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Index The
FamiliesThe
FilmmakersCincinnati
Children’s Hospital |
For the children and families in A LION IN THE HOUSE, the central site of diagnosis, medical treatment and, in some cases, end of life decisions, is Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. There, Alex, Justin, Tim, Al, Jen and their families pursued treatment strategies and received guidance from the hematology/oncology team. Heading that team was Dr. Robert Arceci, then chief oncologist at the hospital. It was Dr. Arceci who first conceived of the idea to make a film about families facing childhood cancer. He contacted filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert after being moved by the award-winning documentary Hoop Dreams. Inspired by the powerful effect of that story, Dr. Arceci sought out filmmakers who might understand why the topic of families facing childhood cancer had the potential to be equally compelling. At the time, he had no idea that the filmmakers had just seen their own teenage daughter through a year of chemotherapy and radiation. Because of their own experiences, it was initially with some trepidation
that Bognar and Reichert accepted Dr. Arceci's offer to return to the
painful subject of pediatric cancer, and take up residence on wing
5A of Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Family-Centered Care
In general, pediatric hematology/oncology divisions provide diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for patients with blood and cancer disorders. Typically, cancer patients are eligible to participate in clinical trials, which sometimes produce new treatments or cures. The Cincinnati Children's Hospital, like most pediatric centers, follows a philosophy of “family-centered care,” which means they engage family members as partners, working together to best meet the needs of the child. A major part of this effort includes the hospital’s Research Foundation, which is the largest pediatric research program in the Midwest, conducting both basic and clinical research. Founded in 1931, the Research Foundation is one of the most outstanding pediatric research institutions in the United States, with breakthrough discoveries that led to medical developments such as the Sabin oral polio vaccine, Surfactant preparation (used worldwide to prevent premature infant death) and the first heart-lung machine, which opened the door for modern heart surgery. Today, at Cincinnati Children’s, innovative research and clinical care for children with blood diseases and cancer remain a major priority. Ranked third nationally in the National Institutes of Health’s funding to full-service children's hospitals, Cincinnati Children's now offers more research space than any other pediatric facility in the U.S. Learn about pediatric cancer »
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