Gilliam, 32, suffered sudden cardiac arrest, an electrical malfunction of the heart that causes it to abruptly stop beating. The odds were stacked against him: Sudden cardiac arrest kills about 90% of those who experience it outside of a hospital. Survival depended on a chain of people acting within minutes.

A fellow dancer immediately started CPR. Other dancers ran out of the dance studio in search of an automated external defibrillator (AED) and found one at a nearby dentist’s office. A speech pathologist who had just completed CPR recertification and happened to be nearby used the AED to revive Gilliam’s heartbeat.

Paramedics then rushed Gilliam to the Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department, where he had another cardiac arrest. Surgeons placed Gilliam on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a form of advanced life support that temporarily took over the work of his heart, giving it time to recover—or, if necessary, bridging him to a transplant.

Cedars-Sinai experts say Gilliam’s case illustrates the importance of bystander CPR and quick medical response.

“The key to G’bari surviving sudden cardiac arrest was the fast-acting individuals who provided CPR, facilitated the use of an AED, and the Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department and cardiothoracic surgery teams who began ECMO within the hospital,” said Evan Kransdorf, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute and one member of Gilliam’s team of physicians and surgeons.

During cardiac arrest, blood stops circulating, explained Pedro Catarino, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai.

“The cells of the body, particularly the brain, will die within a few minutes without circulation,” Catarino said. “Gilliam’s heart was in and out of a rhythm that doesn’t sustain circulation, so the surgery team put him on emergency life support.”

Gilliam’s heart had ceased working, so he was listed in the organ donation system. After 12 days on life support, Gilliam received the news every transplant candidate hopes for: A donor heart had become available.

“Heart transplantation offers a new chance at life for patients like Gilliam,” Catarino said. “Gilliam is an athlete and can look forward to going back to his career with a heart that has a long lifespan.”

A pathology report showed Gilliam had a severe form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken so that the heart cannot contract and pump blood properly. The condition likely caused Gilliam’s sudden cardiac arrest, his medical experts say.

“Many people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy don’t have symptoms, and athletes who are used to pushing themselves to be out of breath might not realize they have it,” Kransdorf said.

Geneticists in the Smidt Heart Institute tested samples of Gilliam’s heart and found that he had a genetic variant associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Experts encourage anyone with a family history to be screened for the condition, which affects about 1 in 500 people. Gilliam’s close family members are undergoing genetic testing.

Gilliam, whose credits include performing with Bad Bunny and on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is now in physical therapy and preparing to return to dance.

“With dancing, it feels like I'm able to be my most authentic self and be the most vulnerable version of myself. It makes me feel alive,” he said.

Prior to his medical emergency, Gilliam’s schedule consisted of dance classes and gym training five days a week. He hopes to return to intense days and to continue teaching dance to elementary school students and choreographing dancers on TV and film sets. His mother and girlfriend are supporting him, as are many friends, family members and fellow dancers.

“What I learned from this experience is everyone should be trained in CPR because you never know what's going to happen,” Gilliam said. “Even more so, be a person of service. If you have the opportunity to help someone, do it.”

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights—Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Genetic Cause More Common in Younger People

But one of the unwanted consequences of spending lots of time in the water is ear infections, commonly known as swimmer’s ear. The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom spoke to Abhita Reddy, MD, a pediatric otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, about what causes swimmer’s ear, how parents can protect their children, and how physicians diagnose and treat the condition.

What is swimmer’s ear?

Swimmer’s ear, properly known as otitis externa, is an infection of the ear canal where you often have drainage. You can have fluid sitting in the ear canal. Sometimes it looks like fluffy tissue that drains. It can cause discomfort and can also cause hearing impairment if left untreated.

What causes swimmer’s ear?

Swimmer’s ear occurs most commonly in the summertime when people are swimming in contaminated water like lakes or rivers, even sometimes in the ocean. We also see it a lot when people go surfing or do water sports, or when kids are going under water frequently or diving deep. Swimming in chlorinated or saltwater pools is less likely to cause swimmer’s ear.

How do you know if your child has swimmer’s ear?

Parents usually know when their child is getting an external infection like swimmer’s ear when they see drainage coming out of the ear, not something brown that looks like wax, but oftentimes it’s white or yellow, and it can smell bad. Swimmer’s ear is often associated with children having pain in their ear, and sometimes it can be associated with small children not letting you touch their ear, so if you tug at their ear or pull their ear it hurts a lot.

How does swimmer’s ear differ from other ear infections?

The biggest difference between a middle ear infection, known as otitis media, versus an outer ear infection, known as otitis externa, or swimmer’s ear, is that middle ear infections, which are behind the eardrum, do not have drainage coming out unless your child has ear tubes. Usually when children have middle ear infections they tug or pull at their ears, which makes it feel better. They also may develop a fever. The opposite is true with swimmer’s ear, or otitis externa, which hurts when you tug on the ear.

How are these infections treated?

Swimmer’s ear is often treated with ear drops because it’s very easy for the drops to get to the area where the infection is. With middle ear infections we often must treat it with antibiotics because unless you have ear tubes, it’s very hard for the drops to reach the infected area.

How can you prevent swimmer’s ear?

When parents ask me how to prevent their kids from getting swimmer’s ear, it often has nothing to do with swimming at all. I just tell them not to use cotton swabs such as Q-tips in their kids’ ears. When you use Q-tips in your children’s ear, it can offset the pH balance inside the ear canal, or cause small breaks in the canal skin, which can then increase the risk of getting ear infections. It is also helpful to consider using earplugs or swim caps for children. Parents can also try to dry the ear if the ear is very wet after a swim. Parents can use a hair dryer around a shoulder length away from their child’s ear on the lowest setting for about 10 seconds at a time, and that can dry out the ear canal and help prevent swimmer’s ear.

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: How to Treat Sleep Apnea in Children

Sin embargo, una de las consecuencias no deseadas de pasar mucho tiempo en el agua son las infecciones del oído, comúnmente conocidas como otitis del nadador. La Sala de Prensa de Cedars-Sinai conversó con la Dra. Abhita Reddy, otorrinolaringóloga pediátrica y cirujana de cabeza y cuello de Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's, sobre las causas de esta afección, cómo los padres pueden proteger a sus hijos y cómo los médicos la diagnostican y tratan.

¿Qué es la otitis del nadador?

La otitis del nadador, cuyo nombre médico es otitis externa, es una infección del conducto auditivo externo que suele provocar secreción del oído. Puede acumularse líquido dentro del conducto auditivo y, en ocasiones, la secreción tiene un aspecto blanquecino o similar a tejido. La infección puede causar molestias y, si no se trata, también puede afectar la audición.

¿Qué causa la otitis del nadador?

La otitis del nadador ocurre con mayor frecuencia durante el verano, cuando las personas nadan en agua contaminada, como la de lagos o ríos, e incluso, en algunos casos, en el océano. También la vemos con frecuencia en personas que practican surf u otros deportes acuáticos, o en niños que pasan mucho tiempo bajo el agua o se sumergen a gran profundidad. Nadar en piscinas con agua clorada o salada tiene menos probabilidades de causar esta infección.

¿Cómo saber si su hijo tiene otitis del nadador?

Por lo general, los padres sospechan que su hijo tiene una infección del oído externo cuando observan secreción que sale del oído. No se trata de la cera habitual de color marrón, sino de una secreción que con frecuencia es blanca o amarilla y puede tener mal olor.

La otitis del nadador suele ir acompañada de dolor de oído. En los niños pequeños, también es común que no permitan que les toquen la oreja, ya que al moverla o jalarla sienten un dolor intenso.

¿En qué se diferencia de otras infecciones del oído?

La principal diferencia entre una infección del oído medio (otitis media) y una infección del oído externo (otitis externa o otitis del nadador) es que las infecciones del oído medio, que ocurren detrás del tímpano, generalmente no producen secreción por el oído, a menos que el niño tenga tubos de ventilación.

Cuando los niños tienen una infección del oído medio, suelen jalarse o tocarse la oreja porque eso les proporciona alivio. También pueden presentar fiebre. En cambio, con la otitis del nadador sucede lo contrario: mover o jalar la oreja les provoca más dolor.

¿Cómo se tratan estas infecciones?

La otitis del nadador suele tratarse con gotas óticas, ya que estas llegan fácilmente al área donde se encuentra la infección.

En cambio, las infecciones del oído medio con frecuencia requieren tratamiento con antibióticos por vía oral, ya que, salvo que el niño tenga tubos de ventilación, es muy difícil que las gotas lleguen hasta el sitio de la infección.

¿Cómo se puede prevenir la otitis del nadador?

Cuando los padres me preguntan cómo pueden prevenir la otitis del nadador en sus hijos, mi respuesta muchas veces no tiene que ver con la natación. Lo primero que les recomiendo es no usar hisopos de algodón, como los Q-tips®, para limpiar los oídos de sus hijos.

El uso de hisopos puede alterar el equilibrio natural del pH dentro del conducto auditivo o causar pequeñas lesiones en la piel del canal, lo que aumenta el riesgo de desarrollar infecciones.

También puede ser útil que los niños usen tapones para los oídos o gorros de natación. Después de nadar, si el oído permanece muy húmedo, los padres pueden ayudar a secarlo utilizando un secador de cabello colocado aproximadamente a la distancia del largo de un brazo (alrededor de 30 a 45 centímetros) del oído del niño, en la temperatura y velocidad más bajas, durante unos 10 segundos cada vez. Esto ayuda a secar el conducto auditivo y puede contribuir a prevenir la otitis del nadador.

Lea más en Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: Cómo Tratar la Apnea Del Sueño en Los Niños

“Cedars-Sinai is proud of its rich Jewish heritage and its ongoing collaborations with medical centers in Israel,” said Cedars-Sinai President and CEO Peter L. Slavin, MD. “It is part of our overall commitment to the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam, healing the world through our actions.”

One of Cedars-Sinai’s longest and most productive collaborations has been with Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv. The relationship began as a collaboration aimed at advancing cardiovascular medicine and the field of minimally invasive heart interventions.

Cedars-Sinai is now working with Sheba’s ARC Center for Digital Innovation to advance digital health technologies and AI-driven solutions for healthcare challenges. The two institutions also have established a program to enhance the perioperative care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease through tailored dietary, mental health and physical therapy interventions.

Investigators from the two institutions are studying stem cells at the International Space Station to determine how microgravity affects the biology of cells or may enhance manufacturing of stem cells in space.

Cedars-Sinai staff members are engaged in other projects throughout Israel. Among other efforts, teams are:

• Implementing the Sheba inflammatory bowel disease program at Emek Medical Center in northern Israel and at Assuta Ashdod Medical Center in the southern part of the country.
• Working on joint fellowship training programs in oncology, gynecology and endocrinology with Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where Cedars-Sinai also is engaged in joint data science and AI research programs as well as educational conferences for regenerative medicine, computational sciences and other specialties.
• Collaborating on several joint projects with scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in central Israel, including one that employs CAR T cells to treat solid cancers.
• Teaching, mentoring and performing complex surgeries. Hand surgeon David Kulber, MD, partnered with colleagues at Sheba Medical Center earlier this year to perform surgery on injured soldiers, using biologic joint reconstruction techniques he pioneered at Cedars-Sinai.

“We have a deep bench of projects with our partners in Israel,” said Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, executive vice president of Academic Affairs and dean of the Medical Faculty at Cedars-Sinai.

A delegation of Cedars-Sinai physicians and leaders last year visited several peripheral Israeli hospitals in the cities of Ashkelon, Nahariya and Safed. The group discussed opportunities to pursue educational and training collaborations and knowledge exchanges. The visitors also learned about the hospitals’ triage systems for major incidents.

Harry Sax, MD, vice chair of the Jim and Eleanor Randall Department of Surgery and the associate dean of Cedars-Sinai’s International Academic Programs, said the “first-hand experience will help better prepare teams back in Los Angeles for responding to unexpected events."

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Stories and Insights: Cedars-Sinai Pioneers a New Era for AI Education

Walking into a patient room, he pulls a banana out of the pocket of his uniform jacket, and then another and another. As the bananas magically multiply, the mood in the room starts to shift and there are giggles and smiles from the patient and family.

“Every room is different, every family is different,” Heitkam said. “As a performer, I hope they like what I'm doing. It makes me so happy when they laugh or when they smile.”

Maureen Chin, MSN, RN, associate director of Pediatrics, knows how important these visits can be.

“When you're in the hospital, it can get very boring for kids, especially when a patient is here for many days,” Chin said. “Having Patrick come in and do some magic tricks is a very nice distraction, and patients love it. They ask, ‘Is he coming back again today?’”

Heitkam has a healthy repertoire of tricks that can be done at the bedside, including card and rope tricks. And then there’s his fan favorite: making a sponge bunny multiply into many bunnies inside a patient’s closed fist.

“He made me giggle and laugh,” said Kaylee De La Riva, 12, who was recovering from a kidney transplant. “And I was happy and my mom and aunt were impressed too, and I was impressed.”

Heitkam is glad his magic has been good medicine for patients and their families.

“But it's also been therapeutic for me,” Heitkam said. “I hope the kids like it, but I'm probably getting more out of it than they are because it just gives me so much perspective in my own life.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Spread Joy by Helping Others This Holiday Season

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 percent of new breast cancer cases in the U.S. are in women younger than 45.

“We don’t have routine screening recommendations for patients younger than 40, and people aren’t aware that if they have a strong family history, especially in a first-degree relative like a mother, sister or aunt, they should be screened sooner,” said Mary El-Masry, MD, the hematologist-oncologist who led Dade’s care team.

Dade, who received her care from an integrated team at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Beverly Hills, is dancing once again, but treatment for triple-negative breast cancer wasn’t easy. It began with a regimen known as KEYNOTE-522. The protocol included four types of chemotherapy medications to shrink the tumor, plus an immunotherapy drug to help Dade’s immune system do its part in fighting the cancer.

Also there to help were her mother and her partner, Marcus Mack.

“I really just kind of fell into the hands of my care team, knowing that this treatment regimen was going to be extremely rough,” Dade said. “I had moved in with Marcus only three months before I was diagnosed. And then my mom moved in. Who would have thought that my mother and my partner would both be taking care of me.”

Tumors like Dade’s are “negative” for three important receptors—estrogen, progesterone and HER2—that many treatments use to target tumors, making them among the most aggressive and challenging to treat. El-Masry called the protocol Dade received a “breakthrough” in the world of triple-negative breast cancer.

“Mataya has an excellent prognosis,” El-Masry said. “She had a complete clinical response to her treatment. We could see her tumor shrinking.”

Following her chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimen, Dade opted for a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. And as a social media influencer, she chose to document her treatment journey.

“This is a message to my future me that I am a baddie and I will get through cancer,” she said to her followers.

For young women like Dade, El-Masry said that it is important to seek out earlier screening if there is family history of cancer—and to be your own advocate.

“If you feel something, bring it to someone’s attention and push to have some imaging done,” El-Masry said. “That could mean a mammogram or, if you are concerned about radiation exposure, an ultrasound. And if imaging isn’t showing anything but you feel a lump, you should ask to have it biopsied so we can be sure it isn’t something we need to be concerned about.”

Several days after her surgery, Dade was able to post the news her friends and family had been waiting for: “I, Mataya Dade, am cancer free.”

With that, she is at work creating a podcast—supported by Mack, a composer and producer—called “You Survived! Now What?” The plan is to offer advice and create a community for other young cancer survivors who are taking their next steps in life—just like Dade and Mack are taking theirs.

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.

But gravity does much more than that, according to Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, director of Health Services Research for Cedars-Sinai, whose new book makes the case that gravity affects every system in our bodies, and especially our digestive health. 

Spiegel, a gastroenterologist, is the author of a new theory—published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology and detailed in his book—that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other digestive system conditions could be the result of the body’s inability to manage gravity.

Spiegel’s book, Pull: How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind and Guides Our Health, expands on his theory, using the term “gravity intolerance” and describing how every part of our body—not just the gut— evolved to manage this fundamental force.

“If you’ve ever felt unusually fatigued after a long day on your feet, gotten dizzy standing up too quickly, dealt with persistent back pain, noticed swelling around your ankles, or had indigestion lying flat in bed—you’ve felt the effects of what I call gravity intolerance,” Spiegel said.

Spiegel, Cedars-Sinai’s George and Dorothy Gourrich Chair in Digital Health Ethics, describes how a family member’s declining health led him to his gravity intolerance theory.  

Spiegel’s mother-in-law was living in an assisted living facility and spending much of her time lying down in bed. Simultaneously, she was experiencing depression and worsening digestive issues like bloating and constipation. Spiegel theorized that human bodies aren’t designed to lie flat all day but are meant to get up and move.

“Our abdominal contents are heavy, like carrying a sack of potatoes in our bellies for a lifetime. Thankfully, evolution equipped us with systems to manage this load when we’re standing upright,” Spiegel said. “But lying down for too long compresses the intestines, slows digestion, and can create a feedback loop of discomfort between the gut and brain. I started to wonder: Was my mother-in-law’s time in bed causing her symptoms, or was it the other way around? Her story revealed a much larger picture to me about how gravity affects the body—and how many of my patients’ struggles might connect back to it.”

“The human relationship to gravity is much like a fish’s relationship to water,” Spiegel explained. “We live our entire lives in it, are shaped by it, yet rarely notice its constant influence on our existence.”

This insight led Spiegel to think more about gravity and the gut. “Might gravity intolerance explain why physical activity—like core strengthening, tai chi or aerobic activity—can often improve IBS symptoms, more than some medication? Could it also explain why some patients get lightheaded when they stand up quickly, or why so many also suffer from lower back pain—a consequence of gravity strain—or get worse at high altitude, where gravity’s grip on the atmosphere is diminished, or have abdominal obesity, weighing down the belly?” Spiegel said. “I began to suspect that gravity’s relentless pull might be a common thread in conditions I’d been studying for years.”  

Gravity intolerance, according to Spiegel, can affect our mental wellbeing as well. He describes mental gravity as a condition in which negative thoughts and emotions make us feel weighed down, as if gravity’s pull has intensified. More than a metaphor, Spiegel explains how the “gut feelings” many people feel when anxious also occur when falling on a roller coaster, or even when “falling” in love, revealing a deeper link between mind, body and gravity.

In Pull, Spiegel discusses gravity management and how to build gravity resilience to improve health and overall wellness, not just for gut health, but for overall mind-body resilience. He mentions flotation tanks, standing desks, inverted yoga poses, core strengthening and small adjustments people can make to improving gut health, like using footstools to create a more gravity-friendly posture. He also explains the idea of biogravitational medicine, a new field he hopes to develop to understand how gravity influences the human body and mind.

Other Cedars-Sinai leaders are intrigued by the new theory. Shelly Lu, MD, the Women's Guild Chair in Gastroenterology and director of the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases at Cedars-Sinai, looks forward to the hypothesis being tested. “This could be a game changer in how we think about IBS and possibly how it’s treated.”

Itai Danovitch, MD, chair of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, says it offers a unifying framework for understanding why so many psychiatric conditions involve both mental and physical symptoms. “We've long known that gut health affects mood, that posture influences confidence, that movement helps depression—but conceptualizing these through the lens of gravity management is genuinely novel. This framework could  point toward new interventions that can be rigorously tested and evaluated.”

Spiegel is already looking ahead to proving his theory.

“Gravity was here long before we were, and it will remain long after we’re gone,” Spiegel said. “It stands to reason that mastering gravity was essential for life to evolve on Earth, and we survive and thrive by standing up and staying up as long as we can, and as well as we can.”

Read More on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Causes and Treatments for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

“We know you’re going to take us to the Super Bowl this year,” Croft said. “We all so appreciate your visit. Now, go out and be awesome.”

Small groups of players then scattered throughout the medical center campus and Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, fully equipped with Rams swag like footballs, hats and pennants.

Several players visited patients at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, taking photos, chatting, and autographing footballs and hats. Other rookies visited patients at the inpatient unit of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, including a high school football player who smiled widely as he and the pros chatted about different football plays. “You’re one of us now,” a player told the patient.

A highlight: Rampage, the beloved Rams mascot, who posed for pictures with all who asked.

“Everyone wanted a selfie with Rampage,” said Maureen Chin, MSN, RN, associate director of the Department of Pediatrics. “Everyone wanted to hang out with the players and give them high-fives and cheer them on for the season.”

Players also met with new parents and got to make friends with some of the smallest patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s.

“Really, just seeing these kids out here and bringing a smile to their faces with everything they’re going through right now is very special to me,” said Chris Paul Jr., a Rams rookie linebacker.

Rookie Bill Norton echoed the sentiment and said, “It’s cool to bring a light into the day for the patients and I’m excited to come back whenever we can.”

Cedars-Sinai is the Official Healthcare Partner of the Los Angeles Rams.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Safety Tips to Get the Most Out of Exercise and Reduce Injury Risks

The tone was urgent: “Please pick up your child now.” Moments later, Kim, director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, learned his Pacific Palisades community was on the brink of a wildfire evacuation order. He raced home to help his family pack, but he felt certain, based on past experience, they’d be back soon.

The Kim family is now marking four months in a Santa Monica apartment: The L.A. wildfires, which began Jan. 7, 2025, and also devastated the Altadena community, destroyed their home.

Kim’s daughters, 13 and 16, were uprooted from their home, school and community. In a flash, they were separated from friends and unable to participate in local activities. And now, with summer break approaching, they and many other affected students could experience more disruption in their daily routines.

Connections and Consistency

Suzanne Silverstein, MA, ATR, founding director of Cedars-Sinai’s Share & Care, a program at 30 L.A.-area schools helping at-risk children through trauma, said parents should be prepared to guide children—many of whom are still grieving—through that disruption.

“The Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities were very tight-knit, and they are still suffering,” Silverstein said. “Children and parents have had to deal with losing homes as well as their community connections. It’s a double whammy, and it’s normal to still be grieving.”

Silverstein said children in the Share & Care program have received donated items, and she often hears them say, “I had this in my house that burned down.”

She added, “They’re also struggling because they’ve changed schools—their family moved, or their original school is no longer there—and their friends are at different schools. They’ve had to start over.”

Silverstein emphasized the importance of maintaining connections, especially during the summer break. She encourages parents to set up playdates with friends who have moved to different areas, saying, “Whole families can reconnect, which can be a gift to have everyone together for some positive experiences, and to see that everyone is OK.”

Consistency also is key, Silverstein said. If children have always attended summer camp and their camp is taking place this summer, it could be healing for them to go again, “if it’s something that’s familiar to them and something they can connect to, from before the fire.”

An art therapist, Silverstein also encourages children to express themselves in the ways they are most comfortable.

“Is it writing, is it drawing, is it through poetry or acting? Give them more of those experiences this summer,” she tells parents.

Art is a healing tool in Share & Care—younger children are encouraged to draw what they’re experiencing, while older ones are encouraged to write or draw in a journal, and then share if they’d like.

Also taught are mindfulness, calming breathing techniques, and how to sit quietly together and listen to what others in the group are sharing.

These are activities parents can continue with their children during summer recess, Silverstein said.

“We’ve been teaching parents the breathing techniques we’ve used with their children,” she said. “Parents also can benefit, as this continues to be a stressful and overwhelming time for them, too.”

Silverstein noted that the healing process is different for every child, and a strong parent-child connection can lead the way in best addressing the needs of each individual.

Leaning on Each Other

In the weeks following the fire, Kim’s family stayed in Orange County with relatives. He remembers kindness on full display when his daughters—competitive swimmers—were invited to swim with the local team. His older daughter took them up on the team’s offer.

“That was a huge part of maintaining some semblance of connection, and it helped her recovery,” he said, because she could participate in a routine activity she enjoys while also making new friends.

Kim said both daughters, as well as he and his wife, have benefited from social time with former neighbors and friends who are recovering from the fires.

“Talking about the complete loss we’ve experienced with people who’ve also been through it is a huge help,” he said.

Kim said he hopes to create a “normal” summer experience for his daughters, even though the family is living in a different place—filling it with swim meets and a vacation to the East Coast, a family tradition. His older daughter also will volunteer at Cedars-Sinai, an activity she finds fulfilling.

For the Kim family, time together may prove to have been the most healing.

“My wife and I were quite concerned about the stress of this trauma on the girls,” he said. “Earlier on, there were teary days and sleepless nights, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen emotions bubble up. We continue to watch them closely and make sure they know we’re here for them. I’m in awe of their resilience—it gives me strength to see them get up every morning, go to school and carry on to the next day.”

As the school year ends, these moments are more important than ever.

“We can’t get back the things we lost,” Kim said, “but we can help each other write the next chapter.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Five Deep Breathing Exercises for Kids and Teens

Zoie and Midori Punzalan, 20, are both studying to become registered nurses, and they are supplementing their schoolwork with the hands-on experience they are earning as Cedars-Sinai volunteers.

The twins arrive at Cedars-Sinai when it’s still dark outside, waking at 3:30 a.m. at their Torrance home.

“They give of themselves incredibly,” said Michele Prince, Cedars-Sinai’s director of Volunteer Services. “They come in for the morning shift at 5 a.m. They're getting up way before dawn and coming all the way here to serve the hospital.”

The two work on separate nursing floors, helping nurses start their day by filling supplies, cleaning workstations and assisting with patient requests.

“It doesn’t even feel like a job or a duty,” said Zoie Punzalan. “It feels like a calling for us. It makes us feel good to be here every time.”

Midori Punzalan said that when her alarm goes off before dawn, she reminds herself that someone at the hospital needs her. “They are here and they need our help,” she said.

Zoie and Midori are members of a special program called Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB), a program for those who are interested in careers in healthcare.

“The volunteers are placed on nursing units to be exposed to the work of nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals and see a wide variety of careers they can choose from,” Prince said.

Both Punzalan twins have nursing mentors who encourage them on their journey to healthcare careers. And both say they are learning skills that will assist them in the future. For now, though, they particularly enjoy interacting with patients.

“I love going into patient rooms and asking how they are doing and if they need anything,” Zoie said.

Said Midori: “I’m pretty sure it’s going to help me be more resilient and more attentive to patient needs.”

Being identical, and dressed in the same volunteer uniform, poses some challenges for the two. They are often confused for one another and must frequently reintroduce themselves to staff members and patients.

“I make sure to say, ‘I’m Midori, and I have a twin named Zoie,’” Midori said. But the two are used to the mix-ups, and being identical makes them stand out.

The twins dream of earning their nursing degrees and coming back to Cedars-Sinai one day as nurses. And it could happen, Prince said.

“There are 1,200 Cedars-Sinai employees who were once volunteers,” Prince said, “and perhaps Zoie and Midori will be among them one day.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Volunteering at Cedars-Sinai—Needed, Always Valued

In January 2020, before COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic, Cedars-Sinai treated one of the first COVID-19 patients in the U.S. Although it was a fearful time full of unknowns, physicians and investigators also knew it was an extraordinary moment in history.

“Working with that first patient on an unknown virus was tremendous,” said Jonathan Grein, MD, director of Hospital Epidemiology. “There was so much to learn. I remember wondering when I might develop symptoms and sleeping in the garage to avoid exposing others. When the first COVID-19 vaccine arrived later that year, we all paused to reflect on the effort and science that went into developing it. It was a remarkable time.”

But getting there was months in the making. Early on, a special Cedars-Sinai task force was meeting multiple times every day, strategizing about how to increase the hospital’s critical care capacity.

Michael Nurok, MB, ChB, PhD, now co-chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, was on the task force as director of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit.

“We were seeing the news out of Italy about the surge in patients with COVID-19, and we were asked to prepare for 1,000 critically ill patients on ventilators,” Nurok said. “We had to think about how we might use ventilators for multiple patients. Luckily, we never had to do that, but we had to prepare for the worst.”

Standout Memories

There was fear among patients, loved ones and providers alike, physicians said.

“Fear about not being able to manage all our patients, fear of running out of supplies, fear of colleagues getting sick, fear of my family or me getting sick,” said pulmonologist Isabel Pedraza, MD, director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit and a member of the hospital’s Special Pathogens Response Team.

In addition, hospitalized patients were isolated. Rabbi Jason Weiner, PhD, BCC senior rabbi and director of the Spiritual Care Department, said the situation reminded him of the importance of human connection.

“The lockdown happened around Easter and Passover,” Weiner said. “We made signs for the glass doors of the Intensive Care Unit, wishing patients happy holidays. Later they told us it was grounding to know what was happening in the outside world.”

In the beginning, the number of infected patients was overwhelming, said Peachy Hain, MSN, RN, executive director of Nursing, Surgical Services and Clinical Support Programs.

“We were running out of beds and low on supplies,” she said. “But nurses are resilient, adaptable and supportive. We acted quickly to convert recovery rooms into shared spaces. We made sure every mask, gown and piece of equipment lasted. It reinforced how creative and innovative we are, and, in the end, it made nurses closer. We are one team, one family.”

For Sam Torbati, MD, medical director of the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department, the early days were marked by a constant reminder there was no script for how to handle a pandemic.

“We’re prepared for any situation, but COVID-19 didn’t come with a playbook,” Torbati said. “So, every day we were in battle mode and every day, at every level, we came with a strategy, a plan, and strong communication and team support.”

Lessons Learned

Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer, recalled various lessons learned in the wake of the pandemic; among them, using protocols developed during COVID-19 for other emergency situations. For example, last September, after Hurricane Helene damaged a manufacturing facility and severely limited the national supply of IV bags and fluids, Shane’s team used pandemic learnings to help manage the shortage.

“COVID-19 taught us we can more efficiently respond to any emergency going forward,” Shane said. “Our real-time response time is more accelerated, and our experts can navigate any situation.”

Shane also recalled that Cedars-Sinai was one of the first hospitals to get the COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020—another opportunity to navigate a new situation.

“We needed a specific storage plan, and we needed a rollout plan since we were one of the local sites coordinating public vaccination,” she said.

Pedraza called the rapid development of the vaccine “an incredible breakthrough that likely will be one of the top achievements of our time. Prior to this, it could take as long as a decade for a new vaccine. The COVID vaccine gave us hope that there was an end to the pandemic. I hope we don’t forget the power of vaccines to stop human suffering.”

Equally rapid and transformative was COVID-19 research, said Susan Cheng, MD, MMSc, MPH, the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Population Science in the Department of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute.

“We pivoted to focus on understanding how the virus affected people differently, as well as mitigation and prevention, and later, vaccine response,” said Cheng, a professor of Cardiology. “People in every corner of Cedars-Sinai helped us in what was the most fast-paced clinical research study I’ve ever been a part of. We learned how quickly research can answer impactful questions, and I hope our findings inform future policy and clinical practice. It was a testament to how people can stretch above and beyond to improve and protect the health of humanity.”

A Medical Landscape Altered

Grein, director of Hospital Epidemiology and head of the medical center’s Special Pathogens Response Team, said the pandemic gave him a glimpse into the future of healthcare.

“Medicine can be very conservative, and it often takes years for new guidelines to come out and change clinical practice,” he said. “COVID taught us how to more quickly respond to emerging science and adapt protocols to benefit patients and staff.”

Torbati, associate professor and co-chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, agreed.

“We rapidly readjusted safety protocols during the pandemic, determined how to isolate patients, built treatment tents and created safe environments with adequate ventilation,” Torbati said. “We had to figure out how to do things differently while also responding to heart attacks, strokes, car accidents and other common Emergency Department situations. If a similar situation happens again, we’re very prepared.”

COVID-19 changed healthcare in many ways, Hain said, such as an increasing use of telehealth visits.

“We also use home health more effectively now, which frees up beds in the hospital for patients with more immediate needs,” she said. “We also expanded our mental health programs for staff. And we expanded community resources and outreach to improve care among Black, Hispanic and Asian patients, who faced the highest COVID death rates.”

Lasting Takeaways

David Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, senior vice president, chief nursing executive and chair of the Department of Nursing, offered three pandemic takeaways that he still relies upon daily.

“It’s critical to protect health providers so they can take care of the community, and as providers, we must pace ourselves and protect ourselves,” he said.

But heavy emotions still surface when he remembers the distress of COVID-19.

“A patient’s family shared with me that they watched on their iPhone during the lockdown and isolation as their loved one passed away while a nurse held their hand and stroked their brow,” he said. “There were moments of tragedy. There were moments of fear. There were moments of joy. COVID-19 was a moment when our institution shined while we took care of our community … and while we took care of each other.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: New COVID-19 Vaccines Hit the Market  

Diego Cruz told his healthcare team that his lifelong dream was to travel to Japan, which got Child Life Specialist Joanne Ordono thinking.

“Because of his physical condition, he can’t travel, but I thought, ‘Why not bring Japan to him?’ And that’s what we did,” Ordono said. “We brought both traditional and contemporary Japan to his hospital room.”

Thanks to the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, Cruz had a traditional Japanese experience, starting with a tea ceremony performed by Hirokazu Kosaka, a tea ceremony master. Cruz sipped from a ceremonial bowl filled with matcha tea while Kosaka chanted. 

Next, Kuniharu Yoshida, a calligrapher, brought out his ink and brushes to create a traditional calligraphy scroll that reads, “May your wishes come true.” The calligrapher also helped Cruz write the Japanese character for “strength.” 

Then, musician Chester Ikei played a ukulele and sang traditional Japanese ballads describing the four seasons. 

Cruz, an anime fan, also received gifts from local shop Anime Station. Of course, no cultural experience is complete without food, and Cruz was able to taste mochi and Japanese cheesecake for the first time.

A visibly emotional Cruz took pictures with all his guests and his family members and fought back tears as he expressed his thanks.

“All the years that I’ve had chemotherapy, I missed out on all the things I wanted to do in life,” Cruz said. “While I saw others living a normal life, I’d be here in the hospital. I never thought I’d be able to do these things, so thank you. It means a lot to me.”

Ordono said the afternoon reminded her of the essence of healthcare.

“Obviously, taking care of the patients medically and clinically is super important, but we're treating the whole person,” Ordono said. “It's the emotional and the mental health that is also important, and I believe we got to bring a little bit more joy to this patient today.”

Read more from Discoveries: Innovation and Collaboration in Pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's

What type of flu activity are we seeing in California this year and what are the symptoms?

As of early January, flu activity in California has been increasing and is comparable to levels observed at this time last year. Influenza (flu) typically presents with sudden onset of high-grade fever, accompanied by body aches, chills, headache, nasal congestion, runny nose and occasionally sore throat or fatigue.

When should you see a doctor?

The course of the flu can vary from person to person, but if you're experiencing prolonged fevers lasting three to five days, worsening cough or shortness of breath, signs of dehydration, or if you have exacerbation of underlying respiratory conditions such as asthma, it may be a good idea to check in with your primary care provider. Additionally, if you develop a new fever after initially recovering from the flu, be aware of the possibility of a secondary bacterial infection, such as a pneumonia, which would require medical attention.

Is it too late to get the flu vaccine?

While getting the flu shot earlier in the season is ideal, vaccination at any point during the flu season can still provide significant protection. The flu vaccine reduces the severity of illness and lowers the risk of complications, especially for high-risk individuals such as young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions.

Each year, the flu vaccine is designed to target the most likely circulating strains. Although the vaccine may not be a perfect match for all strains, it provides partial immunity, which is highly beneficial in preventing severe illness.

What is norovirus and how is it affecting Californians?

Norovirus, often referred to as the “stomach flu,” is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis. We see symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and occasionally low-grade fever. Norovirus is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness.

What can people do to stay healthy during virus season?

The advice is always the same. We need to be really mindful of our hand washing and being careful among high-risk individuals. Wearing a mask is of utmost importance because of the fires but also to prevent the spread of respiratory infections in this critical time period during the winter. Additionally, remember to listen to your body and stay home if you’re unwell.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Ask a Doc | What’s Walking Pneumonia?

Santa wheeled a wagon through the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center campus as he brought toys to young patients and their siblings. Santa also sang holiday songs while cuddling the tiny babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). And he gifted parents with keepsake ornaments decorated with their baby’s name and footprints.  

“It feels fantastic,” said Christine Silverman, whose one-week-old son, Murray, was in the NICU after being born prematurely.

NICU social worker Alva Gregorio, MSW, said parents were grateful for the opportunity to take a photo of their babies with Santa during their first Christmas, something many were afraid they would miss while being in the hospital.

“It brings a sense of normalcy to the families who have to be in the hospital during the holidays,” said one of the NICU social workers, who dressed as an elf and helped Santa deliver toys as part of the annual holiday tradition. “Some children worry Santa won’t find them because they are in the hospital, so seeing him here handing out gifts brings them great joy.”

David Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, Cedars-Sinai Health System’s chief nursing executive, originated the medical center’s tradition of hosting Santa for an annual visit.

This year, Santa bore a very strong resemblance to Cedars-Sinai’s Gregory Eichelzer, DNP, RN, nursing innovation administrator, and sounded like him too, as he sang holiday standards such as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “The First Noel.”  

Before he became a nurse, Eichelzer was a professional singer who performed on Broadway and toured the U.S. with productions of “Annie” and “Grease.” While his performances earned high marks from parents, Eichelzer’s baritone had a decidedly different effect on much of his audience as he lulled babies to sleep.

Santa ended his visit to Guerin Children’s with season’s greetings to patients, families and staff. “Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year to all.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Timely Pediatric Asthma Treatment