to do, and he even does a little dancing himself. Chuck says he does it to lift Aiden's spirits.

"The restrictions during the pandemic made me feel helpless. And the only way I knew to cope was to somehow be there during his treatments," said Chuck. "When he was able to come to the window, it just came natural to me to wave and carry on, which turned into me dancing!  I love knowing that it makes him giggle and smile, and let’s him know that his struggle is my struggle. I would never want him to think that he is going through this without his dad."

"I think it’s tough to break up a close knit family of four in these days, only allowing one parent to be present during Aiden’s clinic treatments and equally hard to not have his big brother Camden by his side too!" said Lori. "The population of kids present are all immunocompromised, so it makes sense, just a tough pill to swallow! I absolutely love listening to his giggles & watching him belly laugh at Chuck’s fancy dance moves. He can be having a terrible day, which transfers towards us some times too, and it’s instantly better once he sees his dad shake his booty. Aiden’s smile is contagious and can light up a room, even behind his mask."

The Yielding family is hosting a blood drive on Saturday, Oct. 3 in Fort Worth, Texas. Click here to sign up.

Gabriel was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and admitted to Cook Children's in November. Over the past six months, he has spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and his birthday in the hospital. Now that he's accomplished his goal of walking an ULTRA marathon, Gabriel has set his sights on going home, which could happen at the end of the month. 

Miles in Motion is an incentivized walking program at Cook Children's, which rewards patients with gift cards for miles walked during treatment. The program is part of a larger initiative called Exercise is Medicine, which encourages patients throughout the hospital to stay active. 

Lauren, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017, said Poehler was funny, encouraging and relatable. For about 40 minutes, the two talked about their families, favorite TikTok videos and staying at home during quarantine.

Since being diagnosed with cancer, avoiding germs and public places has become a part of life for Lauren. Poehler asked the teen if she had any advice for those of us who are struggling with the new changes in the world.

“You find the things that calm you down and relax you,” explained Lauren. “Spend time with your family, that’s what I do and it’s got me through some bad times.”

The teen also told Poehler about her dreams of becoming an anesthesiologist, which she attributes to her experience as a surgery patient at Cook Children’s.

“Medicine is so cool,” Poehler told Lauren during the chat. “I’ve talked to a lot of kids who have to go through a lot of procedures and they get interested in medicine because they have experience with it that a lot of young people don't, and they see how they could make a difference. It's really cool.”

Lauren asked Poehler questions about everything from her career path to what it’s like being an actress and comedian. She also asked Poehler what inspires her. Her answer: working mothers.

“Moms who have to work and raise kids, especially during these times. There’s a lot of mothers who are working hard,” Poehler said. “I’m also very inspired by health care workers who are in the trenches and can’t see their own families because they have to be safe. I’m very inspired by people who put their lives on the line, risk their lives for people.”

Last month, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals named Poehler a CHANGEMAKER, which is an exclusive list of celebrities, influencers, corporate leaders and advocates who have positively impacted children’s health. According to the organization, the individuals and groups named have made a difference in the health and well-being of children, specifically sick and injured children treated at children’s hospitals across North America. 

“We’ve really had to change the way we do things,” said Jill Koss, director of Family Support Services and Child Life at Cook Children’s. “The goal of Child Life is to help patients and their families work through any fears and anxieties they have about being in the hospital, and giving them tools to cope with that fear. For patients that may find themselves in isolation due to Covid-19 testing, we are meeting many of those needs virtually.”

Cook Children’s Child Life Zone (CLZ) is now using its closed TV station, CLZ-TV Channel 2, to connect with patients. They’ve ramped up their broadcasting schedule, now hosting several game shows a day which allow patients to call in from their rooms to play along. CLZ is also teaming up with Hear Fort Worth, a division of Visit Fort Worth, to bring the magic of music straight to patient rooms.

“Through Hear Fort Worth, we’ve started collaborating with the local music community to bring free, virtual concerts to patients and families,” said Rayne Delgado, program coordinator for the Child Life Zone at Cook Children’s. “The response from our patients has been great. They especially enjoy being able to interact with the artists.”

Concerts are streamed via Zoom with the artist performing from their home while answering questions from the patients via Instagram or a special phone line.

“We are honored to work with the tremendous staff at Cook Children’s Medical Center,” said Mitch Whitten, executive vice president of marketing and strategy at Visit Fort Worth. “Music can inspire and bring hope during trying times and we are grateful to our local musicians for donating their time and talents. Music is an integral part of our city’s culture.”

Three concerts have occurred thus far featuring artists Jack Barksdale, Jessi England and Grady Spencer with more being planned.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created many unique challenges for Cook Children’s, including how to help kids feel like kids while social distancing in a hospital room,” said Koss. “This partnership with Hear Fort Worth gives our patients and families a chance to momentarily set aside the medical challenges they’re facing, and feel a little more connected through music.”

Musicians interested in performing may contact Child Life Zone Program Coordinator Rayne Delgado or Hear Fort Worth leads Tom Martens and Hillary Dupriest for more information. Visit www.FortWorth.com/Music to learn more about the local music community and how you can support.

“That’s when Dr. Slappy lets one rip,” Monday jokes, as they head to the fourth floor at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth.

The short ride gives them a moment to warm up before they make the rounds.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Riley says, as one long, fart sound goes off from somewhere in her pocket.

“Yeah, it’s just the worst place to do that,” he says.

Full story here. 

They’re now making face shields to be used by clinical staff at Cook Children’s who are caring for patients with COVID-19 symptoms.

“We looked at the situation we’re facing, in the community and internally, and thought this is a great opportunity for us to get engaged,” said Brady Gendke, Vice President of Operations at Cook Children’s Home Health. “Right now, we’re producing about 20 face shields a day, which will help with some of the more intense COVID-19 isolation procedures that our doctors and nurses will be doing.”

With the help of a high-powered 3-D printer, the team is assembling the shields by hand. They hope to produce up to 200, which will be distributed to doctors and nurses at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Since the shields are made entirely of plastic, they can be properly cleaned and re-used, eliminating the risk of running out.

“It’s very important (to produce these shields) because you can help people survive and protect their health,” said Kirill Kirieiev, manager of the orthotics and prosthetics lab at Cook Children’s Home Health. “Then they can continue serving our patients and feel more protected. If we can accomplish this goal and make their life a little bit safer, that’s most important.”

The Home Health team is also creating cloth masks for Cook Children’s staff and visitors. Working in an assembly line, employees are stitching about 200 face masks a day. Earlier this week, Cook Children’s announced a new policy requiring staff, patients and visitors to wear masks at the medical center and other Cook Children’s locations. The masks produced by the Home Health department are being distributed for this purpose.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to give back in a different way,” said Gendke. “Home Health is often on the end of the spectrum as kids go home from the medical center. This is an opportunity for us to help kids going into the medical center, as well as other staff that are engaged in patient care.”

“I really appreciate that I can help people,” said Kirieiev. “That’s very important. We can improve our community and help our patients, and now doctors too. I’m really proud to be part of the system.”

“Our Joey likes to move at his own pace,” said his mother Denise Belles.

Joey arrived at Cook Children’s in June of 2019. What his family thought were headaches from recent growth spurts and allergies turned out to be a rare form of cancer called pineoblastoma. A tumor was growing in his head and spinal fluid was building up in his brain.

“At the time, he was going to football camp and loved it. Then we did the CT scan and within days, we got the diagnosis that changed our lives forever,” said Denise.

On July 3, Cook Children’s neurosurgeon Daniel Hansen, M.D. removed Joey’s tumor. Luckily, Dr. Hansen was able to get the entire mass at once. From there, Joey began a strict regimen of proton radiation therapy. In November, he was admitted to Cook Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit to begin stem cell chemotherapy.

“It was really hard on his body,” Denise said. “You deplete them (patients) of everything and start from scratch. But the doctor said to Joey ‘You don’t have a shot if you don’t have the right attitude.’ So we came up with a plan and no matter what, we were going to be positive about it.”

Part of the plan came together after a visit with a physical therapist. She asked Joey to start walking and told him that if he kept track of his progress, he could win a gift card once he hit 10 miles. The incentive is part of a new program at Cook Children’s called ‘Miles in Motion’ which encourages hematology/oncology patients to get moving.

“When I first got here, I was sick and I was moving pretty slow,” said Joey. “We started walking the first day, but I could only do two laps.”

Joey would log his walks on a piece of paper in his room. Soon, the papers began piling up as he started making multiple laps around the unit.

Physical therapist Lydia Robey was part of the team that came up with the idea for ‘Miles in Motion’ as part of a quality and safety initiative to get patients out of their beds and exercising.

“We were brainstorming how to increase activity for this particular group of patients and one of our dieticians pointed out that these kids were losing muscle mass at a far greater rate than they should,” said Robey. “Some of that was due to inactivity, as well as steroids and medications that cause muscle atrophy. We started reviewing the literature and the evidence just became overwhelming of how important exercise is.”

Robey said due to varying blood counts, patients are not always able to do resistance exercise. However, she says walking is always good.

“Everyone agrees that walking is safe, so we wanted to find a way to motivate and empower families and patients to start walking as part of their daily routine,” explained Robey.

Joey and his parents did just that. They committed to walking each day during his four separate hospital stays, which spanned between two and four weeks each.

“For about a week, I did two to four laps a day and then I started getting to 10 and I thought ‘Wow, this is good!’ and then I started doing 20,” Joey exclaimed.

Before he knew it, Joey was walking more than 30 laps at a time, a feat that seemed impossible when he first started.

“There really is a noticeable difference between the first time I saw him and how he is now,” said Haleigh Schreck, one of Joey’s physical therapists. “He walks every single day on his own, no matter what he’s going through treatment-wise. His drive and motivation are very impressive.”

Last week, Joey hit a milestone that not even his physical therapists thought was possible. Joey marked off his 26^th mile in the ‘Miles in Motion’ program, which is equivalent to walking an entire marathon. Walking a marathon was never even a goal for Joey or for the ‘Miles in Motion’ program, but as he got closer to mile 26, he knew he had to go for it.

“We were just like, we’re this close to getting a marathon and I decided ‘I’m gonna do this,’” said Joey.

On Thursday, Feb. 20, Joey made his final laps around the unit were he’d been walking for the past four months. This time, nurses, child life specialists and physical therapists lined the walls. They held up handmade signs and cheered him on. With just five laps to go, Joey took one step at a time, thanking his mom and dad for their support as they finished the journey together.

At the final lap, excitement built as the medical staff cheered his name. “Joey, Joey, Joey!” they chanted until breaking into a loud roar as Joey ran through the finish line, a paper streamer strung across the hallway.

He did it. Joey walked a marathon.

“It was awesome,” he said basking in the wonder of his achievement. “I could have never done it without my family, the whole team we have. Everyone has been so supportive of me. It’s just truly amazing what we have done, me and my parents.”

This wasn’t the first marathon completed by a member of the Belles family. Denise ran the New York marathon in 2010, but she said this one was much better.

“This one is more rewarding,” Denise said. “His training was harder. I definitely feel more fulfilled with his than mine. It means so much more.”

If that wasn’t enough, finishing a marathon wasn’t Joey’s only major accomplishment of the day. It was also his final day of chemo.

“In the beginning, I really thought this was going to be devastating,” said Joey. “But everyone has been helping me and pushing me. With them, I knew I could get through this and do it with power.”

While he did have a supportive family and medical team, Joey also did what his doctor advised and had the right mindset throughout his cancer journey.

“Joey has been an amazing patient to work with,” said Haleigh. “I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t just smiling and having the most positive attitude. He blew all of our expectations out of the water.”

“I’m so proud of him. It shows how if you have the right mindset then you can overcome anything,” his mom said.

With his treatment coming to an end, Joey and his family are making plans for the future. They’re downsizing to a smaller home so they can take more trips together. This summer, they hope to go to Italy.

“We’re a close-knit family. We just love being together, but this has brought us so much closer,” said Denise. “We don’t want to wait to do stuff, like travel, anymore. We enjoy each other and we don’t take anything for granted.”

The new minimum wage, which begins Feb. 2, 2020, will directly impact 200 current employees, who will see their pay immediately increase to $13.25 per hour next month, from the current Cook Children’s minimum wage of $11 per hour.

“Just as we are committed to improving the health of every child, we are as committed to the well-being of our workforce, who help us fulfill our promise to patient families,” said Rick W. Merrill, President and CEO, for Cook Children’s Health Care System.

Read the full press release here.

“I had my chest bone ripped open. It’s going to hurt,” Martin, 21 years old, said. “For a little while, I wasn’t sure if I had done the right thing. But looking back on it, I’d do it again. It may not have been the smartest choice, but it’s the one I made. It’s the one I’m living with, and I’m happy with it.”

The choice Martin made wasn’t based necessarily on health or even convenience. It was to continue to dive. Since he discovered diving at 6 years old, the sport became Martin’s passion. He won the UIL 6A State Diving Championship as a senior at Midland High, became the first full-time diver in school history at Texas – Permian Basin, and qualified for the NCAA Division II Championship in college. Now he wants to achieve one more thing – a national championship.

And all the while he’s competed at the highest level, he’s also been a heart patient at Cook Children’s. Martin has Shone’s Complex, a rare congenital heart condition that involves multiple valve problems. He received his first heart surgery at only 6 days old.

His doctors have balanced his love for his sport with what’s best for Martin’s health.

Last year, Martin received his latest surgery. Prior to the operation, doctors gave him two options. The smart choice for most people is a mechanical valve, meaning he may never need another surgery again. Once he has that surgery, Martin needs blood-thinning medication for the rest of his life. Running, walking or riding a stationary bike would be OK with that medication. Still, more extreme sports, including diving, could place Martin at a high risk of life-threatening bleeding.

Martin chose the second heart valve replacement option: a prosthetic, or tissue, valve. With the tissue valve, Martin will need another surgery someday, maybe even within the next years. Still, he won’t have to take blood thinners.

Most importantly, for him, at this point in his career, the prosthetic tissue valve allows Martin to continue to dive.

“My parents were in the room with me, and I didn’t even talk it over with them. I was like I know what I’m going to do. I’m signing up for a second (surgery),” Martin said. “So I went and got a prosthetic valve, a tissue valve. As soon as I decided that I said, ‘OK, this is my next to last surgery. Hopefully, I will never be getting another open heart surgery … after the next one.’”

Scott Pilgrim, M.D., a cardiologist and medical director of the Cook Children’s Adult Congenital Heart Disease program, began seeing Martin in 2018. Dr. Pilgrim said he wasn’t surprised by Martin’s decision to go with the tissue valve. Dr. Pilgrim knows that the choices they are making center around Martin’s desire to compete at the highest level.

“We’ve had very long conversations concerning Garret’s heart problem. We’ve had some interesting discussion points about what his long-term plans are with regards to diving,” Dr. Pilgrim said. “It’s my understanding that he’s quite good at what he does, and we didn’t want to remove him from what he loves. And so we are trying to make a decision that’s best for him medically, but also allow him to achieve the goals that he wants to go for in his life. I think that’s where we were in deciding to put in a bio-prosthetic valve or a tissue valve.”

As he arrives at Cook Children’s Mansfield Urgent Care and Pediatric Specialties clinic, Martin is the oldest patient on that particular day. With his scruffy beard and sweat pants, he looks like exactly what he is – a college student. Still, his age doesn’t make him feel any less at home at Cook Children’s.

“When I was a kid, this place made me feel safe, and as an adult, I know that this is the best place I could be for whatever I need,” Martin said. “I love it here. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to stay, but if I have to be at a hospital, this is the only hospital I want to be at.”

Martin appreciates everything done for him at Cook Children’s. As he heads toward the end of his diving career, he has only a few goals left to accomplish. One of those is winning a national championship.

Then he can move on with a new life, making decisions based solely on his health. But don’t expect him to slow down. He’ll only be beginning the next chapter of his life, with a major in mechanical engineering.

“You don’t have to let anybody limit you. The only person that can tell you what you can and can’t do is you.” Martin said. “Granted, if you’ve got a condition, you need to be mindful of that. Make sure you take of yourself. But if you know you can do something, don’t let someone tell you, you can’t.”

That’s good advice that he’s seen first-hand from his medical team at Cook Children’s.

This verification means Cook Children’s has the best possible system in place for surgery in children. From our Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Level II Trauma Center, state of the art equipment and surgery rooms to advanced training in pediatric subspecialties, Cook Children’s has invested everything it takes to make its medical center in downtown Fort Worth, Texas the preeminent place for pediatric surgery.

“This recognition means families can be assured their children are in the best possible hands when they turn to Cook Children’s for surgical care,” said Eric Hubli, M.D., FACS, medical director of Children’s Surgery at Cook Children’s. “We are proud of the incredible surgical staff who work tirelessly to make Cook Children’s the best possible place to heal, and of our leadership team who continuously invests in us because they know every child’s life is sacred.”

To put this recognition in perspective, there are more than 200 children’s hospitals in the United States. Cook Children’s is one of an elite group of 22 that holds the distinction of being a Level I Children’s Surgery Center.

“Kids are not small adults,” said Dr. Hubli. “They have unique diseases and medical issues that can only be treated by specially-trained professionals.”

Cook Children’s has certified physicians and nurses in pediatric surgery and anesthesia available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, Cook Children’s Teddy Bear Transport team is dedicated to getting the most medically fragile children and neonates, often in need of surgery, to our award-winning medical center quickly and safely. All of this is part of the essential criteria that was observed and evaluated by the American College of Surgeons, leading to the verification as a Level I Children’s Surgery Center.

To read Cook Children's press release on the Level I Children’s Surgery Center verification, click here. 

“They told me I was a match,” Ferrel recalls, “and there was no hesitation. I wanted to be the one who helped her. It’s a blessing for me to be the donor who cures her disease.”

The Ferrel family are active ranchers from Panhandle, Texas, and accustomed to the small-town way of life. In January 2018, 14-year-old Jackie started to look a little puffy, Audrey said, and her behavior was off.

Audrey took Jackie to their local doctor for what they thought would be a routine diagnosis. Instead, they got a call from the physician’s office that would change their lives.

“We had barely arrived home when they called with the results — Jackie was in end-stage renal failure,” Audrey said. “They told me, ‘You need to get back here right now. We’re flying her to Cook Children’s.’”

Audrey and her husband, Ty, packed up the family and drove to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. Cook Children’s urologist and surgical director Blake Palmer, M.D., diagnosed Jackie with IgA Nephropathy, or Berger’s Disease, which has no cure. The disease occurs when an antibody called immunoglobulin A builds up in the kidneys. They become inflamed and lose their ability to filter waste from the blood, which can be fatal if not treated.

Jackie would need a transplant to survive.

Berger’s Disease usually progresses slowly over years, but the course of the illness varies from person to person. Its exact cause is unknown.

Medication can treat some cases, but transplants are often needed. Initially, Jackie was hospitalized at Cook Children’s for a month, but she was eventually able to go home on dialysis. She resumed activity and even began track season.

“She had an awesome track season. She did very well,” Audrey said. “In addition to that, she still participated in cross country, qualified for regionals, and played basketball and tennis.”

Despite her outward progress, Jackie’s internal condition worsened, and a transplant was needed to save her life.

In December 2018 Jackie was placed on the transplant list, and they received a call for a high risk kidney shortly after, however they declined, knowing Audrey would begin testing for a live donor transplant.

“She told us she was feeling great, she didn’t want to take a high risk kidney if she could hold out,” Audrey said. “I was convicted from the beginning that my kidney was going to be the one.”

The process for matching with and receiving a live kidney donation is extensive and requires multiple EKGs, various scans and blood tests to ensure the kidney is a match and the risk is low. Surgeons at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, which has collaborated with Cook Children’s for years on various projects, evaluated Audrey to determine whether she would be a candidate.

“Over time dialysis becomes less and less effective,” Dr. Palmer said. “She [Jackie] was more ill on a day-to-day basis, really just not able to thrive or have a normal life like we’d expect a normal 15 year-old. But after this transplant, she is going to get all those things back.”

Audrey’s tests confirmed she was a match. The final CT scan determines whether a donor is compatible based on the placement of an artery.

“We got the final call while at a basketball tournament,” Audrey said. “I just asked, ‘When can we schedule it?’”

Because Audrey was an adult, the surgery to remove one of her healthy kidneys would have to take place at Texas Health Fort Worth. The kidney would be walked across a sky bridge that connects the two hospitals and implanted in Jackie by a surgical team at Cook Children’s.

“The collaboration between our two hospitals is something I’m really proud of. I know the clinical teams on both sides of that sky bridge are really proud,” said Dr. Tariq N. Khan, transplant surgical director at Texas Health Fort Worth. “It’s about bringing the best resources together, with the single focus being the best possible care to the patients we serve.”

Audrey and Jackie scheduled their transplant for Aug. 27, 2019. The sky bridge cut the time from hours to just minutes for the donor kidney to be delivered. With Jackie feeling fatigued and unable to participate with her teams and work with the family’s ranch animals, the transplant could not have been scheduled at a better time.

“Toward the end I didn’t feel well at all,” she said. “I was ready by the time all the testing was done.”

Jackie checked in at Cook Children’s the night before to begin pre-op preparations and Audrey arrived at Texas Health Fort Worth the next morning, both of them with an entourage of family and friends.

Dr. Khan began Audrey’s surgery at 7 a.m. and by 10 a.m. he was transporting the kidney to Cook Children’s with the Fort Worth Life Gift transplant team.

Dr. Palmer and his team at Cook Children’s were waiting with Jackie prepped in the operating room. They knew as soon as the kidney was connected and producing urine that the transplant was successful.

The mother-daughter pair spent two months recovering Fort Worth, before heading back to ranch life. They have both recovered and Jackie is slowly easing back into her routine as a typical teenager.

“Jackie is feeling awesome. She is able to attend church, youth group, and 4H events. She is also keeping books for the varsity basketball team,” Audrey said. “She has begun to exercise again and has had her first ride [horses] since the surgery. While she’s not cleared to go back to school and regular sports yet, we anticipate that she will be cleared to do so soon. We are blessed beyond measure and are counting them out loud for sure.”

Though Audrey can’t physically donate again, she would make the same decision if she could go back, and encourages others to consider doing the same.

“Being a live donor was the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s a gift, really,” Audrey said. “It’s giving life twice.”

The frightening footage from downtown Dallas Thursday night is difficult to watch for even the most hardened adult. So how do you explain what has happened to your child?

Joy Crabtree, Psy.D, a licensed psychologist for Cook Children’s Behavioral Health in Southlake, said parents of young children should encourage discussion, but only if they have learned about the incident elsewhere. If they haven’t heard about it, don’t share information with them. If they have, answer their questions and most importantly, reassure them.

Crabtree said that in cases such as the Dallas shootings, parents need to think through whether their child can handle any news about it at all. Depending on their age and maturity level, it might be best to shield children from the news entirely, if at all possible.

“This is difficult for all of us to grasp. For children, the Dallas shootings may spur questions about race, protests, etc. These topics can be difficult to talk about," Crabtree said. "The overriding messages we need to be sending to our children right now is reassurance, love and peace.”

Crabtree said this topic may be especially difficult to talk about because of how we talk to children about police men and women or other people of uniform. We teach them to respect law enforcement because they protect us. It may be difficult to explain how something like this could happen.

It may also stir emotions for children of law enforcement officers. This may be the first time they have thought of their parent as a ‘target’ for violence. Crabtree says the key here, again, is reassurance.

For older children, such as middle school and high school, Crabtree encourages parents to again determine if their child is mature enough to handle the information. If parents feel they can handle it, use the DVR or TiVo as your friend during the news. Watch it with your child and pause the TV to answer questions. Gauge your child’s emotions and turn the TV off if your child becomes too emotional or the news is too intense.

“Parents have to stay calm and cannot be glued to the TV,” Crabtree said. “It's easy to get lost in the 24-hour news cycle. If you have an elementary-aged child, and they haven’t learned the news, there’s certainly no reason to sit down with them and show them the story. There’s no need to cause fear in your children. By the time children are 7 or 8 years old, they can distinguish fact from fiction and will understand the consequences of what they are watching. Answer their questions, but only their questions. There’s no need to add more information that may scare them even more.”

Children may not understand the distance of the events on TV, make sure to calm their fears and let them know they are safe. 

“This news can be very scary to many children,” said Crabtree. “Parents need to realize this can really raise anxiety levels. I can’t stress enough the importance of just being there for your child right now to support them.”

Teens may have more questions and concerns because they can find information on the internet and discuss it with their friends. They may wonder why something like this happens. Share with your child your own fears and anxieties about the events. Let them know it’s OK to feel scared or frustrated, but it cannot overtake them. Crabtree said take this opportunity to talk about issues that normally may not be brought up and find out what your child thinks about the police, violence and race relations.

"These are complicated times we live in and even as adults we are having a hard time grasping all the violence in today's world," Crabtree said. "We may not know all the answers. But the most important thing is to simply listen and offer support and love to your child."

Listen to your teen, or older child, regarding their fears and concerns. How an adult manages their own feelings can also provide a positive example for them.

Also, share with them ways that they may help by writing a letter to police, making a monetary donation or giving blood. Sometimes when tragedy happens it helps them to work through their anxiety by becoming active and helping others.

Crabtree advises parents to watch to see if their children restrict activity, for instance if they don’t want to go somewhere because it is too far away from home, or simply because they are afraid. Also, notice if your child becomes withdrawn or more clingy than usual, or reverts to wanting to sleep in your bed.

“It is common for children to have a general fear, but if you see an overwhelming fear, it’s important to talk to their pediatrician,” Crabtree said. “If it continues to be a concern, then it may be time to get professional help.”

About the source

Joy Crabtree, Psy.D. is located at 2727 E. Southlake Blvd. Southlake, TX 76092. To make an appointment with her, call 682-885-6000

The summer is coming to an end and so is our time blogging about reducing our household media time. To finish up the series, I thought I would interview the kids and ask them what they thought about our summer experiment. The answers are very real and brutally honest. .

What was the best part of our screen free experiment this summer?

Max, age 11.5 years – “Hanging out with my friends at the pool more.”

Morgan, age 10 years – “In Michigan, it was like fun because we weren’t always on the screen and stuff, and we had more things to do with the world.”

Matthew, age 6 years – “Nothing at all.”

What was the worst part of being screen free?

Maxwell – “I couldn’t catch up on all the things I was missing on my games and less time playing with my friends (online).”

Morgan – “When I wanted the electronics because there was literally nothing to do, you wouldn’t let me have them, and that really annoyed me.”

Matthew – “I couldn’t play with anybody (online).”

What can we learn from our screen free summer?

Maxwell – “I learned that I play with my friends more online than I do in real life during the summer, not during the school year, but during the summer.”

Morgan – “Video games aren’t the answer to happiness.There are other things you can do besides electronics.”

Matt – “It (the computer) will make you mad if you watch it too long.”

Would you do this screen free experiment again?

Maxwell  - “No.”

Morgan - “I don’t know, maybe, if we go to Michigan, or a different state.”

Matthew – “Um, no.”

What should our family work on next?

Maxwell – “Playing more sports. That would be so much easier.”

Morgan – “Manners. Our family should work on being nicer to each other (siblings fighting). Being more serious about the screen free thing because we still played it a lot.”

Matthew – “Clean the house.”

The answers made me pause and think that while we actually had some pretty great screen free moments this summer, we still have some work to do (and we need to clean the house).

I am so incredibly grateful to Dr. Mangham and to Cook Children’s for this unusual summer experiment! Although we were not “screen free” and did not manage to “go dark” very often, being asked to write about our efforts really opened my eyes to just how much time we do spend on the screen, how much we depend on it and just how capable we are of living without it. We are a family that is “off” more than we are “on” now, and will continue to strive to use it less and less every day.

Thanks so much everyone!

Previous media free stories:

• 'TV head' - Could you unplug?
• Going media free - part 1
• Breaking it to the crew - part 2
• 'Operation Unplug' - part 3
• We far from nailed it - part 4
• Screen free for 20 days - part 5

About the author

Aubrey Conklin, moved to Texas from Michigan via Chicago almost 10 years ago. She’s been married for 14 years and is the  mom to three kids ages 11,10 and 6. A huge sports fan who not only loves all things Detroit sports but spends her own free time playing soccer, volleyball and softball. Aubrey is a part time preschool teacher as well, a volunteer for her kid's school. 

We took a 20 day trip to Michigan this summer. We took a 20 day trip  and I had agreed to go “screen free” for Cook’s Children’s. Boy, whose awesome idea was that?

So far in our little summer experiment, we had not exactly been “screen free” and I was telling the world via blog, all about our constant failures to eliminate electronics from our lives. I was determined that we were going to get some serious screen free time in while we were in Michigan. By golly, I would have some kind of success with this project and have something inspiring and monumental to report back to everyone who had been taking the time to read our summer blog! No pressure ...

I had Cook Children’s and our little experiment in mind when I packed for the trip. I took the time to buy books, coloring tablets and games for the kids to play on the plane and for ALL the driving we would be doing. But I also packed the electronics. Ok, I packed the electronics and at some points during the trip they were immensely helpful and appreciated and I was glad they were there. Ok, I admit it.

In typical Team Conklin fashion, we were not perfect, but we had some pretty awesome screen free moments. We had a looooooong two-hour drive to a lake cabin. Living in DFW, my kids do not usually have to sit in the car for more than 15 minutes to go anywhere. I was bracing myself for this one and my autopilot self casually offered the kids some electronics for the ride.

From the backseat I heard, “I think I will go scween fwee today” from the 6 year old. Wait, what? What? Little man just up and decided he was going to road trip it without any electronic assistance. I was floored, and skeptical, but that little dude made it two hours no problem.

For some of my sweet friends reading, I know this is not a big deal for your child and they may long road trip it daily screen free. But for us, this was huge and exciting. And you know what? We had a lovely ride, we talked a lot, a whole lot. He rested. We played car bingo. It was really really fun. Even my middle girl had a mini moment. The battery on her cell phone died early on in our drive and she didn’t ask to charge it or to have another device. She quietly picked up a book and read for the rest of the trip. Maybe, just maybe, even though we aren’t totally screen free yet, our dramatic daily reduction is really starting to have an impact.

We made it to the cabin and had a blast swimming, kayaking, canoeing, making s'mores ... the total typical vacation by the lake stuff. It was awesome and void of most electronics most of the time. One interesting observation during our trip. The less time the kids spent on the screen, the better they slept. Good, solid, deep, healthy sleep. And the parts of the trip where the screen time was increased, sleep quality decreased. Monumental and inspiring? Maybe not, but things are changing around here….

Previous media free stories:

• 'TV head' - Could you unplug?
• Going media free - part 1
• Breaking it to the crew - part 2
• 'Operation Unplug' - part 3
• We far from nailed it - part 4

About the author

Aubrey Conklin, moved to Texas from Michigan via Chicago almost 10 years ago. She’s been married for 14 years and is the  mom to three kids ages 11,10 and 6. A huge sports fan who not only loves all things Detroit sports but spends her own free time playing soccer, volleyball and softball. Aubrey is a part time preschool teacher as well, a volunteer for her kid's school. 

We attempted to go media free and wouldn’t you know? Nailed it!!!

Just kidding. We far from nailed it.

Ok guys, this is HARD.

The Conklins are not taking to going screen free likes ducks to water. Like. At. All.

You know the ancient proverb "fall down seven times, stand up eight?" One of my favs.

Well we have fallen down 7,000 times with this project, but we keep trying to getting up. We are at 7,001 at the moment.

The exciting news is that we have learned a healthy balance exists. We have learned that we do great without it. When we are unplugged, we are awesome! Unfortunately, it's just a bugger of a habit that is soooo easy to slip back into. This has been a frustrating experiment, but that fact that we struggle means we need to be doing this.

Going media free really is just as simple as removing the screens from the family. After simply telling the kids, “no,” you have to listen to them belly ache for a short time before they go off and find something to do.

I am going to be honest, I enjoy my screen time just as much (if not more) than the kids! I like texting people, playing Words with Friends and reading news articles online. I even do a bible study with a cool app on my phone!

Almost everything I do can be done on my phone! So when I want to get on my phone or watch a TV show, I then let the kids jump on their devices. I think my own personal enjoyment of screen time may be what is keeping us from being truly successful at this (oh my gosh, did I just admit that?)

We have worked hard to make sure the family is “off” the screen more than “on” during the day and that seems pretty manageable. The kids are getting it! They know our goal is to spend more time doing other things besides being on the screen. They don’t argue as much when I declare, “We are screen free until X, Y and Z are complete.” We are doing pretty well decreasing our screen time. Having said that, I would really like to fulfill my pledge to this blog and get to a point where we are just “off” all the time. We are working on it.

I am excited because we are going to Michigan this summer. For part of the trip we will be “Up North” where it is pretty hard to get cell phone service and I plan to ditch the hand- held games before we go.

The Conklins will be screen free before the summer is over, even if it means we have to hang out in the woods for a few days to do it.

Previous media free stories:

• 'TV head' - Could you unplug?
• Going media free - part 1
• Breaking it to the crew - part 2
• 'Operation Unplug' - part 3

I had this amazing, Mom of the Year type plan where our family would reduce our use of electronics to 1 hour a day and provide the kids an opportunity to EARN up to another hour of screen time per day by doing various chores around the house. Awesome plan right? Right.

I was trying to figure out how I was going to humorously chronicles all of our FAILS this first week of Operation UnPlug (thank you to my sweet friend DeeDee for the name). But I truly am a glass half full gal, so despite our family not being able to hit a home run with plan A, we had some big family wins. Even though we did not exactly follow the plan, we had a good week.

Some highlights from week 1

No one died. The kids swore they would die without constant electronic entertainment. They totally didn't.

We did use electronics a little less every day. Look, tracking kids' minutes (times three kids) proved to be a major pain from the word go. MAJOR.PAIN. It proved very quickly to be time consuming and complicated. But,having a general sense of how much time we are on and off electronics is admittedly helpful. We ditched the strict minute tracking and did a more informal tracking (That is us in a nutshell - informal). We were successful in making sure we were off more than we were on and that each day we were off even more than the day before.

We invented new family lingo. Our family now has our own terminology. Phrases like “going dark,” “screen free,” “fun break” and “screen amnesty” are all part of our daily conversation now. I am not sure what “Screen Amnesty” means in real life, but for us, it is unlimited screen time that is not earned and has no consequences. Fun Fact - “screen amnesty” was invented by my husband ... FOUR HOURS INTO THE FIRST DAY OF OPERATION UNPLUG! FOUR HOURS! Honestly, I thought about calling Cook Children’s and telling them they had the WRONG family after we started throwing around “screen amnesty” so early into this project.

We were so productive!!! I hate to even admit just how much cleaning we knocked out the first few days of this experiment. It was awesome. I had the kids work on their rooms, the cool thing was they would find toys they had not paid any attention to in quite some time. They would stop and play and I was OK with that. Take your time kids. All the time you need. And now that I am not consumed with crushing my old high school buddies that I haven’t seen in 20 years at Words With Friends, I do find myself spending a little more time on my own personal to-do list. Go figure.

The dog lost weight. Ok, I may be reaching here, but I am trying to focus on everything that went RIGHT this week. By unplugging, we did more cool things as a family like take the dog for long walks and she lost an eighth of a pound. Hey, a loss is a loss

Did we turn into The Waltons week 1? Oh good gravy, not even close. Did we become aware that things in our home need to change and we are in need of daily unplugging? Totally. We will keep working on it and we will keep you posted!

Previous media free stories:

• 'TV head' - Could you unplug?
• Going media free - part 1
• Breaking it to the crew - part 2

My family consists of five media junkies. I am not even going to pretend we aren't. When our kid’s pediatrician, Dr. Kim Mangham, called to ask me about blogging about media this summer, I couldn't hear her because our TV was too loud.

I thought we had it under control. My family is very active. The kids play sports and swim. We go to different events and activities together all the time. But despite being so active, with all the hand-held games, TVs, computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets and video game consoles, we still manage to cram in A LOT of media time during the day.

The week before Dr. Mangham called, I had taken all my kids (11, 10 and 6) to their annual well check appointment. (Taking all three kids at the same time to their well check was either my most genius or dumbest idea yet. The jury is still out. It was crazy.)

I did give myself props because I remembered to charge everyone’s device of choice before the well check. So while everyone played on their devices, Dr. Mangham discussed with us summer safety and attempted to explain the importance of reducing media time. Dr. Mangham also mentioned that two of her patients’ parents were considering going media free for the summer. I allegedly said something agreeable to this statement and by the next week Dr. Mangham called to ask if I wanted to blog about my attempts to go media free.

I panicked. I didn't mean like really go media free. How would we go screen free? How would my kids talk to their friends? What about FaceTime with the grandparents? Use all those educational apps? What am I going to do if someone calls and I need to talk? Just not turn on the TV to their favorite program? Those Minecraft houses don't build themselves you know! How am I going to tell them? We are flying in July and I have a big meeting tomorrow!! How do you do this? Cold turkey? Reduce but not eliminate? What would we all do if we are not connected to the world?

The more questions I came up with, the more I realized that in our house media is a crutch.

We are going to try it. And our goal? To simply try and find a healthy balance when it comes to our media consumption on a daily basis

I am not sure how our journey is going to play out. Plan A (because plan A always works right?) is to reduce. We will limit our media to one hour a day,  with a chance to EARN up to another hour. Hey, maybe my baseboards will get cleaned this summer!

First things first. I have to break it to the family. Screen time as they know it is about to change!!

We moved into a new home about three weeks ago. Amid the chaos of boxes and a not quite finished remodel job, I hear the laughter of my kids upstairs. I head up to check on them and realize they are “playing nicely.”  What is interesting is that we have had no access to TV for three weeks. Could there be a connection between my kids getting along and no TV?  What are the results of being unplugged?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV for kids under 2 and less than 2 hours per day of media time for kids older than 2 years of age. Why? Because too much media is associated with aggression, inattention, anxiety, depression, sleep problems and obesity in our kids.

We call it TV head at my house. It is a lazy Saturday morning. The kids lounge in front of the TV for a few hours watching a movie. The next thing I know there is fighting, yelling and disagreement between my children. My son never quite recovers the rest of the day. He is a little “fuzzy headed” and a little grumpy.

Many of my patients have found harmony at home by decreasing media time. My parents have returned with true amazement at the difference in their kids once they have unplugged, especially in the evenings. They have reported healthier and happier kids. A number of my families have decided to unplug for the summer, which in all honesty, is probably the hardest time to do so, especially when it is hot outside and not much to do inside. Enter Mrs. Aubrey Conklin, one of the most fun and down to earth moms I have ever met.  I discussed the benefits of decreased media with her at the recent well-child exams for her three children. She is open minded enough to try it, and kind enough to let us join her on this journey.

Watch for Aubrey’s blogs this summer. She will be reporting in on how she and her family are doing cutting back on screen time.