Season 2: Episode 5
Hope and Will: A Parenting Podcast from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
What Parents Don't Know They Need to Know
If there’s one thing parents know well it’s that parenting is full of surprises. Some of those surprises, though, are not at all surprising to those who work in pediatric healthcare. As a parent, unless someone in your inner circle experiences one of these “rites of childhood passage,” the warning signs may stay off your radar until you’re in the throes of experiencing it personally.
With today’s episode, we’re on a mission to raise awareness of some relatively common but rarely discussed diagnoses that affect kids. Topics include febrile seizures, nursemaid’s elbow, toxic synovitis, pneumonia and impetigo.
Our hope is that by making you aware of these conditions—and talking through their relatively common prevalence and often mild treatment course—we’ll reduce some of the panic should one impact a child in your care. This conversation won’t address all of the items on your “why didn’t anyone tell me that before?” list, but we hope to put a good dent in some of the ones related to kids’ health.
The episode opens with the story of a Georgia mom whose toddler son recently experienced a febrile seizure at home. We then hear from Dr. Jim Fortenberry, our beloved Chief Medical Officer, who will help us better understand these conditions’ typical symptoms and courses of treatment.
Meghan Dozier, Mom to Wells and Elsie
The Dozier family had just returned from a week-long vacation when their toddler son felt a little warm. While resting on the couch, he suddenly began convulsing. His parents would later learn he was experiencing the first of two febrile seizures. Meghan shares her family’s story to help other parents become more aware of these fever-induced seizures and how relatively common they can be for kids.
Dr. Jim Fortenberry, Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Fortenberry is an Atlanta native who first joined Children’s as an attending physician in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in 1992. Throughout his career, Dr. Fortenberry has contributed to Children’s mission as a clinical intensivist, researcher, leader and educator. He and his wife, Janet, have three children and six grandchildren. He enjoys reading, hiking, playing with his grandchildren and, as a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill alumnus, all things Carolina.
Lynn Smith
Lynn Smith is a veteran journalist, podcast host and mom of two boys. Her experience as the parent of a patient at Children’s inspired her to advocate for spreading awareness of childhood illnesses and injuries.
