Within our cancer and blood disorders program, our team of specialists and subspecialists work both together and independently to treat kids and young adults facing a wide variety of serious conditions, all within a single health system.
It’s difficult enough learning about one medical diagnosis for a child, but for the Hardy family, their youngest two daughters were diagnosed with two different illnesses within the same month. Read about their resilience on their journey with sickle cell disease and leukemia.
September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Did you know? Children’s Minnesota Hemoglobinopathy and Sickle Cell Program is a nationally recognized program. We’re sharing more about sickle cell disease to help shine a light on this disease.
Oliver is a sweet, thoughtful 5-year-old boy. He was born with Down syndrome, but doesn’t let that slow him down. In 2019, when he was only 4 years old, Oliver received bad news – he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Read his story here.
Dr. Kris Ann Schultz is the first Endowed Chair holder in the Cancer and Blood Disorders program at Children’s Minnesota.
Children’s Minnesota has the largest pediatric cancer and blood disorders program in the Upper Midwest, caring for more than 58 percent of children diagnosed with cancer or blood disorders in Minnesota.
Congratulations to Children’s Minnesota child life specialists Jodi Betsinger, Kristine Adams VanKempen and Samantha Schackman for receiving the 2020 Faces of Change Award from PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center’s (NBPC) 6th Annual Unity Awards in recognition of their collaborative and innovative work in the cancer and blood disorders program.
Making every day better for kids
Prothrombin gene mutation is an inherited condition that increases a person's chance of forming blood clots. It is known as a type of thrombophilia or blood clotting disorder, and is one of the second most common inherited blood clotting disorder. Most people with prothrombin gene mutation never develop abnormal blood clots.
Platelets are blood cells that are produced in the bone marrow and have several important functions, including helping the blood to clot when an injury or surgery occurs. Inherited platelet disorder is a term that covers a diverse set of very rare abnormalities of the platelets. Specific conditions include: