They say that some of the best people emerge from unexpected places. For many Indiana kids, Riley Hospital for Kids is that place. A smart and extremely talented athlete at our school, Jordyn Ault, has experienced it all when it comes to hospital visits, and so has the rest of her family. Jordyn shared with me, “I went to Riley, but the story that I shared at Riley Dance Marathon was my cousin’s.” She told me all about her three-year-old cousin, Jacob, who was born with Down Syndrome and faced some particularly hard challenges from the start. She told me how scary it was when “he had to have open heart surgery, which is such a serious procedure on a tiny baby” and how grateful their family is to Riley and their team. Jordyn even ventured to say that the Riley team became a part of their family, in a way.

(The above image was taken by Jacob’s family, and is of Jacob)

However, even though the Ault family was nervous about Jacob’s surgery, it went amazingly well as a result of having a great team of doctors and a very strong little baby. Jordyn and her family were so thankful for the large room and nice space they were given to recover, and Jordyn even joked about her own time spent in the hospital, saying that “when I was at Riley, the IV didn’t hurt, but in other hospitals it did,” and told me how kind all of the nurses and doctors were to everyone there. As a result of the open-heart surgery that was performed on her cousin, Jacob will be able to run and walk, and he has the ability to sleep without a breathing tube in his crib, which is something that the family was not so sure he would get to do.

When we discussed her goals for the future of Herron Riley Dance Marathon, Jordyn told me that her number one goal would be to have the members and newcomers be more involved next year. Having personal experience with Riley and all of the wonders the people there can make happen, she was disappointed with the lack of money raised to donate to the hospital at the end of the year. She said that next year for her senior year, she would like to raise over 30,000 dollars, which was a goal that the team didn’t achieve this year. Jordyn also said that she wants to be able to share her cousin’s amazing story again next year because she feels like it will help raise awareness and appreciation for Riley Hospital and all that they do.

Overall, talking with Jordyn made me wonder, what can WE do? People spend all day thinking that they can’t make change, and yet the amazing team of doctors and nurses who performed open-heart surgery on Jacob saved his life, and helped an adorable little boy get to grow up. Donating even a small portion of money can help a great cause, and it’s so easy to do! To donate money to Riley, visit: Ways To Give | Riley Children’s Health and help to make your impact on someone’s life!