Ann Arbor doctor recognized for compassionate care for terminally ill children - MLive.com

ANN ARBOR, MI - Ashley Waddell Tingstad experienced the trauma of losing a kid erstwhile her 6-month-old lad Viggo died past summer.

Viggo was calved with a familial mutation recovered successful “one successful 50 million” children, Waddell Tingstad said. It prevented him from breathing connected his ain without mechanical assistance.

One by one, University of Michigan Health specialists gave her a sliver of clarity connected her son’s condition, but not the full picture, she said.

Enter Dr. Ken Pituch, a objective prof emeritus astatine UM Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. After a period of ICU attraction for Viggo, the longtime specializer successful pediatric palliative attraction provided Waddell Tingstad and her household the clarity and comfortableness needed for the traumatic situation, she said.

“We conscionable wanted Viggo to beryllium safe, comfy and loved each of his days,” she said. “It profoundly comforting to person idiosyncratic similar Dr. Pituch, who is virtually trained to person these conversations and to see the full kid and the full family.”

Pituch’s compassion and empathy toward the extremity of Viggo’s beingness motivated Waddell Tingstad and others to nominate him for the Ilene Beal Courageous Provider Award fixed by the Courageous Parents Network. He received the grant connected Dec. 19.

“The household reflected connected the courageousness helium displayed successful his quality to reply hard questions ‘compassionately and without flinching,’ and by the lukewarm and supportive narration they built unneurotic which endures beyond the beingness of their child,” said officials from Courageous Parents Network, a Boston-based nonprofit that promotes pediatric palliative care, oregon the mitigation of superior oregon terminal diseases successful children.

The cardinal to bully palliative attraction is listening, Pituch said.

“Asking (parents) what they’re hoping for, and if they’re hoping for a cure, but conscionable not feeling truthful realistic,” helium said. “You past travel up asking what other is important? What other are you hoping for? What are you disquieted about? What are you acrophobic of? Then you effort to conscionable them wherever they are and letting them cognize that we’re each determination to marque your kid and your family’s beingness arsenic bully arsenic it tin beryllium nether hard circumstances.”

Pituch studied astatine the UM Medical School successful the 1970s and ‘80s earlier stints astatine Columbia University successful New York and Indiana University School of Medicine successful Indianapolis. He came backmost to Ann Arbor to articulation the Michigan Medicine wide pediatrics squad successful 2003, serving arsenic aesculapian manager of the Pediatric Palliative Care Program for the past 18 years.

He has been immersed successful palliative attraction since its emergence successful the 1990s, helium said.

“Our occupation is to bash the champion we tin to assistance radical adjacent erstwhile things are rough,” helium said. “We absorption attraction connected what makes prime of beingness arsenic bully arsenic it tin beryllium contempt truly trying circumstances.”

For Waddell Tingstad, Pituch’s clarity and honesty astir however dire Viggo’s concern was helped “mitigate the trauma,” she said.

“How is our babe gonna dice and helium said 80% of them dice of a respiratory infection,” she said. “He had wide statistics, wide answers, and we abruptly felt similar we were not successful the acheronian each by ourselves anymore.”

Once Viggo entered hospice attraction astatine home, Pituch continued his attraction and supervision, Waddell Tingstad said. He would aboriginal be Viggo’s funeral, and his continued interaction with the household demonstrates his sensitivity to patients, she said.

“Sometimes I perceive doctors notation to palliative attraction similar it’s giving up connected their patient,” she said, adding that Pituch’s attraction opened her eyes to the powerfulness of specified care. “It’s not extremity of beingness care. It’s truly each of beingness care.”

Pituch is speedy to deflect praise, alternatively highlighting the palliative attraction unit astatine UM Health. As acold arsenic the Courageous Provider Award goes, helium hopes it enlightens radical connected a caller mode to assistance the astir earnestly sick children.

“I’m blessed to judge this successful bid to get the connection retired to different radical that the Courageous Parents Network exists and is simply a large resource,” helium said, “and that pediatric palliative attraction and hospice attraction is simply a truly important portion of 21st period aesculapian attraction for earnestly sick children.”

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