Dalin Hatch supports kids at Riley with breathing problems like he had as a youth.
By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
Dalin Hatch remembers struggling to breathe as a kid when he played basketball and football.
He didn’t like feeling different from the other kids and didn’t understand why his dad, who was also his coach, had to carry an inhaler around for him as a boy.
“Sports was a big part of my life,” Hatch said. “But I felt like this was holding me back.”
He doesn’t remember exactly when he was diagnosed with asthma, but the frequent hospital visits he experienced in Fort Wayne did more than ease his breathing.
Hatch, 22, has turned that childhood frustration into a career as a respiratory therapist at Riley Hospital for Children.
RTs, who are present on every unit at Riley, treat patients with a variety of respiratory conditions, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, cardiac issues, premature birth, burns and trauma, as well as patients who may need breathing support following surgery.
The team also offers consultation and treatment for patients with tracheostomies and those with infectious diseases that affect the lungs, such as pneumonia. Riley RTs are a crucial part of the hospital’s rapid response team and also work closely with doctors who specialize in pediatric sleep disorders.
As a high school student, Hatch didn’t see a pathway to college and didn’t think he liked science, but he received a scholarship to IU Indianapolis and found professors there who helped him dive deep into biology and anatomy, which piqued his curiosity.
“It just really intrigued me learning about the body and how it works.”
When it came time to decide on a major, there was only one field he considered – respiratory therapy.
Hatch, who began working as an RTA (respiratory therapist assistant) at Riley Hospital last year while continuing his coursework, finishes his degree at IU Indy in May and has already committed to staying on at Riley as a licensed RT.
A consortium led by IU Health trains respiratory therapists in partnership with the IU School of Medicine to address a shortage of RTs attributed to an aging workforce and high burnout from the pandemic.
The program includes students from IU, Ball State University and the University of Indianapolis who do clinical rotations at central Indiana hospitals.
On Wednesday, Hatch visited 9-year-old Demijae Blakely and set her up with a breathing treatment shortly before she was to be discharged after a five-day stay. Demijae has sickle cell disease, asthma and Sturge-Weber syndrome, a rare, congenital disorder caused by a gene mutation resulting in abnormal blood vessel growth, said her mom, Brenay Bibbins, of Terre Haute.
“She’s been coming to Riley since she was six months old,” Bibbins said.
Demijae also sees the team in Riley’s sickle cell clinic and neurology.
Hatch, who works most weekends, recently helped support 7-year-old Violet Rudicil during a treatment for cystic fibrosis, an inherited genetic disorder that leads to a buildup of thick, sticky mucus in the lungs and other organs.
He enjoys the patient interaction side of his job most of all.
“I chose Riley instead of the adult side because I was one of these kids,” he said. “They’re going through some of the same stuff I did, so I always try to put myself in their shoes.”
He previously did clinicals on the adult side, but coming to Riley was a different experience, he said.
“People are more upbeat and so engaged with patient care. I liked the vibe so much.”
Tiffany Smith, manager of respiratory care at Riley, said Dalin’s personal connection to asthma, paired with the empathy he brings into every interaction, makes him a powerful example of what the profession stands for.
“Dalin is one of those team members who brings calm, kindness and genuine curiosity to his work every day,” she said. “He’s eager to learn and quick to help, and patients immediately feel at ease around him. Watching him grow into his role — and seeing how his own history motivates him to advocate for others — has truly been inspiring.”
While his asthma still bothers him occasionally (Hatch carries an inhaler with him all the time), it is more controlled now that he is grown.
“It’s mostly exercise- and allergy-induced,” he said.
But that doesn’t keep him from still playing basketball a couple times a week.
He told Smith recently that he remembers what it felt like to be a kid struggling to breathe.
“That’s why I care so much about making sure my patients never feel alone in those moments,” he told her.
As he settles into his career, Hatch is aware that he is just one of countless new RTs needed nationwide. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that jobs in respiratory therapy are expected to grow by 12% until 2034.
Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org
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