summer 2014 riley messenger

What’s Inside

Pg. 10 Riley HighlightsAn unstoppable Riley kid accepts a prestigious honor 11

Pg. 5-8, Cover Story: Slaying the Dragon

Pg. 3-4Hudson’s HeroesQuick decisions and an ambulance ride to Riley save a boy’s life

Pg. 13 Camp Riley MagicHonoring ESA’s 50 years of service to kids

Back Cover Why We GiveA family’s heartfelt mission to honor their daughter’s memory

Pg. 11-12 Voices of RileyA mother and daughter celebrate their successful kidney transplant

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

50 years celebrates

with

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Whisper PalmerAuburn, Ind.

“Knowing all that expertise is at our fi ngertips right here in Indiana is a great comfort.” –Carrie Ellspermann

here are certain moments a parent will never forget. For Carrie Ellspermann of Evansville, one of those moments came in April 2013. She and her husband Ken brought her 8-year-old son Caleb to the doctor because

he had been losing weight and was unusually hungry, thirsty and tired. During the visit, Caleb’s physician came into the exam room joined by another doctor and a nurse practitioner. “I thought, ‘This is not good. This never happens,’” Carrie recalls. The Ellspermanns learned that test results showed Caleb likely had type 1 diabetes. They needed to get him to Riley Hospital as quickly as possible. “I just couldn’t connect with what was happening,” says Carrie. “This is a kid who was playing in an all-star basketball tournament just four or

T

R i l e y M e s s e n g e r l R i l e y K i d s . o r g l 2

family realized that he could still play sports and be a nor-mal kid, as long as he learned to manage his diabetes well.” The Ellspermann family appreciated the way Riley educated the entire family about diabetes, including their younger son, Luke, and Caleb’s grandparents. “We have a very good interdisciplinary team,” explains Dr. Nebesio. “Along with physicians we have skilled and experienced nurse educators, dieticians who help with meal plans and a social worker who assesses for barriers in optimal diabetes care and provides resources to the family. When you consider all that expertise, plus the diabetes research conducted at Riley, it’s easy to see why families from all over the state choose Riley Hospital.” Today, Caleb is doing great and playing all the sports he loves including baseball and basketball. He is transitioning his diabetes care to Riley endocrinologist Dr. Juan Sanchez, who sees patients in Newburgh thanks to Riley’s partnership with Deaconess Gateway Hospital. Caleb’s parents are longtime supporters of Riley Children’s Foundation, but now they’re more keenly aware of how giving helps Riley families. “Knowing all that expertise is at our fi ngertips right here in Indiana is a great comfort,” says Carrie.

fi ve weeks earlier.” Caleb was rushed from Evansville to Riley Hospital. “Caleb was close to being in ketoacidosis when he arrived,” says Riley endocrinologist Todd Nebesio, M.D. “If they would have waited another day, he would have been in the intensive care unit.” Carrie says they found it comforting to learn that Dr. Nebesio also has type 1 diabetes, which was diagnosed when he was 13 years old. “He told Caleb, ‘Yes, you have a challenge in front of you, but you can live with this,’” said Carrie. Dr. Nebesio says he sees himself as a “cheerleader” for kids with type 1 diabetes. Caleb was receptive to his advice

and encouragement. “Sometimes kids at his age will kind of feel sorry for themselves,” says Dr.

Nebesio. “But Caleb handled it well. Caleb and his

Did you know?

Riley Hospital’s diabetes team

helps children through more than

200 hospital admissions and

4,700 outpatient visits each

year, and has one of the

nation’s most comprehensive

and advanced pediatric diabetes

research programs.Caleb EllspermannEvansville

E Alysha, at home down the street, heard sirens and then chaos in the background of a phone call from her mother-in-law. She threw an oversized sweatshirt on over her pajamas and ran back to the terrible scene. Once Hudson was stabilized for transport, his stricken parents suggested the local hospital most familiar to them. Given the severity of his injuries, Stevens recommended Riley Hospital—the site of Indiana’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center—where emergency medicine physician Heather Saavedra, M.D., took the lead on Hudson’s care. Notifi cation from fi rst responders that a critically ill patient was on the way to the Emergency Department mobilized Riley’s trauma team. “We had maybe fi ve to eight minutes’ advance notice,” Dr. Saavedra says. “The traumas are very regimented. Everybody has a role and is ready to do it.” “The most important thing in Hudson’s case was his airway,” she notes. “We knew that we would have to be intubating him—putting an airway in—as the fi rst priority.

Low oxygen (hypoxia) in his system could be really detrimental. [EMS personnel] did a beautiful job taking care of him; he never got hypoxic.” Alysha believes that her big sweatshirt at fi rst camoufl aged her pregnancy, but then a nurse singled her out: “She said, ‘Mom, are you okay?’”

aster Sunday was winding down for the close-knit Leuer family of Indianapolis. Four-year-old Hudson Leuer was dancing to music with his little brother Brady, 3, and two cousins in their grandparents’ living room. Around 7 p.m., Hudson and Brady’s mom Alysha walked the block from her in-laws’ home to her own. With a third boy due in July, she needed a little extra time to prepare for baths and bedtime. Her husband, Justin, relaxed with family members on the front porch, planning to bring the blond-headed boys home a bit later.

Then a crashing noise from the living room startled everyone.Justin ran in to fi nd Hudson lying crushed and bleeding,

pinned under a heavy wooden mantel amid the glass of a shattered mirror, both of which had fallen from above the fi replace. Justin pulled his son out into a hallway and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while relatives hustled the other kids out of the room and called 911.

Help arrived quickly in the form of Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Indianapolis Fire Department personnel, including fl oat paramedic Robbie Williams, who was based at IFD Station #31 that day, and his partner, EMT Karen Stevens. Hudson opened his eyes once for Williams, but then was unresponsive. “This was a time-sensitive case, absolutely,” Williams says. “I could see deformities to his skull, and I had to think about intracranial pressure.”

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Hudson’s HeroesHudson Leuer, Indianapolis, with his heroes: Indianapolis Fire Department paramedic Robbie Williams and EMT Karen Stevens

Hudson Leuer, Indianapolis, shares an ambulance seat with his brother, Brady.


on him immediately. “Every second counts,” she says. Hudson’s star-shaped fracture caused three areas of his skull to push into his brain. “The faster you can get the pressure off the brain, the less secondary damage there will be,” Dr. Smith explains. “We had the pressure off in 45 to 60 minutes; reconstruction took longer.” The neurosurgeon met again with the Leuers after about three hours in the operating room. “Dr. Smith was very truthful with us, and gave us her real opinion of what was going to happen,” Justin says. “That was the fi rst glimmer of what the recovery was going to be like,” Alysha adds. “While we were wondering whether he was going to remember his name or be able to start kinder-garten, she said she thought he would make a full recovery.” Following his surgery, Hudson spent two days in the intensive care unit. After being taken off a ventilator, Hudson spent two days on a recovery unit and fi ve more in rehabilitation. The Leuers took their son home on April 30. “In 10 days we went from a life-threatening situation to his being home watching ‘Frozen’ on the couch with his brother and eating a

popsicle,” Alysha marvels. Hudson’s only limitations were to keep two feet on the ground for three months, so the diving board, trampoline and scooter that he loves became off-limits. When he returned to preschool and other kids asked what happened to his head, Hudson repeated what his parents had told him—that something hit him and made him go to sleep. “It’s hard to comprehend how bad it was,” Justin says. “Ten days, that’s just a blip. He was in surgery within hours, and we had one of the best neuro-surgeons in the country on Easter Sunday night. Through those 10 days, it seemed as though some-

thing happened every day that was supposed to happen. And then he walked out of Riley with a smile on his face.” The Leuers have been amazed and humbled by the support that poured in from their families, schools, church and community. They arranged special visits to thank their fi rst responders in person, and exchanged hugs with paramedics Karen Stevens and Robbie Williams. Williams is pleased to see how well Hudson is doing: “I think it was a combination of a lot of quick decisions that went the right way for the little guy.”

Alysha recalls. “Then, ‘Calm down. If you go into labor, you won’t be able to stay.’” “They had a ton of people working on him, but they did an excellent job of letting us see him,” Justin says. “Once they recognized that it was a skull fracture, they called neurology. We were very lucky that Dr. Smith was on call.” Pediatric neurosurgeon Jodi Smith, M.D., fully explained Hudson’s injuries to his parents and then prepared to operate

Did you know?The Riley Hospital for Children Emergency Department provides training and resources to ambulance crews throughout Indiana through the Indiana Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program, directed by Riley Emergency Department physician Elizabeth Weinstein, M.D.

physician Elizabeth Weinstein, M.D.

“It’s hard to comprehend how bad it was…and then he walked out of Riley with a smile on his face.” –Justin Leuer

Hudson LeuerIndianapolis

Hudson Leuer, Indianapolis, shares an ambulance seat with his brother, Brady.


The Sword of Expertise A few weeks after her diagnosis, Whisper sits in her bed at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. “I call my cancer ‘dragon,’ because it makes me feel better and doesn’t make me upset as much,” explains the outgoing girl from Auburn, Ind. “It shows kids that they don’t have to be afraid and they’re going to get better – they’re slaying a dragon.” Whisper has a type of leukemia known as APML, acute promyelocytic leukemia. Dr. Ashley Meyer is the oncology fellow leading Whisper’s cancer care at Riley. Whisper’s treatment plan calls for daily chemotherapy sessions for five weeks at a time, with two-week breaks in between. The team is using

Whisper Palmer is 10 years old, and she is a fierce fighter.

Her battle is against cancer,

which she calls her “dragon.”

Fortunately, she is surrounded

by the most powerful team

of dragon-slayers in Indiana.

They have an arsenal of

different swords, all

taking aim at the dragon

to help Whisper win

her fight.

Whisper PalmerAuburn, Ind.


take doses of both inhibitors that don’t kill the cells by themselves and put them together,” explains Dr. Fishel. “Then, the cancer cells are dramatically sensitized to the treatment.” Research is the reason that more than 90 percent of children like Whisper who are diagnosed with APML are now able to beat their cancer, compared with a grim 25-30 percent survival rate just a few decades ago, according to Robert Fallon, M.D., the chief of hematology/oncology at Riley Hospital. Finding better, less-toxic therapies is the goal of many clinical trials being conducted at Riley. Riley Hospital ranks among the top fi ve children’s hospitals in the nation for participation in clinical cancer trials. Riley is also the only Indiana children’s hospital in the Phase I consortium, which gives children access to the newest cancer drugs. “You come to Riley because that is your portal to get innovative

that connection. I helped her begin her journey,” she explains. “I wanted her to know that I was still here as a resource, even though there were others who were going to take her on the next leg of the journey.”

The Sword of Innovation In the Wells Center for Pediatric Research, connected by sky bridge to Riley Hospital, Melissa Fishel, Ph.D., is in a lab sharpening her own “swords.” Dr. Fishel lost her father to cancer at a young age and decided to make a career out of killing cancer cells. She is one of 110 investigators and lab workers in the Wells Center devoted to fi nding better ways to fi ght cancer. One of her trials is testing a new combination of drugs that can kill cancer cells by going after proteins known as APE1 and STAT3. “We can

arsenic to attack the cancer. “Arsenic has been used for years,” explains Dr. Meyer. “It’s very helpful for her particular kind of cancer. It is targeting and killing the cancer cells that are actively dividing.” More than 80 percent of Indiana children who are diagnosed with cancer come to Riley Hospital for their care. Dr. Meyer says there are advan-tages to being treated in the state’s largest pediatric cancer center. “Riley is different because we do have big numbers. We have a lot of experience and a lot of faculty who’ve been here a long time,” she explains. “Everyone works well together. We have surgeons who can put in ports and central lines at all hours. We can go down and talk to our radiologists about scans even if we’re not next in line to be read.”

The Sword of Compassion When Whisper and her mother Tammy fi rst arrived at Riley Hospital Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center, they came without a suitcase. Riley had a support system ready to embrace them, including Certifi ed Child Life Specialist Nancy McCurdy. “They came straight from their doctor’s offi ce,” recalls Nancy. “Part of my job became helping this family make the transition so they knew there was a team that was going to help Whisper get through the hard-est time in her life.” Whisper’s fi rst major fear was having an IV needle stick. Nancy used proven comfort techniques, including a fairy book for distraction, and a plas-tic buzzing bee named “Buzzy” with a cold pack for wings placed above the needle-stick site to defl ect the sensations. Later, once Whisper was admitted to the Riley Cancer Center, other Child Life Specialists took over her psychosocial care. But Nancy still stops in to check on her. “I just felt

Dr. Ashley Meyer examines Whisper during an infusion.

cancer treatments that can’t be done in smaller hospitals,” says Dr. Fallon. With recent advances in genetic research, Riley physicians can gauge the risk-level of a child’s cancer and tailor their treatment plan accordingly. Dr. David Delgado is the Clinical Director of Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant at Riley Hospital—the only program of its kind in the state. He says his team now only recommends high-risk stem cell transplants for patients with the riskiest cancers. “As research has expanded, we’ve found that in some cases patients do just as well but have fewer complications

with less aggressive therapy,” explains Delgado. Riley oncologist Jamie Renbarger, M.D., is also interested in reducing toxic side-effects for children with can-cer. She is leading a clinical trial examining how a child’s genetic makeup can predict how quickly they’ll metabolize chemotherapy drugs. “When we think about chemotherapy or radiation that we give to kids, it’s a broad treatment that we’re giving,” says Dr. Delgado. “If we had more targeted therapy for our patients to potentially avoid those complications, that would be great.”


The Sword of Joy A few months into chemotherapy, Whisper’s long, dark hair has been replaced by a crew-cut, freshly cropped and dyed blue-green for the annual Riley Cancer Center Prom. While an IV drips arsenic into her veins in a chemotherapy infusion room, her mind is back on the dance fl oor. “They went all out,” Whisper says with wide eyes. “There was candy, a dance fl oor, and nachos!” She cracks a wide, funny grin for emphasis, then shifts her focus back to her favorite video game. She doesn’t notice her mother’s tears. Whisper’s battle isn’t easy, and there’s a long road ahead. But at age 10, she seems to understand what a fi erce army she has surrounding her. “I like Riley Hospital because if you need anything, they’re always there. They said they can’t fi nd any more dragon in my bone marrow or blood,” says Whisper. “That makes me feel good. I’m going to slay it.”

“You come to Riley because that is your portal to get innovative cancer treatments that can’t be done in smaller hospitals.”

- Dr. Robert Fallon

More than 80 percent of Indiana children who are diagnosed with cancer come to Riley Hospital for their care.

Whisper Palmer and her mother, Tammy Fugate, getpampered before the Riley Cancer Center Prom.


Donors Bring Comfort to Kids

The Riley Children’s Foundation Board of Governors welcomes three new board members into service: Indiana First Lady Karen Pence; Samerian Foundation President Cindy Simon-Skjodt; and Indianapolis Colts Vice Chair/ Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon.

1,282 Riley Hospital staff members made personal gifts to Riley totaling $125,000 during the 2014

“Heart of Riley” Employee Giving campaign.

Riley Children’s Foundation was recognized as the “2013 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals #1

Fundraising Market in North America.”

In the News

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Support from donors has helped launch a program that is already making a dramatic impact on patients’ quality of life. Karen Moody, M.D., recently joined the Riley Hospital for Children team to lead the Integrative Medicine and Palliative Care Team (IMPACT). This team focuses on improving quality of life for children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Dr. Moody, a pediatric oncologist, certifi ed acupuncturist and pediatric palliative care specialist, explains, “Palliative care means advocating for the best quality of life for the child.” One of her fi rst priorities upon joining Riley was to help doctors implement more aggressive pain management techniques. “Some kids who have been reporting chronic pain are now pain-free or close to it,” says Dr. Moody. “We’re using options that haven’t previously been used at Riley, including low-dose anesthetic or spinal epidurals, to address severe pain.” As Dr. Moody builds her team, she will introduce more therapies such as yoga, acupuncture and massage, which can benefi t patients and their family members on physical, psychological and spiritual levels. “These services will make a huge impact,” says Dr. Moody. “It’s gratifying to know that we can make a difference.”

O F N O T E

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Dr. Karen Moody with Jasmine Thompson, Indianapolis

Child Life Specialist Angela Brennecke with Maya Shah, Elkhart, Ind.

Riley Hospital for Children is again the only children’s hospital in Indiana nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 “Best Children’s Hospitals.” Nine Riley pediatric specialties were ranked; urology was named No. 2 in the country.

Dr. Emily Sims, a physician- scientist in the Wells Center Program in Diabetes Research, is the recipient of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) Council’s 2014 Young Physician-Scientist Award.

R i l e y M e s s e n g e r l R i l e y K i d s . o r g l 1 0

Riley Highlights12-year-old Indianapolis girl selected as Indiana Ambassador by Riley Children’s Foundation Born three-and-a-half months premature, Riley Lesh, 12, Indianapolis, spent 90 days in the Riley Hospital for Children Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Since her stay in the NICU, Riley and her parents, Rick and Julie, have devoted their time to giving back to the hospital that saved Riley’s life. Riley has made more than 100 blankets for the Riley NICU, shared her story at 139 Riley Dance Marathons and raised more than $2,150 for Riley Hospital by making and sell-ing bracelets. On Monday, June 9, Riley Children’s Foundation honored Riley as the 2014 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Champion for Indiana. The CMN Champions program brings together 50 children who have tackled severe medical challenges. From November 8-18, Riley and her family will visit Walt Disney World and Washington, D.C., to inspire others to support children’s hospitals.

How can I help Riley?JWR Museum Home Visitor Center

The Billie Lou Wood Visitor Center at the historic James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home in Lockerbie Square in Indianapolis was formally dedicated on June 18. Modeled after the original carriage house that once stood behind the Home, the Visitor Center features a large meeting room with an 80-inch digital screen. With the new center, the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home can present a more dynamic experience to help guests learn about the legacy of Mr. Riley, one of the most distinguished poets of his time.

Patient artwork tells a story Footprints and handprints from Riley Hospital NICU patient Ariel Guerrero and her mother Lolita transform into mermaids and sea creatures. This artwork and many other patient creations are on permanent display for Riley families to enjoy in the new family waiting lounge outside the operating room. Read more about Ariel’s Riley story on the Riley Blog:http://blog.rileykids.org

CMN Champion, Riley Lesh, Indianapolis

■ Red Wagon Fund – Make a $1,000 donation at RileyKids.org to dedicate a Riley wagon.

■ Join a Team Riley event. Register at RileyKids.org.

• Torch Relay October 2 in Indianapolis

• Run for Riley October 12 in Fort Wayne

• Indianapolis Monumental Marathon November 1

1 1 l R i l e y K i d s . o r g l R i l e y M e s s e n g e r

A lot of people move back home to Indiana for their families. We moved back home for Riley Hospi-tal for Children. I’m originally from northwest Indiana. But, in 2008, my husband, Fred, and I were living with our 15-month-old son in San Diego when we found out I was pregnant. It was an easy pregnancy until

27 weeks, when an ultrasound showed abnormalities. At 30 weeks, doctors told us our baby girl didn’t appear to have any kidneys and that she likely wouldn’t live more than a few hours. Despite all odds, on March 18, 2009, Isabella Cruz came out screaming and breathing on her own! Then, doctors found two tiny kidneys. Bella was diagnosed with end stage renal disease due to renal dysplasia, and we knew she would eventually need a kidney transplant. I just knew it was my purpose to donate my kidney. We had great care in San Diego, but everything was very stressful after Bella was born. We knew we needed to make a change. We researched hospitals from Chicago to Cincinnati and decided that Riley Hospital was where we needed to be. There must be some truth to the stereotype of corn-fed, healthy Hoosiers, because as soon as we moved back to Indiana (a month before Bella’s second birthday), she started to thrive. She never needed dialysis. In the spring of 2013, Bella’s doctor, Riley Pediatric Nephrologist Dr. Sharon Andreoli, said it was time for a transplant. Shortly after we made the decision to move ahead, Bella’s condition started to worsen. Dr. Andreoli had been spot on. On June 12, 2013, we both went into surgery. It was tough not being the parent in the waiting room, and not being there to comfort Bella afterwards. I can’t imagine what it was like for my husband. Both surgeries went well. For the fi rst time, Bella had a fully functioning kidney! That summer was diffi cult with both of us recovering, stuck inside like it was winter. But we had to tell ourselves, this is just one summer, and it will give us years and years and years of summers together.

Fast forward one year. Bella has grown seven inches and gained 10 pounds. She has always been a happy kid, even with kidney disease, but now her little personality is coming out even more. It’s strange to visit the hospital so infrequently. Whenever I am at Riley, I just see joy. Everyone there is in it together, no matter what their circumstances. Bella will need another kidney when she gets older. We’re praying we get 15 years out of this one. I wish she didn’t have to go through all this, but we are grateful for the outcome. She’s alive.

Gia CruzRiley Parent

Visit RileyKids.org/blogg

The Gift of Life, One Year Laterby: Gia Cruz

VOICES of RILEY

Gia and Isabella Cruz, Brownsburg, Ind., celebrate the one-year anniversaryof their kidney transplant


transplant operation requires a team that consists of many important components, from the family, to social workers and dietitians, to the transplant surgeon and transplant

nephrologist. Fortunately, we have a great team in place at Riley Hospital for Children. Everything went really well with the transplant. Bella will need to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of her life, and she’s doing very well with it. I tell families, as strange as it sounds, it eventually becomes like brushing your teeth. It’s just something you do. One year after transplant, it makes me smile to see Bella growing and thriving. It was a pleasure getting to know Bella and working with the entire Cruz family. The transplant team couldn’t ask for better teammates to work with.

I first saw Bella Cruz in February 2011, after her doctor in California referred the family to me. Her family was a delight to work with. It was clear from the beginning that their daughter’s best interests were first and foremost. I never had to worry that she wasn’t getting her medicines or that they weren’t following my instructions. They were a model family, and

Bella is just the cutest girl in the world. Bella’s kidneys were functioning at about 50 percent when I began working with her. She was a prime candidate for preemptive transplantation, which we can usually do as long as the patient has a living donor. (We can use an adult kidney in children as small as 25 pounds.) This option meant she didn’t have to go through dialysis. But the timing is always tricky. You don’t want to do it too soon, but you don’t want kids to get symptomatic and become sick. As Bella’s kidney function began to deteriorate in the spring of 2013, we made the call to move forward with the transplant of a kidney from her mother, Gia. A successful

Dr. Sharon AndreoliRiley Pediatric Nephrologist

Transplant Teammates by: Dr. Sharon Andreoli

Gia and Isabella Cruz, Brownsburg, Ind., celebrate the one-year anniversaryof their kidney transplant

Did You Know?Riley Hospital for

Children is part of the IU Health system, which has the largest, most comprehensive transplant center in the region, and the fourth largest by volume in the U.S. Children receive heart, liver, kidney, intestine or multi-visceral transplants at Riley Hospital.

Isabella CruzBrownsburg, Ind.

1 3 l R i l e y K i d s . o r g l R i l e y M e s s e n g e r

“Kids are our future, so we

need to continue

to invest in them.”

- Rozanne RobersonESA Gamma Pi Chapter

The Gamma Pi Chapter of ESA gathers around the Camp Riley bench that honors their support ESA member Jaycee Peak with grandson Kolton

Venture camper Parker Timberman, Brazil, Ind.

ESA member Mary Bennett adds her signature to the bench celebrating 50 years of commitment to Camp Riley

ESA member Jennifer Skinner with Venture campers Brandon Whitcomb, Noblesville, and Cody Coffman, Coatesville

The Gamma Pi Chapter of ESA gathers around the Camp Riley bench that honors their support ESA member Jaycee Peak with grandson Kolton

Venture camper Parker Timberman, Brazil, Ind.

50 years celebrates

with 1 9 6 4 - 2 0 1 4

Fifty Years of Joy Fifty years ago the women of ESA fi rst visited Camp Riley—they’ve been working on behalf of the campers ever since. From the very beginning ESA felt a powerful connection to the children who Camp Riley serves, children with a far range of physical disabilities and medical conditions. Every ESA chapter in the state of Indiana conducts fundraising activities throughout the year that have funded the following purchases and programs, to name just a few:

■ Endowed and annual camperships;

■ An accessible pontoon boat;

■ The high ropes course;

■ A bus and a golf cart;

■ Several pavilions and other facilities;

■ The adaptive water skiing and scuba diving programs;

■ Camp supplies.

The total amount of ESA’s purchases and commitments over the past 50 years — over $1 million. I have had the honor of getting to know many ESA members during my time at Riley Children’s Foundation. I have witnessed their unbridled enthusiasm during each opportunity they have to interact with Camp Riley kids. Several ESA members have personal connections to Camp Riley. But most do not. Instead, they connect with what Camp Riley means for these children, who honestly tell us that Camp Riley is the one place in the world where they feel completely accepted, where they can be themselves. The Women of ESA have brought 50 years of joy and possibilities into the lives of thousands of campers. They have done it with enthusiasm, style, and, most of all, with love. On behalf of the campers whose lives have been changed by ESA members, thank you for 50 years of supporting Camp Riley. We look forward to the next 50 working together on behalf of children.

Gratefully,

Kevin O’KeefePresident and CEORiley Children’s Foundation

Riley MessengerSummer 2014

Dedicated to friends and partners of Riley Children’s Foundation

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

RileyKids.orgEmail: [email protected]

Jim MorrisChairman, Board of Governors

Kevin O’KeefePresident and Chief Executive Offi cer

Robin G. BellingerChief Development Offi cer

Maureen ManierChief Communications Offi cer

Vicki Mech HesterChief Strategy Offi cer

EditorTrisha Shepherd

Associate EditorJason Mueller

Art DirectorDavid Birke

Contributing WritersNancy AlexanderMaggie LoiselleJennifer Carmack-Brilliant

PhotographyEsther Boston Dave JaynesRachel MathewAmanda Moreth


Final Word

MyKale Canter, Elkhart, with ESA member Karen Urrutia

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

P A I DINDIANAPOLIS, INPERMIT NO. 5677 30 S. Meridian St.

Suite 200Indianapolis, IN 46204-3509

Makenna passed away 42 days after she was born. “We needed to turn our grief into action,” said Cheryl. The couple set an ambitious goal: they wanted to establish an endowment fund in Makenna’s name by raising $100,000 earmarked for liver disease research at

Riley. “We wanted this gift to live on, even though Makenna couldn’t,” Cheryl explains. As soon as word got out about their fundraising goal, support and money began coming in. The couple took up collections at the school where Cheryl taught. Family and friends made donations on Makenna’s birthday. Their biggest event was an annual haystack dinner at their church, which has grown into a $10,000 fundraiser.

When faced with the greatest trial of their lives, Mike and Cheryl Van Laeken made the choice to turn their heartbreak into action. Their journey began on October 22, 2008, when their daughter Makenna was born with what was initially believed to be an infection. Instead, the couple from Kimmel, Ind., learned their baby was experiencing acute liver failure due to an extremely rare condition called neonatal hemochromatosis. Makenna was soon transferred to Riley Hospital for Children, where they met with Dr. Jean Molleston, director of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. “Dr. Molleston eased our minds and held our hands seven days a week during Makenna’s stay at Riley.” Despite her valiant fi ght,

In just fi ve years, the couple reached their goal of $100,000. “I’ve never met a couple quite like them,” says Dr. Molleston. “They truly turned their personal tragedy into hope for countless other families.”

OUR RILEY STORYContact TrishaShepherd to share your Riley Story,[email protected]

Why We Give

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Van Laeken familyRobin Bellinger, Riley Children’s Foundation Chief Development Offi cer: By making a gift to Riley you

can offer help and hope to kids who need it most. Please contact me at 317.634.4474 or [email protected] to explore the many ways to give.

M a ke a G i ftRiley Children’s Foundation

You can help Riley fi nd cures

Make your gift in support of Riley pediatric research at RileyKids.org

Make your gift in support of Riley

summer 2014 riley messenger

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