Stars in Our Eyes continued
PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY
About 1,200 pediatric patients are treated at the Children’s Hospital Division of
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. The team of specialists in blood-related disorders and
cancer takes a multidisciplinary approach that includes not just high-tech treatments,
but high-touch compassion as well. Leukemia and lymphoma, sickle-cell disease, anemia,
thalassemia, von Willebrand disease, and other conditions are diagnosed and managed
by board-certified pediatric experts. Nurses, social workers, nutritionists, and other
professionals collaborate with physicians in an effort to help each child and family heal.
Autumn Lobdell, RN age 30
When nurse Autumn enters the room,
young patients smile. Not only is she a
talented and dedicated pediatric nurse, but
she knows what they’re going through on a
most personal level. At age 12, Autumn
was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic
leukemia (ALL), the most common form
of childhood cancer. ALL is a cancer of the
blood and bone marrow, characterized by
the proliferation of immature white blood
cells that make the body unable to
fight infection.
Autumn’s mother, Liz Henry, was a
nurse at Scott & White at the time. One
night at dinner, she noticed a mass in her
child’s neck when her daughter turned her
head. The next day, Mrs. Henry took
Autumn to the family’s physician for
evaluation. The blood work revealed an
elevated white blood cell count, and other
tests showed that the mass in her neck was
wrapped around her trachea. Although
Autumn was not experiencing shortness of
breath or any other symptoms, she was
immediately admitted to the intensive care
unit at Scott & White.
The biopsy was positive for ALL.
Autumn underwent steroid therapy to
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THE CATALYST Fall 11 | sw.org
shrink the tumor. She also endured a
grueling schedule of chemotherapy for two
and a half years, under the direction of her
oncologist, Arthur Frankel, MD, who
holds the Stone Centennial Endowed
Chair in Cancer Research. Along the way,
she developed additional complications,
but with the expertise of Dr. Frankel and
pediatric surgeon Monford Custer, MD,
she was able to overcome them as well. She
also kept up with her schoolwork. Autumn
feels grateful to have had a great team of
caregivers who were willing to work with
her school and teachers to ensure that she
kept pace with her classmates. She was also
impressed with the hospital’s commitment
to provide for all of her needs, not just the
physical ones she faced.
“It wasn’t easy, but I was fortunate
because I didn’t have any neurological
problems with my diagnosis, so I could stay
the course with school,” she says. “I
definitely had a few bumps in the road with
infections and reactions to medication, but
I had a wonderful group of people at Scott
& White who took care of me.”
Autumn’s ties to Scott & White run
deep. Her stepdad is Robert Henry, MD,
medical director of the new Scott & White
Westfield Family Medicine Clinic. Her
mom has retired from her nursing position
after more than 23 years, and her sister
January Kovacevich works in the
administrative office at Children’s Hospital.
In addition, her brother-in-law, Kyle
Kovacevich, works in Risk Management.
Many of Autumn’s childhood caregivers
are still caring for children today—like
nurse Barbara Baugh, who has remained a
close friend and who has served as a mentor
for Autumn as she pursued a career as a
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) nurse
at the Children’s Hospital Scott & White.
“I knew I wanted to make a difference in
the life of a child,” Autumn says. “It’s neat
in a way to come here, to come home again.
It gives me a new perspective about how to
practice nursing. It makes me want to do
the best possible job with the kiddos I’m
treating and their families.”
Her recent 30th birthday was reason
enough to celebrate her success, and a
Jamaican getaway with friends did just that.
“I spend a lot of time with my family and
friends,” she says. “And I love what I do. The
bottom line is I want to take care of kids.” ■