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Pediatric medicine generally entails caring for patients at the beginning of their lives—performing newborn checkups, treating childhood illnesses and supporting adolescents in their health as they move toward adulthood.

So people are often surprised to hear about specialists like us who work in pediatric palliative care, helping children facing serious illness who may be nearing the end of their lives.

This approach to care focuses on relieving suffering and addressing quality of life for children and families facing complex, life-limiting medical conditions. We also work to ensure that every family who needs it has access to this care, because right now, these programs aren't available to most families globally who need them.

Pediatric palliative care is an approach that emerged out of the adult hospice and palliative care movement in the 1990s to early 2000s as a distinct discipline.

Globally, an estimated 7 million children die annually. Children with life-threatening health conditions often live longer between the time of diagnosis and death than adults. They benefit from approaches to care that consider the needs of their caregivers and family members.

Pediatric palliative care is provided by a team of professionals, including physicians, nurses, social workers, child life specialists, chaplains and other allied health professionals who take a comprehensive approach to a child's care as they live with serious illness and ultimately approach the end of their life.

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