Riley Messenger, Spring 2012

234493 Messenger.indd 1 3/19/12 4:11 PM

C O N T E N T S

Pg. 6 Collaboration Yields Promising DiscoveryResearch development brings new hope

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“A Father’s Carrie Piha will never forget the emotion she felt in the pre-dawn hours of July 14, 2011. She sent her husband Bob into one operating room and their 11-year-old son Ben into another. “Those were hard goodbyes,” Carrie says. “Hard goodbyes.”

The Carmel family knew an operation like this was inevitable from the first shocking days of Ben’s life. After Carrie’s normal and healthy pregnancy, childbirth took a traumatic turn. “Basically, all hell broke loose,” recalls Bob. Baby Ben was bleeding uncontrollably, and multiple organs went into failure. He was transferred to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health when he was two days old. “I remember the obstetrician saying, ‘Sorry, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Carrie recalls. But Ben rallied, and came home two months later. “He was really brave,” Bob says as he smiles at his son. “He just kept bouncing back. He defied everyone’s odds.” Last year, just as his doctors predicted, Ben neared his pre-teen growth spurt and his kidneys simply couldn’t keep up any longer. He was constantly exhausted; his blood work showed it was time for a transplant. Both Bob and Carrie discovered they were matches. The couple decided Bob would be the donor. “As a parent you want to do what you can. I was just happy I could finally do something to help Ben,” says Bob. When the day of the surgery arrived, Carrie kept tabs on Ben, who was at Riley Hospital, and Bob, who was at Indiana University Hospital, through text messages, updates from nurses and even a few fast sprints through the tunnels that connect the two buildings. She was nervous but confident they were in good hands. Ben’s transplant surgeon, William Goggins, M.D., heads a team that handles 16 to 23 pediatric kidney transplants per year. “I treat my patients like I treat my own kids,” says Dr. Goggins. The surgery went well — although Bob jokes he’s still envious that Ben got the better deal over at

Pg. 3-4, Cover Story: The Heart of Compassion

Pg. 5 Darkness to Light A child abuse survivor searches for answers and purpose

Pg. 7-8 Super Baskets of Hope 900+ volunteers help deliver 7,000 smiles to sick kids

Pg. 9-10 Uncommon Bond A Riley patient’s rare thank you gift

Pg. 13 Full-Circle GratitudeA teacher goes the extra mile to help the hospital that saved his daughter

We welcome your story suggestions. Please email ideas to [email protected].

Transplant recipient Ben Piha (right) celebrates 2K race with his brother, Ted


“A Father’sRiley, with a Child Life Specialist in a bunny suit in the operating room to help keep him calm and smiling. Dr. Goggins is the one smiling now, sixmonths after surgery. “If you look at Ben, you can’t even tell he’s had a transplant. That’s the key — to restore them to normal kids,” says Dr. Goggins. But Ben, whose life has never seemed to follow a “normal” path, had one more surprise in store. The cross-country runner ran a 2K race just nine weeks after his transplant. His family says there were a lot of tears as he crossed the finish line. “For him to run a race that soon after transplant was remarkable,” says Dr. Goggins. “It tells you he has a lot of determination and guts and is much stronger than he even thinks he is.”

Gift of Life”

“I was just happy I could finally do something to help.” – Bob Piha

“For him to run a race that soon after transplant was remarkable.” - William Goggins, M.D.

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Ben Piha with his father and kidney donor, Bob Piha


3 R i l e y M e s s e n g e r

In one moment, Cody Reyher experienced two of the sharpest extremes life can offer — the joy of giving birth for the first time and fear for her precious new baby’s life. Before Cody and her husband Nick welcomed baby Ozzy into the world in January of 2011, doctors in their hometown of Evansville spotted a heart defect in his ultrasound. The family was referred to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, where doctors confirmed Ozzy’s tiny heart would need surgical repair right after birth. As the due date approached, the Reyhers stayed with family in the Indianapolis area so that Cody could give birth at Indiana University Hospital. She and Nick had just a few moments to touch and see their newborn son before he was brought to Riley Hospital. Less than 48 hours later Ozzy was in surgery. Cody recalls how nervous she felt saying goodbye to him that day. “He was such a tiny baby

The Heart of Compassion

Cody Reyher bonds with her son, Ozzy, as a delicate newborn (left), and as a healthy 1-year-old (right)


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and I just couldn’t imagine how they were able to do what they did to him.” But cardiovascular surgeon John Brown, M.D., has performed thousands of surgeries on newborns during his 35-year career at Riley Hospital. In Ozzy’s case, he performed an arterial switch. “It’s where the aorta and the pulmonary artery come off at the wrong chamber,” Dr. Brown explains. “We have to cut those arteries in two and reverse them so they’re coming off the proper chamber.” Dr. Brown says the real Achilles heel in the operation is moving the baby’s coronary arteries, which are only about two millimeters wide — the width of a nickel. “They have to be perfect,” says Dr. Brown. Ozzy’s surgery was as successful as everyone had hoped. As her newborn son recovered, Cody discovered an unexpected surprise — she also received outstanding care. “Being a first-time mom you don’t really know what to expect from your own body, and then you have this sick little baby. I remember there were several nurses who treated me like their own daughter,” Cody explained. “They were so comforting. They were like family to us when we couldn’t be with our family. It was just amazing.” That compassion became even more important when Ozzy developed a blood clot during recovery that cut off blood flow to his kidney. Cody recalls a difficult day in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). “I was so distraught and so upset, I remember Dr. (Lee) Tosi was so comforting and so nice to me. He told me, ‘This isn’t what we wanted, but it’s going to be okay.’” Today, those tough moments are in the rearview mirror. Ozzy just celebrated his first birthday. He is happy, chubby and hitting all his milestones. “Ozzy is a miracle,” says Cody. “The doctors and nurses at Riley are angels to us.”

Did You Know?n The heart center at Riley Hospital for Children is one of the top 10 busiest pediatric heart programs in the nation.

n Surgeons at Riley mend the hearts of 550-650 children per year.

n Riley cardiologists began offering the arterial switch operation in 1986. Today, they perform the surgery on as many as 25 children per year.

“The doctors and nurses at Riley are angels to us.” - Cody Reyher

Riley cardiologist Randy Caldwell, M.D., is part of the team overseeing Ozzy’s heart care

Ozzy Reyher with his parents, Cody and Nick



Dark Past, Bright Future

B Brandi crosses the room to shake the hand of Roberta Hibbard, M.D. At the last second she opts for a hug instead. “So nice to meet you, sweetheart,” Dr. Hibbard tells the striking college student with dark brown eyes. The last time Dr. Hibbard looked into those eyes they were framed by a much smaller face. Brandi was brought to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health in 1995 when she was 2 1/2 years old. She weighed about 14 pounds — the normal weight of a 5-month-old baby. Court documents show Brandi’s birth parents had locked her in a closet on a dirty mattress covered by garbage bags for much of her life. After a concerned family friend made a phone call, child protective services workers removed Brandi from the home and police arrested her parents for neglect. “I really want to find out everything I can,” Brandi explains to Dr. Hibbard. She has heard only bits and pieces of information over the years. Today she is ready to put the puzzle pieces together. “I want to know exactly what happened to me so I can use it to help…because I know I owe my life to so many other people,” she says. Dr. Hibbard shows Brandi her medical records, explaining how Riley’s Child Protection Program and other pediatric services helped her gain weight and learn to walk and talk. Then she asks Brandi if she is ready to see the photos. A slide projector turns on. Huge, sad eyes appear on the screen. The girl in the picture is tiny, with ribs visible and bony knees protruding.

Roberta Hibbard, M.D., is director of

Riley Hospital’s Child Protection Program,

which serves nearly 2,000 children

annually with the help of funding from

Riley Children’s Foundation

Brandi

“Wow…” Brandi says. “I can’t believe that was me. Looking at how small I was…” But the dark eyes are unmistakably hers — eyes that to this day are severely impaired because of the extreme malnutrition. “Saying thank you doesn’t even cover it,” Brandi tells Dr. Hibbard. “I may not have been here without you. I may not have been here without Riley.” Dr. Hibbard says the key to Brandi’s survival was simple — someone was brave enough to speak up and save her. “We have to get the word out,” Dr. Hibbard says. “We have to make people understand that all of us have to watch out for our children. If you see something that doesn’t look right, pick up the phone and make that call.” Today, Brandi is studying psychology and has begun sharing her story at Riley Dance Marathons. “I want to be able to help other children,” she tells Dr. Hibbard. “There were people who saved me. People like you and the neighbor. I could save one child’s life and the whole thing is worth it.” Dr. Hibbard smiles with admiration at the driven young woman before her who has come a long, long way since her first visit to Riley. “Good things come in small packages,” she says. If you suspect abuse, call 911 or the Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-800-5556. You can remain anonymous.


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Just steps away from Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, close to 40 scientists spend their days searching for answers in some of the toughest battles young patients face. The team of investigators at the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research includes a blend of M.D.s and Ph.D.s. It is a magical combination according to Wells Center Associate Director Mark Kelley, Ph.D. “I think the key is that mixture of people from different backgrounds and training,” explains Kelley. “If you’re working on something in the lab, but it doesn’t make sense clinically, you can ask the physicians, ‘Does this idea make sense?’ and they can say ‘No, we would never do that.’” That collaborative atmosphere has led to a promising discovery in childhood cancer treatment. Research on solid tumors pinpointed unique small molecules that could be directed at pathways to fight cancers. Then, investigators at the Wells Center put their heads together with scientists at the IU Simon Cancer center and began testing the same pathways in certain leukemia cases. Kelley describes the “eureka” moment. “We’re studying this in solid tumors, then one day we looked at ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) and said, ‘Well, gee, we should look here.’ We did an experiment and said, ‘Wow, that really worked!’ And now we’re off and running.” Kelley says the team approach makes it possible to move in a new direction so quickly. “Team science is the only way to truly make the next leaps in discoveries,” says Kelley. More complex studies are now being conducted in mice so that the discovery can be used to help leukemia patients as quickly as possible. That’s in keeping with the Wells Center’s focus on translational research, which moves discoveries quickly from the lab to the patient. “If you could have something that got in the clinic that was used here, treated and cured — that would be fantastic,” says Kelley. “That would be a dream.” Funding for medical research remains a great challenge. “There are a lot of good projects not getting

done,” says Kelley. “If you don’t have the money, you can’t do the experiments.” That’s why he is so grateful to Riley Children’s Foundation donors who support the work being done in the Wells Center. “Giving from the heart results in lives and families saved,” says Kelley. “And who knows what those saved lives will accomplish?”

Since opening in 1991, the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research has grown from four investigators and three employees to 34 investigators and 234 employees. Wells Center research is funded primarily by Riley Children’s Foundation and covers a wide spectrum including: asthma; cancer; cardiology; gene therapy and growth & metabolism.

Herman B Wells Center

Collaboration Yields Promising Discovery

“Giving from the heart results in lives and families saved.” – Mark Kelley, Ph.D.

Read more at: WellsCenter.iupui.edu



Unstoppable Generosity

Emotions ran high at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Monday, January 30, when nearly 1,000 volunteers and sponsors joined Riley Children’s Foundation, Tony Dungy, and the Basket of Hope organization to accomplish a Super Bowl first: a host city service project that spread hope to children nationwide. Indiana companies donated more than 250,000 gift items for the Super Baskets of Hope, meant to lift the spirits of sick children and their families by sharing a dose of Super Bowl excitement. Volunteers poured into the Fieldhouse and spent a long day packing 7,000 baskets for hospitalized children in all 32 NFL markets and across Indiana. Riley kids shared their stories on stage, reminding volunteers of the healing power of hope. By the end of the day, UPS shipped all 7,000 baskets to hospitals across America, where NFL players and coaches began delivering them to children during Super Bowl week. Families who received Super Baskets of Hope immediately responded with notes of appreciation, including a mother in Denver who said, “This kind generosity brought tears to my eyes and a HUGE smile to my daughter’s face…Bless you.” Riley Children’s Foundation extends an enormous thank you to the volunteers, sponsors and donors who made this unforgettable outreach possible.

Riley Kids Tatum Parker (Indianapolis), Clare Scheller (Evansville), and Olivia Pierce (Hobart)

Riley Champion Evan Meade and his teammates from the Franklin CommunityHigh School football team add muscle to volunteer force

IU Dance Marathon participants energize volunteers

Bankers Life FieldhouseMonday, January 30, 2012Nearly 1,000 volunteers from across Indiana team up to help sick kids. Between 3 a.m. and 6 p.m. they assemble 7,000 Super Baskets of Hope.


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Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard shows off a basketTony Dungy praises volunteers for their heartfelt efforts

Indiana First Lady Cheri Daniels with Riley patient Ramonie Smith of Indianapolis

Leukemia survivor Evan Meade thanks Gary Brackett for his surprise gift of Super Bowl tickets

Basket of Hope Founder Angela Brunette (center)and her family thank volunteers for taking program to a “Super” new level


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Uncommon Bond

Grzegorz Nalepa, M.D., reads to 3-year-oldHenry Allen-DollardRight: Henry shows off a book his mother made documenting hisfriendship with his doctorFar Upper Right: Henry issurrounded by support at Riley Hospital


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“We have become good buddies throughout the years, and we always make sure to spend some quality time together when Henry comes to the hematology clinic,” Dr. Nalepa says. “We enjoy playing with toy cars and board games.” Henry was born in Indianapolis on June 30, 2008. Within months, he was in and out of the hospital for seemingly unconnected medical

issues including heart problems, growth delay and muscle weakness. Tiffini searched the internet for clues to her son’s symptoms and kept turning up an un-derdiagnosed genetic disorder called Barth syndrome. But with only 148 children in the world known as “Barth boys,” the disorder is so rare many doctors who

examined Henry hadn’t heard of it — except for Dr. Nalepa. Henry was admitted to Riley Hospital in February 2010 with fever and dehydration. Dr. Nalepa discovered Henry had neutropenia, a dangerous reduction in white blood cells that increases the risk of life-threatening infection. Knowing Henry also had muscle and heart problems, Dr. Nalepa agreed with Tiffini that her son may very well have Barth syndrome. Genetic

“With the team of doctors we have at Riley, we feel we have the best of the best.” – Tiffini AllenUncommon Bond

enry Allen-Dollard loves riding his tricycle, painting and playing hide-and-seek. But give the 3-year-old a

choice, and Henry says, “I want to go play with Dr. Grzegorz.” Henry’s mother Tiffini Allen can’t quite explain the bond between the little boy and hematologist Grzegorz Nalepa, M.D., Ph.D. She noticed that the

first time the physician entered Henry’s room at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health her son’s respiratory rate didn’t jump the way it did with other medical staff. At first she credited Dr. Nalepa’s soft voice, or his habit of wearing street clothes rather than a white coat. “But now I think Henry sensed ‘Dr. Grzegorz’ is a genuinely kind person who really cares about him.” The admiration is mutual. Dr. Nalepa just plain likes Henry.

testing confirmed the diagnosis. Barth syndrome causes neutro-penia as well as: a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy; low muscle tone; growth delay; and excessive fatigue. Tiffini used to be filled with fear that Henry would die from his cardiomyopathy. Confirmation of the syndrome was “a huge relief,” she says, because it enables his physicians to effectively treat him. “With the team of doctors we have at Riley, we feel like we have the best of the best from around the country,” she adds. Since Henry started receiving treatment, his blood counts have remained in normal range and he no longer has recurrent infections that require hospital stays. “He is able to do essentially all the things that kids his age should be doing,” Dr. Nalepa says. Henry’s parents are now vocal advocates for Barth syndrome research and Riley Hospital, hopeful that medical break-throughs will help Henry even more. In the meantime, they decided to create a lasting memento for Henry’s favorite doctor — a hardcover picture book documenting their special friendship. “It was simply amazing,” says Dr. Nalepa. “It is one of the most treasured gifts I have ever received from my patients and their families.”

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Grzegorz Nalepa, M.D., keeps Henry entertained


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“The World Around Riley,” the ecological theme within the Simon Family Tower at IU Health, helps lift spirits and provide hope and relaxation to patients and families. The world around Riley is also changing for the better as the new 10-story, 675,000 square-foot addition takes its next steps toward completion. Patients began moving into all-private rooms early in 2011. The new lobby is projected to open this summer. The cancer center and the burn center will open this fall. The NICU is projected to open as early as January 2013. “During our recent stay in the Simon Family Tower, the thing that most stood out to us was the whole environment was focused on our son and his healing,” says Riley dad Kevin Tamosaitis. His son, Braden, has had two stays in the tower. Tamosaitis says it was a top notch experience, “…from the space in his room, his TV and Wii, to the playroom right near his room, and not to mention the entire staff and the way he was treated.”

Simon Family Tower Progress Continues

O F N O T E

n Dr. Paul Haut is the new chief medical officer at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. Dr. Haut

is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and has served as the director of the Riley Stem Cell Transplant Program for nearly a decade.

n Riley Children’s Foundation recently received a gift of $40,000 from an anonymous grateful patient. According to the accompanying letter, “This is a small payback.”

n Fort Wayne Community Schools kicked off their fifth-annual Kids Caring & Sharing fundraising event. They hope to raise $1 per student. In launching the initiative, they honored 2012 Riley Champion Andrew Armstrong, a freshman at New Tech Academy at Wayne High School.

n Registration is underway for the 19th annual Miracle Ride, which benefits Riley. The fundraising ride June 2-3 invites motor- cyclists to take a spin around Indianapolis Motor Speedway and past an enthusiastic crowd of young Riley patients. Visit MiracleRide.net to register.

n Carmel High School Dance Marathon is America’s largest high school dance marathon in dollars raised and number of participants, according to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The seventh annual event raised $261,229 and surpassed $1 million in lifetime donations for the Ryan White Infectious Disease Center at Riley Hospital.

n Camp Riley registrations are now being accepted. The summer camp empowers children with physical disabilities. Visit RileyKids.org/camp to read more or to apply.

I N T H E N E W S


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R I L E Y H I G H L I G H TSTV Ads Educate About Child Abuse

A recent grant from Kohl’s Cares aims to address the problem of child abuse and neglect by educating the public. Kohl’s Caring for Our Kids spokesman Tony Dungy and director of Riley’s Child Protection Program, Roberta

Hibbard, M.D., are appearing in public service announcements on television and radio throughout central Indiana. Visit KohlsCaringForOurKids.org for more resources on protecting children.

Leukemia Drug Research Research being done by IU

and Riley doctors and scientists at the Moi Teach-ing and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, may help leukemia patients all across the globe. The study is looking at vincristine, an anticancer drug used to treat children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

(ALL). Researchers have found that patients of African descent metabolize the drug more quickly, and may have poorer outcomes. Efforts are underway to customize dosing based on these genetic factors.

FDA Approves Berlin Heart The FDA has granted approval to the Berlin Heart — a decision applauded by Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, which was one of the first institutions to begin the FDA approval process. Riley surgeons have implanted nine Berlin Heart devices to date, but can now do so without special FDA approval. Bailey Hunsberger of Indianapolis was born with aortic stenosis, and

in 2005 became the third Riley patient to receive the device. Her transplant worked so well her heart became strong enough for surgeons to eventually remove the Berlin Heart. She is now a healthy college student. “The approval of the Berlin Heart is the first step towards ensuring that pediatric heart care in this country no longer lags behind that of adults,” said Dr. Mark Turrentine, director of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Riley Hospital. “Now, children in the U.S. have the same access to this life-saving technology as others worldwide.”

How can I help Riley?Emanuel Kibiwott with Riley Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellow Jodi Skiles, M.D.

Bailey Hunsberger

n Join Riley Society and lead the way in providing hope (RileyKids.org/rileysociety)

n Host a fundraising event through your workplace, church or school

n Visit RileyKids.org to learn more or make a secure donation

n Switch to Riley License Plates

New Neurofibromatosis Trials Three new neurofibromatosis trials are underway at the Riley-funded Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research. The disease causes nerve tissue tumors that can become cancerous and often create complications. The new trials follow the completion of a promising phase 2 trial that tested the drug Gleevec on neurofibromatosis patients at Riley Hospital. “We think it’s a very exciting early set of studies,” says Wade Clapp, M.D.

Riley patient Cory Lane


days go by, the years go by, and one day I heard that word.” He has worked tirelessly on behalf of Riley ever since. Yenna’s fundraisers have ranged from selling home-baked cookies at sporting events to a 24-hour trike-a-thon. “Things just pop into my mind about what I can do,” he says. Twelve years ago, he had the idea to ride a bike from Mishawaka to Riley Hospital. Yenna and a fellow Riley dad bought a tandem bicycle, collected pledges and pedaled straight down US 31 to deliver the funds. A tradition was born and continued to grow. Seven riders completed the ride to Riley last June. Now at age 62, Yenna admits

1 3 R i l e y M e s s e n g e r

it’s getting tougher: “But every time I feel like I’m about shot, I think about what my daughter went through.” After he retires in June, Yenna will volunteer at the two local hospitals that house Riley programs — and he’ll help mentor the five teachers he’s already lined up to raise funds for Riley, continuing his three-decade thank you.

Language Arts teacher Bob Yenna admits he felt a little exasperated when school officials at Virgil I. Grissom Middle School in Mishawaka, Ind., called a special assembly for December 14 — the day he had scheduled a test. Yenna’s annoyance turned to shock when he spotted his wife Marsha among a host of special guests. This was no ordinary assembly — it was an assembly in his honor, thanking him for raising more than $200,000 for Riley Children’s Foundation over the course of 30 years. “I was holding it together pretty well until they pulled down our [video] screen,” he recalls. “It was my daughter and her husband. I got so choked up, in two minutes I ruined 38 years of a tough-guy image.” The daughter who brought Yenna to tears is Heather, the eldest of his four children and a graphic designer in Houston. In 1978, at age 4, she was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in her nasal cavity and given a 20 percent chance of survival. Heather’s grueling treatment at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health would include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. “Then she was in remission, but the word every parent wants to hear is ‘cured,’” Yenna recalls. “When they told us that would not happen for five years, I told my wife, ‘I’ll never make it.’ But the

Full-Circle Gratitude

“Every time I feel like I’m about shot, I think about what my daughter went through.” - Bob Yenna

Visit KidsCaringandSharing.org to f ind out how your school can support Riley


Super Smiles From Coast to Coast

The Super Bowl banners have been taken down; the clocks have stopped counting down the days, hours and seconds to the big day. Indiana hosted one of the world’s largest sporting events with a level of hospitality that was appreciated by over one million fans who visited Indianapolis. Indiana’s hos-pitality was showcased to the world in the national and international media. Riley Children’s Foundation and Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health were honored to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event by collaborating with Former Indianapolis Colts Coach Dungy in organizing Super Baskets of Hope. Super Baskets of Hope secured over one million dollars’ worth of items including 35,000 games from Fundex, basketballs donated by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, footballs donated by the University of Notre Dame, books contributed by The Tony Dungy Foundation, and home team NFL hats donated by Lids. Vera Bradley led Indiana companies by donating over $200,000 in items for the basket as well as making a $20,000 financial contribution. Harding Poorman stored and inventoried the items; Langham Logistics planned the assembly workflow; and UPS packed and delivered boxes to 40 cities across the state and the country — the latest arriving just three days after it left Indianapolis. I encourage you to visit SuperBasketsofHope.org to learn more about the companies who contributed basket items, professional services and cash donations to make this project a reality. The web site also hosts videos and photos from the event. On January 30, nearly 1000 volunteers, led by a talented and committed volunteer committee, gathered on the court of Banker’s Life Fieldhouse and worked together for 8 hours to put 250,000 items into the 7,000 baskets that were sent to children in hospitals throughout the country. It was an inspiring day that was relived through-out the week by children across the country as the baskets were delivered by NFL players, alumni, cheerleaders and other volunteers. Being involved in the excitement of the Super Bowl and receiving local, statewide and national media coverage was energizing and positive for our city and state. Being part of a major project that helped deliver joy to 7,000 children — that is a reason to celebrate.

Gratefully,

Kevin O’KeefePresident and CEORiley Children’s Foundation

Riley Messenger

SPRING 2012

Dedicated to friends and partners of Riley Children’s Foundation

Riley Children’s Foundation30 S. Meridian St., Suite 200Indianapolis, IN 46204-3509

RileyKids.orgE-mail: [email protected]

Jim MorrisChairman, Board of Governors

Kevin O’KeefePresident and CEO

Robin G. BellingerChief Development Officer

Maureen ManierVice President, Communications, Marketing and Donor Engagement

Vicki Mech HesterChief Strategy Officer and Vice President, Talent Management

David SchapkerVice President, Finance and Administration, CFO

EditorTrisha Shepherd

Associate EditorJason Mueller

Art DirectorDavid Birke

Contributing WriterNancy Alexander

PhotographyEsther BostonDavid JaynesJohn TirottaSpotlight PhotograpyCaitlin SullivanTim YatesRon Wise

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T H E F I N A L W O R D

“Every time I feel like I’m about shot, I think about what my daughter went through.” - Bob Yenna

Olivia Pierce’s butterfly card was included in every basket


NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

P A I DINDIANAPOLIS, INPERMIT NO. 5677

30 S. Meridian St.

Suite 200

Indianapolis, IN 46204-3509

Arts Therapies, Child Protection, Wells Center for Pediatric Research; and something that caught her attention — Palliative Care. Palliative Care is a support program for children and their families as they face the challenges of a life-limiting diagnosis. It includes services from

advanced symptom care to hos-pice and bereavement counseling. “Most of us can’t imagine what it would be like to face these challenges and loss,” says Sperring. “I was incredibly moved by conversations with families who had lost a child at Riley who told me how much a support service would have meant to them.” The Dunhams made a generous donation to Riley’s Palliative Care

Tom and Patty Dunham have been blessed with healthy children and grandchildren. But the business owners from Greenwood, Ind., felt compelled to expand their support for Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health when they witnessed friends’ and employees’ children cope with serious illnesses, some of whom unfortunately lost their battles. “They really need coping skills,” says Patty about the grieving parents. “I mean, how do you get through this?” In talking to Riley Hospital’s CEO Jeff Sperring, M.D., Patty learned about Riley’s top funding priorities: Child Life and Creative

program. “You just feel better when you know you’re trying to help somebody,” says Patty. Sperring says he believes the Dunhams will inspire others to help as well. “I am so touched by the Dunhams’ heart for children and their families.” “I saw Dr. Sperring’s passion for it (Palliative Care) and I was so touched,” says Patty Dunham. “This can help so many people.”

Giving the Gift of Comfort

Robin Bellinger, Riley Children’s Foundation Chief Development

Officer: Giving to Riley is a rewarding and often life-changing process. Please contact me at 317.634.4474 or [email protected] to explore the many ways you can make a gift.

Make a Gift

RileyKids.org


Documents

Riley Messenger, Spring 2012