CARMEL, Indiana — One Carmel family is forever grateful for the priceless gift they received years ago when they turned to Riley Hospital for Children for care.
The Beyers family lives in Carmel, but their daughter Lucy has known Riley as a second home since birth.
"She was delivered, she was taken down to Riley, and that's where her Riley journey began" Lucy's mother Courtney explained.
Lucy was born with a rare condition called heterotaxy syndrome, which impacts the arrangement of her internal organs. She spent her first seven months of life at Riley, where she underwent two heart surgeries and another surgery to correct her intestines.
She doesn't remember the first surgery, but she remembers the last. She had a pacemaker implanted last October.
"Because my heart rate was dropping " Lucy recalled.
Lucy is in fifth grade now and still gets checkups every six months, but in her own words, "It's incredible how far I've [come]."
She's not shy about sharing her story, or her talents.
"I did a Riley calendar and a Riley ornament and a Riley t-shirt, so that was really cool," Lucy said.
Lucy loves to draw and color and has been able to use her artwork to help raise money for other kids and families that also depend on Riley. You can even spot her artwork on an elevator at Riley Health. The calendars with her designs were sold in Ace Hardware stores all across the country.
"Anybody could buy them. They were sold through the Riley Children's Foundation," Courtney said, with all the proceeds benefitting the hospital.
Much like the strangers that picked up or purchased a calendar, Lucy and other kids with serious illness are able to get the care they need thanks to donors they'll never meet.
You can learn more about charitable donations to Riley at this link.