One thing that I love about
working with transplant kids and
families is the ability
to follow them long-term.
Transplant is really an acute
and chronic illness, and that
means that I'm there as a
psychologist to give the
families strategies to cope with
the acute surgical process, but
also afterwards. We help them
with strategies to protect their
child and keep their child
healthy, but also help their
child live a fulfilling life
and get back to their normal
functioning. I think it's so
important to get to know the
patient, get to understand
what drives them, what their
interested in, and how they
are as a kid aside from their
medical condition, and then to
help them cope with that medical
condition while still being
themselves. I try to really
individualize that care to
that child or teen, and I try to
really make every interaction
with families meaningful. 
