Raising Joy

Raising Joy

By Cook Children'sHealth & FitnessMental HealthKids & Family
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Raising Joy episodes

  • One Pill Can Kill – Losing a child to fentanyl with Ed Ternan & Stephanie Hellstern
    Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for people 18-45 years old in the United States, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    Parents like Ed Ternan & Stephanie Hellstern know this fact too well and are doing everything in their power to spread the news. Though they live thousands of miles apart, Ed and Stephanie have connected as parents who have lost children to fentanyl, or so-called fentapills.
    Ed, who lives in California, started a non-profit called Song for Charlie in honor of Charlie Ternan who died after taking what he thought was a Percocet pill. The pill was actually pure fentanyl and killed him within 30 minutes.
    Stephanie, who lives in the Fort Worth area, lost her 16-year-old son, Kyle, in the summer of 2020. She found him in the backyard of their home. He too died from a single pill. She started the KSS Kyle Shane Sexton Foundation to raise awareness about what she calls the ‘poisoning’ of young people.
    Both Charlie and Kyle purchased the pills off of Snapchat, which Stephanie describes as “like ordering a pizza.” This is a conversation every parent needs to hear.
    Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s Joy Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the Joy Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.
    38 min
  • Preventing Drug Overdoses with Artee Gandhi, M.D.
    Whether it’s Tylenol or Fentanyl, Artee Gandhi, M.D. has seen first-hand the damage drug overdoses can wreak on young people. Dr. Gandhi is the medical director of Pain Management at Cook Children’s and is a passionate advocate for about preventing drug addiction, ingestion, misuse, overdose and death. She oversees the Safe and Sound program at Cook Children’s, which promotes pain management techniques such as massage, yoga, aromatherapy and virtual reality.
    Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s Joy Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the Joy Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.
    33 min
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences with Dawn Hood-Patterson, Ph.D.
    Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) affect all of us, whether we realize it or not. ACEs are linked to health problems in adulthood such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, depression and diabetes. But how can that be?
    Dawn Hood-Patterson, Ph.D., is the program manager of Community Health and Adverse Childhood Experiences at the Center for Children’s Health, led by Cook Children’s. Dr. Hood-Patterson explains the science behind ACEs and why it’s so important for parents to process their trauma. She also shares her own personal story of trauma and how it set her on a path to help others.
    Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s Joy Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the Joy Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.
    26 min
  • Pandemic’s Toll on Kids’ Mental Health with Kathleen Powderly, M.D.
    Pediatrician Kathleen Powderly, M.D., noticed something alarming happening in her office in late 2020. It seemed the number of patients showing signs of depression and anxiety had jumped dramatically and she knew she needed to act. Dr. Powderly is credited with drawing attention to the mental health crisis unfolding in North Texas and sparking the idea for the Joy Campaign at Cook Children’s.
    We talk to Dr. Powderly about her experience treating children and teens with mental health concerns before the pandemic, and what she’s seeing now. She also shares why she is passionate about this topic, including her own personal struggles with depression and burnout.
    Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s Joy Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the Joy Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.
    38 min
  • Welcome to Raising Joy!
    Children and teens across the U.S. have struggled with stress, depression and anxiety throughout the pandemic. On this introductory episode of Raising Joy, hosts Wini King and Kristen Pyrc, M.D., discuss the alarming spike in youth suicide attempts, the different levels of mental health care available to kids, and what to do if you’re worried about your child.
    Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Health Care System’s Joy Campaign, a communications initiative aimed at preventing youth suicides. For more information about the Joy Campaign, visit cookchildrens.org/joy.
    27 min

About Raising Joy

From the publisher's feed

Raising Joy is part of Cook Children’s Joy Campaign, which aims to encourage hope and resilience among children and teens. Cook Children’s Health Care System is located in Fort Worth, Texas and has seen the mental and emotional toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on children and their families. In this podcast, hosts Wini King and Dr. Kristen Pyrc explore topics of anxiety, stress, depression, trauma and suicide in order to bring hope and needed resources to struggling children and families. Raising Joy is produced by the public relations team at Cook Children’s. The theme music was created by Raymond Turner from the Sparklefly Recording Studio at Cook Children’s.