Jose was tested for COVID-19 after a few of his coworkers came down with the virus. At first, he felt fine, but then he had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital. Soon he was in a coma and on a ventilator.

Ruby was diagnosed with late-stage neuroblastoma, a type of cancer found in the small glands on top of the kidneys, when she was three. She is now 7 and playing on her swing set.

For about a year, Joseline Chen had a noise in her left ear. She describes it as a heartbeat-like sound and a “whoosh,” making it hard to hear. It gave her headaches and made her physically weak.

While families reported disruptions and added stress, many also noted positive experiences that help build resilience in a survey conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics and partnering organizations.

April 14 was the first community vaccination program held at Lowell General Hospital’s Mass Vaccination Program at the Cross River Center. Thanks to a partnership with the Greater Lowell Health Alliance and about 50 area organizations, about 1,000 members of the hardest-to-reach communities in the region received their first dose vaccination.

Nicole Clark, the pharmacy director at MelroseWakefield Healthcare, was recently honored by the Boston Celtics as a hero among us.

After hearing a news story about a young person who donated a kidney to someone in need, the idea of organ donation started swirling around in Jake’s head. Almost 10 years later, that idea turned into reality.

It was your average Sunday evening. Nine-month-old Neela and her mom and dad were spending a quiet night at home.  Mom was feeding Neela scrambled eggs for the first time, when almost immediately, Neela’s lips started to swell. Mom and Dad suspected an allergic reaction but took to Google and a phone call to their pediatrician to confirm. Even though the swelling started to subside after a few minutes, Neela’s on-call doctor recommended a trip to the Emergency Room, just to be safe.

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and Massachusetts Department of Public Health directed providers to pause the administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine as they investigate reports of blood clots in six women who received the J&J vaccine. None of these cases appear to have occurred in Massachusetts.

Mayor Paul Brodeur received the first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine last Friday at MelroseWakefield Hospital, while simultaneously urging others to do the same.