“I’m standing here today … because of Riley Hospital”

|

10/09/2024

Clee Oliver

Guests share stories about their love and respect for Riley during the hospital’s 100th birthday party.

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Clee Oliver is a 70-year-old man from Kokomo who wanted to go to a birthday party this week. Not just any birthday party, but a party celebrating the 100th anniversary of Riley Hospital for Children.

That’s because Oliver is a Riley kid himself.

In 1954, he was bundled into his family’s 1952 Plymouth as an infant and driven by his dad to Indianapolis for treatment of a serious spinal condition at Riley Hospital.

On Monday, he rode his motorcycle to Riley to be among the hundreds of former and current patients, team members, hospital leaders and government officials to celebrate a century of pediatric care at the hospital named in honor of Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley.

Oliver still has a soft spot in his spine where doctors treated him for myelomeningocele, but he also has a soft spot for Riley in his heart.

“I’m standing here today talking to you because of Riley Hospital,” he said.

Anna Lee Magee

Anna Lee Magee’s ties to Riley Hospital go back even further. In fact, she is the oldest living Riley patient. Magee will celebrate her 90th birthday Friday. As a 10-year-old back in 1944, she was stricken with polio and taken to Riley for what turned out to be an eight-month stay.

The hospital was packed with polio patients as desperate parents sought care for their children who suffered paralysis from the once-dreaded disease before a vaccine became available in the 1950s.

Coming to the birthday party for the hospital on Oct. 7, which also marked the 175th birthday of its namesake, was a thrill, she said.

“It’s the greatest thing, it’s wonderful,” Magee said just before being introduced to the crowd in the lobby of the hospital’s Simon Family Tower.

The past 80 years have softened her memories of her lengthy stay at Riley.

“We had everything,” she said. “We had school and games. We would wait for (our nurse) to go off-duty so we could play our tricks. We were 10-year-old kids.”

Though doctors warned her parents she likely would never walk again, she underwent rigorous treatment and therapy, which her mother continued when her daughter returned home in July of 1945.

“My mother helped me with all the exercises, and I was able to walk with braces and crutches.”

Magee, who now lives in a Brownsburg assisted-living facility, went back to school, learned to drive and worked for the Indiana State Board of Health for 32 years.

Jasmine Finnell

For Jasmine Finnell, Riley’s mission is close to her heart because she works for the Riley Children’s Foundation. But she recently became a mom of twins who now receive care at Riley.

“I always knew how important the mission was, but now with my own NICU story … it has opened my eyes to how important this hospital is.”

Ashley Higgins

Ashley Higgins was only 3 when she became a Riley patient, but now she raises money for RCF as a student at Indiana University Indianapolis, where she is studying to be a physician assistant.

“I’ve gotten to see so many miracles that Riley is able to do,” she said. “Riley has had such a big impact on my life, and it’s the reason I chose to go into the medical field.”

For every story captured here, there were hundreds more among the guests at Monday’s party and tens of thousands more around the city and state.

“Riley started as one hospital. Today, we are Indiana’s most comprehensive children’s healthcare system … with highly skilled care in 19 communities across Indiana,” Dr. Elaine Cox, chief physician executive, told the crowd.

IU Health President and CEO Dennis Murphy

Commenting on the hospital’s century of service, IU Health President and CEO Dennis Murphy said, “I don’t think there is a single Hoosier family that has not been touched by Riley,” whether as a patient, family member, friend or neighbor.

“It is a leading expert in children’s health with an unwavering commitment to improve the outcomes and care of children in this state,” he added. “There is care that happens here at Riley that doesn’t happen anywhere else in Indiana.”

Stacia and Trae McBride

Stacia and Trae McBride can attest to that. The Indianapolis couple and their 2-year-old son, Major, took to the stage to give a shout out to all of the teams at Riley who have had a hand in Major’s care ever since he was born more than three months prematurely.

“Being able to speak here and express our gratitude at such a historic event is a blessing,” Stacia McBride said. “I like to say we have an MP behind our name for medical parents. We want to thank everyone … you saved his life.”

Among the dignitaries present for the centennial celebration were Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, who presented a proclamation from the city declaring Oct. 7, 2024, Riley Children’s Health Day.

“Having such a renowned center for pediatric care right in our own backyard is an invaluable asset to this city and its residents,” the mayor said.

Also on hand were Indiana legislators Dr. Brad Barrett, Ed Charbonneau and Andrea Hunley, who read a joint resolution from the General Assembly recognizing Riley’s 100-year milestone.

Indiana legislators Dr. Brad Barrett, Ed Charbonneau and Andrea Hunley

They and other special guests were treated to small-scale replicas of the historic Riley red wagon, along with copies of “Cherishing Each Child,” a history of Riley Hospital just published by Indiana University Press and available in hospital gift shops and at several online retailers.

Photos submitted and by Maureen Gilmer and Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org