Champions THE MAGAZINE OF ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION
YOU HELP KIDS
BE BRAVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
...kids like 3-year-old Willow Gill
DECEMBER 2018
Your
Gifts
Matter!
Dear Champion for Children, This holiday season, many children and their families will spend days, weeks or even months ba ling illnesses and recovering from injuries at Arkansas Children’s. In this issue of Champions, we celebrate their bravery and the bravery of the everyday heroes at Arkansas Children’s—the doctors, nurses and many other team members who care for children during the holidays and throughout the year. We also celebrate you and the ways your support helps provide expert treatment and kid-savvy care to courageous children like 3-year-old Willow Gill and 6-year-old Emma Wasson. Throughout this issue, you’ll read about the Festival of Stars Toy & Donation Drive and Radiothon and the Snowflake Shoppe. Because of the support of generous donors like you, these events help bring the spirit of the season—and 2,000 holiday presents—to patients at Arkansas Children’s. And, on page 11, please read about the Marylin and Ron Brannan family, who are passionate about the crucial role research plays in creating a healthier tomorrow for children. Through their generous endowment benefiting the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, the family is helping to change the future of healthcare for children in Arkansas and beyond. With help from our everyday heroes and your generosity, children like Willow and Emma can bravely fight devastating injuries and serious illnesses. Thank you...your support champions children during the holidays and beyond. Together, we are making children be er today and healthier tomorrow. Have a blessed holiday season,
Fred Scarborough, CFRE President, Arkansas Children’s Foundation Chief Development Officer, Arkansas Children’s
CHAMPIONS STAFF: Editor Becky McCauley Contributing Writers Ashley Leopoulos, Becky McCauley, Kyran Pittman Designer C. Waynette Traub Photographers Badi Galinkin, Beth Hall 2
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Arkansas Children’s Foundation Board of Directors Chair Marcy Doderer, FACHE* Vice Chair Charles B. Whiteside III* Treasurer Jason LaFrance* President Fred Scarborough, CFRE* Ritter Arnold Sharon Bale Ginger Blackmon Frances Buchanan Stuart Cobb Steve Davison Kirk Dupps Harry C. Erwin III* Kim Fowler Sharilyn Gasaway* Robin George* Mike Gibson Sonja Yates Hubbard Brandi Joplin Jim McClelland Mandy Macke Barbara Moore Beverly Morrow Cindy Murphy Jake Nabholz* Marshall Ney Lynn Parker Terry Quinn Sue Redfield Kate Schaffer Jennifer Schueck Michael Shelby Belinda Shults* Claudia Strange Celia Swanson Emeritus Directors Robert G. Cress Don Edmondson Henry Rogers, MD
*Executive Committee Current as of November 15, 2018
e c n e r e f f i D The ake this You My Season a d i l o H For children and families in the hospital, the holidays can be lonely and stressful. Your support of the Festival of Stars Toy & Donation Drive and Radiothon helps provide joy this season by stocking the shelves of a special holiday store for patients and families at ACH, the Snowflake Shoppe. This year’s radiothon, hosted by Cumulus Media, and toy drive will be held Friday, December 14. Learn more about how these special holiday events impact children’s lives on pages 8–9.
Your generosity makes the season bright for children and families at Arkansas Children’s:
335,000
$
2,000
worth of toys and donations given to Arkansas Children’s during last year’s Festival of Stars Toy & Donation Drive and Radiothon
200
volunteers help at Festival of Stars and the Snowflake Shoppe every year
Toy & Donation Drive • Radiothon
toys gifted to children and families through the 2017 Snowflake Shoppe, a special holiday store at ACH for families of hospitalized children
15
years of collecting toys and donations through Festival of Stars
13
200
children received gifts through the 2017 Snowflake Shoppe
statewide donation drop-off locations—many hosted by Circle of Friends, Arkansas Children’s volunteer network— for the 2018 Festival of Stars
If you would like to support Festival of Stars Toy & Donation Drive and Radiothon, please visit archildrens.org/festival to view wish lists and drop-off locations, or to make a monetary donation. Thank you for providing the joy of the holiday season to patients at Arkansas Children’s!
Benefiting Arkansas Children’s Hospital
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Acts
of Bravery
BY BECKY MCCAULEY
Your support champions children like Willow Gill and their families during the holiday season and throughout the year.
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cts of bravery happen every single day at Arkansas Children’s. Strong parents like Bri any and Jonathan Gill who, a er receiving devastating news, clench their teeth and hold back their tears so they don’t frighten their sick or injured child. Courageous siblings like 5-yearold Rowan Gill who smile even though they don’t understand why their families aren’t together every night anymore. And brave young children like 3-year-old Willow Gill who laugh and play in spite of painful needle sticks, emergency room visits and treatments that leave them feeling sick and cranky. These acts of bravery are only possible because of you. And the bravery of the everyday heroes—the world-class doctors, compassionate nurses and the 4
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rest of the incredible Arkansas Children’s team—is awe-inspiring. Day a er day, these special people put their hearts and souls into caring for children. Some days they go home heartbroken and discouraged. Other days they celebrate victories alongside patients and families. Your generous support helps provide this expert, compassionate care to sick and injured children like Willow. Li le Willow is fighting that devastating, frightening, lifethreatening disease that strikes fear into everyone’s hearts‌cancer. In June 2017 Willow began having problems moving her neck. She was diagnosed with an infection in the vertebrae and admi ed to Arkansas Children’s Hospital where she was prescribed heavy doses of antibiotics to fight the infection. In spite of the medication, Willow’s white blood cells kept dropping. Her ACH doctor began to suspect the worst. Sadly, tests confirmed his suspicions.
• CHAMPIONS • BETTER TODAY. HEALTHIER TOMORROW.
Willow’s dad Jon was on his way to work when the doctor called and told him to pull over. “My husband called me crying to tell me our daughter had cancer,� says Willow’s mom Bri any. “It was terrifying. I felt like I couldn’t breathe...like I was having a heart a ack. My heart has never hurt that badly.� The Gills rushed Willow to Arkansas Children’s Hospital from their home in Ward. Bri any says of those whirlwind moments, “As soon as we were admi ed to the cancer unit, we were swarmed by doctors. It really felt like they were pu ing her first. It was clear—they meant business.� Willow received several chemotherapy infusions and, last October, entered the maintenance phase of her treatment. Throughout, Willow has struggled with respiratory problems, pneumonia and constant viral and bacterial infections that leave her feeling awful. Watching their daughter go through such difficult experiences has been very hard on her parents.
The family’s scariest moment was the day Willow’s heart stopped. The day had been uneventful. Willow was comfortable and resting as she received a treatment at the hospital. Bri any decided to take advantage of the quiet moment to run a quick errand. When she returned, she noticed a crowd of people in the hallway and was shocked when she realized it was her daughter’s room. As Willow’s care team worked to resuscitate her, Bri any says she was so afraid: “I can’t explain why, but there was a moment when I just needed to touch the nurses who were working to save my li le girl’s life. So I touched one of the nurses on her back.”
Your support helps brave kids like Willow and their families receive life-saving care from the everyday heroes at Arkansas Children’s. You are a true champion for children! Because of your generosity, there are so many everyday heroes at Arkansas Children’s who help patients and families be brave. Bri any says, “Volunteers stop by to ask if we need anything. The Child Life department uses dolls to calm Willow’s fears and help her understand what’s happening to her by demonstrating a procedure or treatment. There are even therapy dogs who visit the kids…we have
dogs at home, so a visit from a therapy dog means a lot to Willow.” Thanks to donors like you, children like Willow have access to compassionate, expert, pediatric care: “We love all Willow’s doctors, who weren’t going to stop until they had answers for us. And the nurses...you can tell the nurses really care about the kids. Everyone goes above and beyond to take care of us.”
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one heart
Because of you, children like 6-year-old Emma Wasson receive life-saving care at Arkansas Children’s.
BY KYRAN PITTMAN
A
t North Li le Rock’s One Heart Playground, the ground is made of a rubbery surface that accommodates wheelchairs and cushions children’s falls. Kenny and Jerilyn Wasson raised funds for and helped design the playspace in honor of their 6-year-old daughter Emma, and continue to raise funds toward a future expansion. They know firsthand the importance of having a safe place to land when life sends you tumbling. Just six hours a er Emma’s birth in August of 2012, they were on their way to Arkansas Children’s Hospital where their newborn was given a diagnosis so unique and complex that doctors couldn’t tell them what to expect. “Our world fell apart,� says Kenny, a financial planner. Emma had not one, but two congenital heart defects, plus a genetic disorder called Turner syndrome. “It was shocking. You think that if you do all the right things, one plus one is always going to equal two.� But nothing about Emma’s situation was going to be simple or predictable. “Her combination of disorders
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Baby Emma with one of her nurses in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Because of you, children at Arkansas Children’s receive expert pediatric care.
was unique,� says Jerilyn. “She didn’t follow any kind of pa ern. Everything about her treatment was reactive. That was hard, to always feel like we were following behind instead of ge ing ahead.� Emma spent the first nine months of her life in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at ACH. She had two open-heart surgeries, an abdominal surgery, and so many minor procedures, Jerilyn says, “I think we’ve lost count.� Because of your support of compassionate, family-centered care, ACH became the ground under the Wassons’ feet. “A er the initial shock, we se led into a
• CHAMPIONS • BETTER TODAY. HEALTHIER TOMORROW.
Your support helps medically complex children receive the ongoing care they need from pediatric subspecialists.
pa ern. ACH became our home,� Kenny says. “The nurses became our brothers and sisters. The doctors became our family. They understood what we were going through.� There was no blueprint for Emma’s treatment or prognosis. With so much uncertainty, Jerilyn says it was important to feel the doctors were communicating openly and honestly. “Kenny and I are both planners, and we wanted the information so we could plan. When there were no answers, we knew they shared our frustration. They wanted to solve it too.� “It was a rollercoaster of emotion,� recalls Jerilyn. The darkest point,
Thank you for championing children like Emma Wasson, a funny, happy 6-year-old who brings joy to everyone she meets. Thanks to you, children like Emma and their parents can receive kid-savvy, family-centered care at Arkansas Children’s.
she says, was just before Emma’s first Christmas. A post-surgical complication was preventing her from absorbing nutrients, and Kenny and Jerilyn were told to prepare for the worst. Jerilyn heard about a heart surgeon who was an expert in Turner syndrome, and Emma’s cardiologist was able to speak with him over the phone. “He advised us to stop feeds completely for three weeks and just give her IV fluids. It seemed almost inhumane. But he told us that was the only way to get the lymphatic system to repair itself.” Jerilyn credits the Arkansas Children’s cardiology team for consulting with other experts in the field: “They were willing to go out of their way to save Emma,” she says. Emma’s feedings were stopped, and between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, her body stopped draining nutrients. “It was truly a Christmas miracle.” Your generosity helps provide expert care that medically complex children like Emma need to thrive. Because of you, Emma has been out of the hospital for the last two years, though she still visits multiple specialists for follow-up care several times a year. “She is a joy to everyone who gets to know her,” says Jerilyn. “She’s funny and happy.” Jerilyn hopes Emma’s story will provide encouragement to other families and children like her: “There are a lot of us who have kids who don’t talk or walk, who need superheroes too. Some kids like Emma might feel comfort in seeing someone like them, smiling and happy. Her limitations do not define her.” GIVING.ARCHILDRENS.ORG • CHAMPIONS • D E C E M B E R 2 018
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Merry & Bright Thanks to you, the Festival of Stars Toy & Donation Drive and Radiothon and the Snowflake Shoppe deliver joy to patients and families during the holidays and throughout the year
C
hildhood doesn’t stop for illness or injury. When children are dreaming of holiday presents and family traditions, hospitalization can be especially stressful for families. Because of generous donors like you, children at Arkansas Children’s will have a merry and bright holiday season. Festival of Stars Toy and Donation Drive and Radiothon is a festive day filled with laughter and good will. Throughout the day, hard-working volunteers and Arkansas Children’s staff collect donations and toys at 13 statewide drop-off locations—many hosted by Arkansas Children’s statewide volunteer network, Circle of Friends. In Central Arkansas, Cumulus Media hosts a day-long radiothon, boadcasting live from Arkansas Children’s Hospital to raise funds and share stories of patient families. With your generous support of Festival of Stars, ACH is able to create the annual Snowflake Shoppe. Donated toys stock the shelves of this special holiday shop for ACH patients. Parents and families whose ill or injured child is in the hospital can choose several toys for their hospitalized child and siblings. Because of you, parents are able to provide a special holiday experience for their children.
Festival of Stars Toy and Donation Drive: Friday, December 14
Statewide Drop-Off Locations: Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale and Arkansas Children’s Hospital Jonesboro Clinic; plus locations in Conway, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Harrison, Toy & Donation Drive • Radiothon Hot Springs, Magnolia, Russellville, Sheridan and Texarkana. Benefiting Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Visit archildrens.org/festival to view exact locations, view our toy wish lists or make a monetary donation.
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We feel special. We will always remember this Christmas, our baby’s first Christmas, and we will especially remember all of the kind donors, volunteers and musicians who have worked so hard to make it so special. Thank you! —Grateful Parent I am a social worker at Arkansas Children’s, and I sometimes get to shop for some of our kids with no one else to shop for them. This job is hard, hard, hard…but knowing there are people like you in our community who are thinking of and supporting kids makes my job easier and reminds me why I do this. You’ve brightened the lives of sweet kiddos. Thank you! —Social Worker at Arkansas Children’s
Thank you so much for helping us give our children Christmas during this difficult time. We are so blessed and honored to receive such generosity. Three children will be so very happy on Christmas morning because of your generosity. —Grateful Family
I am completely overwhelmed. Our 4-year-old son is very sick, and I know these presents will surely brighten his day. My family and I truly appreciate all the love, support and generosity of Arkansas Children’s, doctors, staff and you. Thank you is not enough. —Grateful Parent
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YOUR
GIFTS add up to big things this holiday season:
$10 = Five pacifiers for babies in the Infant/Toddler Unit $25 = 18 aluminum finger splints for the Emergency Department $40 = Infant blood-pressure cuff
BE$75A =CHAMPION Final treatment party for aFOR child with CHILDREN pediatric cancer $100 = Radio Flyer red wagon for patients to use in the hospital $150 = One IV pole $200 = One day’s worth of diapers $500 = 15 minutes in the sky for an Angel One helicopter $1,200 = An exam table for an outpatient clinic $3,600 = A stretcher to transport patients to and from surgery $5,000 = A blanket warmer for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit $10,000 = Two cribs for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Please give generously. The children of Arkansas need your help to get better today and be healthier tomorrow.
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• CHAMPIONS • BETTER TODAY. HEALTHIER TOMORROW.
WHY WE GIVE
delivering on a
promise Fayetteville family changes the future of pediatric healthcare through Arkansas Children’s Research Institute endowment. BY ASHLEY LEOPOULOS
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arylin and Ron Brannan understand and appreciate the impact research and scientific discoveries have on children and their families. Through his career in the medical equipment field, Ron saw children in burn units and medical wards with horrific injuries and devastating illnesses. Marylin and Ron were determined to invest their resources to help prevent childhood illness and suffering. Their generous support is helping Arkansas Children’s deliver on the promise of a healthier tomorrow for our children. In 2014, the Brannans made the decision to include Arkansas Children’s in their estate plans through the Marylin and Ron Brannan Family Catastrophic Disease Research Endowment benefiting the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute. This endowment supports research in 12 service areas including cancer, cardiology, immunology and pulmonology. The Brannan family took advantage of a matching opportunity to double their impact. “Designating our gi to Arkansas Children’s Research Institute was a one-time opportunity to take the resources we have and double them to create an endowment that will exist in perpetuity,� says Ron. “Not only will the endowment support the research happening today but will continue to help generations to come.�
With generous support from donors like you, scientists at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute are working to understand disease development, improve diagnoses and treatment outcomes, minimize side effects of treatment and, ultimately, prevent disease. Pediatric research is at the heart of clinical care. Today’s discoveries help patient care teams determine the best way to treat and cure children with debilitating diseases. Thanks to the support of people like you, Arkansas Children’s is able to provide excellent pediatric care for the children in our state—but there is still much work to be done. “Arkansas Children’s is doing a wonderful job of caring for children fighting disease,� says Ron. “Our fondest hope is that we tie in with the mo o of ‘until no child needs us, we need you.’ We know there will always be a need for care but it only takes one breakthrough to make a difference.�
Thanks to the Brannan family and generous donors like you, Arkansas Children’s Research Institute is changing the landscape of pediatric healthcare in Arkansas. You are a true champion for children! GIVING.ARCHILDRENS.ORG • CHAMPIONS • D E C E M B E R 2 018
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HELP KIDS BE
BRAVE this holiday season
Willow, age 3
Champion a Child
Your gift of $25, $50 or more will help champion children and the everyday heroes at Arkansas Children’s.
giving.archildrens.org (800) 880-7491