Glennon Magazine Spring/Summer 2016 by SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation

Glennon SS M H ealth C ardinal G lennon Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foundation

glennon.org

VIEWPOINT

his year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in 1956. When I started my service on the Board of Governors in 1998, I knew Cardinal Glennon was a very special place. It has been a pleasure and an honor to watch it grow and prosper over the past 18 years. This growth could not happen without the generosity of all our individual donors and corporate supporters. It is that community support that has allowed us to remain at the forefront of pediatric health care. 1998 also marked the opening of the Bob Costas Cancer Center in honor of Bob, our fellow Board member, friend and longtime supporter. He is a true treasure in our Cardinal Glennon family. Today, The Costas Center boasts a beautiful underwater-themed environment, thanks in large part to the many supporters of the Bob Costas Benefit, and other events and programs. It is those same events that help us fund critical departments and immediate needs of the hospital. Whether you are buying a ticket to Scoops of Fun, the Homers for Health Game Shows or the Glennon Gallop, every gift makes a difference in the lives of our patients. I have had the pleasure of attending many of our events and each one is special in its own way, each celebrating our mission and bringing joy to the community. Along with Bob, we are fortunate to have the support of many of our hometown celebrities, including Matt Holliday, Matt Carpenter, Trevor Rosenthal and Adam Wainwright, who give so selflessly of their time to Homers for Health and K’s for Kids. Thanks to their support, in just four years we have raised $2.7 million, with donations from every state in the country. That is the power of Cardinals Nation AND the Glennon Factor! Recently, we dedicated a portrait of Dan Dierdorf, a long-time supporter of Cardinal Glennon, just outside the Dan Dierdorf Emergency and Trauma Center, honoring his years of dedication to the Dierdorf-Pronger Golf Classic. As a member of the Board of Governors, it is my responsibility to help share our mission with the community — “Through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God.” I truly believe that this mission is what makes us different, and sets us apart from the others. It’s that gentle smile, that warm hug – the extra step we take to comfort a parent or child in times of uncertainty. I hope to see you at our 2016 events. It is your support that allows us to continue innovating, growing and expanding our services to benefit all children in need, regardless of ability to pay. Thank you very much for your generosity.

Craig LaBarge President, Board of Governors SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Glennon Volume 35 Number 1

Published semiannually by SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation 3800 Park Avenue • St. Louis, MO 63110

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation BOARD OF GOVERNORS Archbishop Robert J. Carlson Chairman of the Board Craig E. LaBarge President Brian C. Behrens First Vice President James G. Koman Second Vice President

James F. Whalen Chairman Finance Molly N. Cline, PhD Secretary Sandy Koller Executive Director June L. Pickett Assistant Sccretary

Jack Schreiber Chairman Investment Subcommittee Allen D. Allred Margaret Barrett Galen D. Bingham Cheryl Boushka James G. Brennan Clayton Brown J. Michael Bruno Steven Burghart Anthony Caleca Julian L. Carr Jr. James G. Castellano Sherri Cliffe Bill Corrigan Bob Costas Timothy Danis Dan Dierdorf John F. Eilermann Douglas Fabick Dennis G. Gipson Shawn Hagan Sherlyn Hailstone John F. Hefele Edward T. Hempstead Edward D. Higgins

Thomas E. Hilton Nicole Holland-Hong Leslee Holliday Dennis J. Jacknewitz Candace Jennings John D. Lee Bob Leonard Tom McMillin Marian V. Mehan Maureen Moore Chrissy Nardini Dennis O’Connor Christopher R. Pronger Jerry E. Ritter Sr. Mary Jean Ryan, FSM Farouk Sadiq Daniel J. Sullivan Bryan M. Swift William P. Thompson Ibrahim Vajzovic Raymond T. Wagner, Jr. Robert J. Witterschein Jim Woodcock

Contents

FEATURES

14 16 26 28 31 58

Elsa

The Light on 4 North

Homers for Health

Spring Training, Holliday’s Heroes, GBR16

Heart & Soul

26 58

DEPARTMENTS

2 AROUND GLENNON Find out the latest news

6 GLENNON GATHERINGS Pictures from recent events

12 CORPORATE CORNER Phillips 66

First annual Heart & Soul

62 GLENNON AMBASSADORS

CMN

64 PARTNERS in PARENTING

Evie Morgan named new CMN Ambassador

60th Anniversary

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon celebrates 60 years

Ryan Smith

Home Away from Home

To share a grateful patient experience, a donor story or a volunteer effort, please contact Rose Fogarty, Director of Marketing, Communications and Media Relations at 314-577-5605 or rose_fogarty@ssmhc.com

Ambassador Choice Awards West County EMS

66 GLENNON KIDS DJ Lampert

70 GLENNON CIRCLE Listing of our supporters

74 OUR FRIENDS

Supporting Cardinal Glennon Kids!

83 WHERE are they NOW? John Peter, MD

AROUND GLENNON

New Helicopter for Transport Team

n February 8, Rev. Wendell Reese from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital led a special blessing of the new Glennon 1 aircraft, along with hospital leaders, employees and the Neonatal and Pediatric Transport Team. The team will use this modern EC-135 helicopter, equipped with new features, to perform faster, more efficient patient transport to our Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.

The team consists of attending physicians, fellows, registered nurses, respiratory therapists and paramedics with advanced training in stabilization, treatment and transport of small infants and children of all ages. In addition to the team’s home base in St. Louis, crews are stationed 24/7 in Hannibal and Cape Girardeau, MO.

Steamboat Arrives in Atrium

f you’ve been to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital’s atrium recently, you know about the train, bus and submarine adorning the area. But have you seen the newest addition? A steamboat! Special thanks to everyone who made this project happen: Tivoli Too, Alberici, SLUCare and Medical Directors, the Patient Satisfaction Team, Plant Operations and donors to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation.

2 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Rocking a Stocking!

orking Spaces hosted their annual Rocking a Stocking event where architectural firms around St. Louis competed in a stockingdecorating competition judged by Cardinal Glennon kid Luke Ryker. The stockings were later given to kids admitted at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital over the holidays.

Nancy Fedak Ross, RN Nursing Awards

Rally Book Cart Donation

hanks to two Homers for Health donors for the amazing gift of a new Rally Squirrel book cart to transport books to our patients! The book cart, designed for the Shining Star School by TivoliToo, features Rally in a space suit leading his rocketship full of books, providing a stimulating mobile library for patients.

From left: Pam Kozemczak- Exceptional Nurse of the Year, Carrie Shouse- Rookie of the Year, Maggie Klobe-Mentor/Educator of the Year, Tammy Placke-Leader of the Year, Rachel Vogler-Community Service RN of the Year, Nancy Fedak, Anne Gildehaus-APN of the Year, Terry Palmisano and Steven Burghart

uring this year’s Nurses Week, we once again held the annual Nancy Fedak Ross, RN nursing awards. These awards are named for Nancy Fedak Ross, who years ago began work at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital on 2 North, which was then a burn unit. Her love for children was evident during her time here and she continues to support a variety of children’s causes throughout her post-Glennon life.

The awards honor nurses in several categories including the “Exceptional Nurse Award.” This nurse exemplifies excellence, takes that extra step and/or has completed a project to improve nursing. Congratullations to the 2016 winner... Pam Kozemczak from the Nursery Follow-up Clinic Additional nominees were: • Casey Petry, PICU • Phyllis Hall, ED • Debbie Bentley, ACC • Michelle Lewis, Endocrine • Deborah Throne, SAM Clinic

Upcoming Events Join us for our upcoming events in 2016! June 16

Homers for Health Game Shows

July 28

Ambassador Choice Awards

September 9

Glennon Golf Classic

September 17

Glennon Gallop

October 10

Dierdorf Pronger Golf Classic

November 5

Glennon Glow

For more information, call 314-577-5605 or visit glennon.org.

Canova Playroom

ongtime volunteers Jim and Mary Canova, along with their company Tech Electronics, recently made a generous donation to improve the playroom on 3 South. The kids (and the Canovas) really love all of the new and exciting games that were made possible through this generous gift!

Jim Canova, Andrew Sutton and Mary Canova

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 3

AROUND GLENNON

Celebrities Giving Back

n April 18 Matt & Leslee Holliday surprised Carlei Huff for her 14th birthday with an on-field visit, a David Yurman diamond cross and #14 jersey that Matt had autographed by the entire team. Matt and Leslee stay in constant contact with Carlei, checking on her and making sure she is feeling happy and healthy!

St. Louis Heat

On April 19 the St. Louis Heat made a visit to the hospital. The Heat is a public safety football team made up of public safety personnel (police, fire, EMS) that competes with over 20 other teams from across the country in order to raise money for charity. Several members of the Heat teamed up with Baskets of Hope to deliver special gift baskets to patients at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The baskets were filled with age-appropriate and gender specific toys, games, books, crafts, movies, gift certificates and much more. Baskets of Hope also created special gift bags for the parents. 4 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Celebrities Giving Back

Left and Above: St. Louis Blues hockey players visit showing off their “air” hockey skills Below: On January 18 former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and K’s for Kids co-chair Jason Motte and his wife Caitlin stopped by The Costas Center to drop off a donation from the Jason Motte Foundation — Jason’s favorite — a cornhole game for the kids!

Above: Chicago Cubs Jon Lester hosts an on-field visit for patient Todd Schultz and family. Right: Miss Missouri McKensie Garber visits during the holiday season.

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 5

GLENNON GATHERINGS

Holliday’s Heroes January 19, 2016 Missouri Athletic Club Caitlyn Cole, Vicky, Carlei and Chuck Huff

Christian Renick, Diana Sollmann, Rick Sollmann, Joey Renick

Michelle and Damon Harbison

Craig Dowdy

Joyce Koenig, MD, Ken Schowengerdt, MD

Brittni Snidle, Dalena Pajares, John Beck, Libby Nolan 6 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Peggy and Bob Callahan

Chance Wunderle and Matt Holliday

Craig and Andi LaBarge

Rose and Jim Brennan

Joe and Denise Waechter

PRESENTED BY:

Tree of Hope/Light up Glennon November 19, 2015 SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 7

GLENNON GATHERINGS PRESENTED BY:

Heart & Soul February 6, 2016 The Caramel Room at Bissinger’s To Benefit the Dallas Heart Center Dr. Schowengerdt addresses the crowd

Ryan, Staci, Christine and Russ Budde

Michael W. Czajka, MSN, RN, CPNP; Susan Haynes, MD; Brooke Brothers, RN; Jodi Hundley, RN; Babak Rahimi, MD

Saadeh Al-Jureidini, MD and Shadi Al-Jureidini

Staci Budde, Anne Mikolajczak, Kim Stetzel

Lauren Moll, Andy Bollwerk and Heather Jones

Anna and Kim Stetzel

“Heart Moms” pose for a photo

8 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Jenny and Gregg Hosch

Sue Yates RN, MSMH, Charmaine Smith, Susan Haynes, MD and Elaine Queathem

Anna, Jon and Gracie Stetzel

PRESENTED BY:

GBR16 April 11, 2016 Busch Stadium

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 9

Glennon Sunday Where Faith and Healing Unite

June 5, 2016 1465 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63104 314-577-5605 • 1-800-269-0552 • glennon.org

S AV E

THE

DAT E

S A T U R D AY, N O V E M B E R 5 , 2 0 1 6 T H E C H A S E PA R K P L A Z A

KHORASSAN BALLROOM

Featuring a special performance by comedian and magician Justin Willman

Bob Costas Host

FOR S P O NS O R SHIPS CALL 314- 577- 5605 Benefiting pediatric cancer care and The Costas Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital

BRIGHTENING THE LIVES OF CARDINAL GLENNON KIDS FOR 60 YEARS

CORPORATE CORNER

IN THE LINEUP!

“

hen you read of what Cardinal Glennon is about — seeing what they do for kids and their families and learning that no child is ever turned away, that is pretty powerful. This is a great partner for us,” says Richard Cain, senior sales representative for Phillips 66 in the St. Louis region. Phillips 66 joined SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation as a partner of Homers for Health and K’s for Kids in the 2015 St. Louis Cardinals season. The petroleum company is back in the starting lineup for this season and is bringing more of its retailers to help Cardinal Glennon kids. “Phillips 66 is a Fortune 10 company based in Houston and the second-biggest petroleum refiner in America,” Cain says. The company has been filling gas tanks around St. Louis for more than a century, coming to town only a decade after the first horseless carriages. “We supply about 230 stations in the St. Louis area that are owned by local companies and individuals. Our refinery in Wood River, IL, is our biggest refinery in the world. The fuel refined here stays in the St. Louis market and goes to Chicago, Milwaukee and Indianapolis.” Cain’s St. Louis marketing region covers much of eastern Missouri and southern to central Illinois and accounts for more than one million gallons of fuel sales daily, he says. “We have a 27% market share in the region. About one thousand customers come through each store every day.” Richard Cain at the pump at a Phillips 66 Petro-Mart store.

Cain with Trevor Rosenthal during Cardinal Glennon Days in Jupiter, FL.

Phillips 66 joined Homers for Health in 2015 with 80 stores operated by two of its largest retailers, Petro-Mart and U-Gas. In 2016, Mach1 and Fast Lane came on board. “This year there are 130 stores involved,” Cain says. “They participate in different ways. Some collect money from consumers, some make donations. They all advertise giving at glennon.org and raise awareness for the hospital and Homers for Health. Our fundraising goal this year is $100,000. I hope to eventually have Homers for Health in all of our stores.”

“Our fundraising goal this year is $100,000. I hope to eventually have Homers for Health in all of our stores.” Cain, who lived in Springfield, MO, until recently, harbors heartfelt empathy for the families who receive care at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. “My stepdaughter April had a lot of health issues when she was young. She was a juvenile diabetic and had scoliosis. She died of a heart attack when she was 26.

My wife Teresa passed away seven years ago from lung cancer when she was 49. I have been through some of what the families at Glennon are experiencing.” “You can’t imagine what it is like to have a sick child,” he says. “Most of these kids have a tough road ahead of them and it is tough on their parents, too. It is difficult financially and emotionally. You want to help take care of them and give them a good quality of life.” Cain’s son Ricky is a CPA at a Kansas City accounting firm. Daughter Kayla is a sophomore at the University of Indiana Kelley School of Business. Cain grew up in Champaign, IL, as a life-long Cardinals fan. “Half of my family members are Cardinals fans and the other half are (Chicago) Cubs fans. I’m on the right side of the family!” he says. “Phillips 66 also has a long-term sponsorship with the Cardinals.” Since he joined the Homers for Health team he has realized that the Cardinals players have a true commitment to Cardinal Glennon kids. “The players and their wives spend a lot of time visiting kids. They give a lot back to the community. That is pretty cool,” Cain says.

“This is a way for us to help our consumers know about Cardinal Glennon and communicate that Homers for Health is a great thing to support.” “Phillips 66 is part of the community and we want to give back, too. This is a way for us to help our consumers know about Cardinal Glennon and communicate that Homers for Health is a great thing to support. It is good for us to be associated with such a great hospital. I hope every year we raise more awareness and more money for Homers for Health.”

Cain displaying Homers for Health donation baseballs

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 13

The Light on 4 NORTH

Elsa and her guiding lights through her treatment, Christopher Hugge, MD and Shermini Saini, MD.

“Elsa has become a shining light on our unit. She is probably managing everything far better than I would be able to if I was a 6-year-old little girl with leukemia. She has a great sense of humor and has never really complained,” says Natalie Smith, RN, BSN, nursing team leader on 4 North at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.

lsa Wiemerslage lived on 4 North for more than 100 days out of four months. She underwent four rounds of chemotherapy before she entered its restricted transplant unit. She received intensive chemotherapy and received a cord blood unit on March 3. When Elsa’s parents brought her sister Claire and brother Eli to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon for visits, nurses held and hugged the siblings behind the nurse’s station outside the isolation unit doors. Elsa’s mom Adrienne is a special education teacher. Dad Kevin is a paramedic and firefighter. “There were nights when I was here with Elsa and Kevin was working, so I had my other two children here,” Adrienne says. “The nurses would have the other kids behind the desk, holding them and loving on them. It has cushioned the blow of living in a hospital.”

Elsa and some of the extended-family members who filled her days in the hospital (from left), Trevor Wolf, RN, BSN; her mom, Adrienne Wiemerslage; Kelley Kiel, RN; Meggie Hilbert, RN, BSN; and dad, Kevin Wiemerslage.

Transplant Unit, an isolation wing in which patients recover following chemotherapy to eradicate their body’s diseased bloodmaking and immune systems so they can be replaced with cells from healthy bone marrow or cord blood. Throughout her life Elsa was an athlete in training, mom says. “She liked to swim, play soccer and do gymnastics. We had a very healthy kid.”

“These doctors and nurses are amazing. You get really close . . . They take care not only of Elsa but all of us.” “Of course it is fun to play with Claire and Eli,” Smith says. “We enjoy doing that for Adrienne because we know how stressful her life is.” “These doctors and nurses are amazing. You get really close,” says Elsa’s mom, Adrienne. “They take care not only of Elsa but all of us.” Claire is 2 years old. Eli was born a month after Elsa’s cancer diagnosis. His umbilical cord was collected by the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and provided the lifesaving stem cells that gave Elsa healthy, functioning blood-making and immune systems.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME 4 North is the inpatient home for many patients of The Costas Center. Families stay for weeks while undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments. The floor also holds the Bone Marrow

Last October Elsa suddenly became devastatingly nauseous and had a fever. Her pediatrician sent her directly to the Dan Dierdorf Emergency and Trauma Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. Christopher Hugge, MD, a Costas Center oncologist, spent the night beside Elsa, initiating treatment in the pediatric intensive care unit as tests were ordered to pinpoint the cause of her illness. Elsa’s diagnosis was acute myeloid leukemia (AML), says Hugge, assistant professor in hematology-oncology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “Leukemia is a cancer of the bloodmaking system. About 5,000 kids in the country are diagnosed with leukemia every year,” he says. “In pediatrics there are two main types, ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia) and AML. About 20% of our patients have AML. Their treatment is shorter but is more intensive so the risk of side effects such as infections is higher.” Patients with AML also are more likely to require a stem cell transplant. “Elsa is

missing a piece of one of her chromosomes so we knew she had a type that would not respond without a transplant.” Sister Claire’s blood type matched Elsa’s, making her an excellent bone marrow donor. Baby Eli matched, too, so his cord blood offered a still-better source. “Things have gone more smoothly for Elsa than they go for most kids. Having a sibling donor is always our first choice. I’m sure that helped,” says Shermini Saini, MD, a transplant oncologist at The Costas Center and a Saint Louis University assistant professor of pediatrics. Elsa was discharged from the hospital on March 30 to continue her recovery. “Elsa is doing awesome,” her mother says. “I strongly believe it is because of the care we got here from the doctors and nurses from the emergency room to the PICU to The Costas Center to 4 North. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for these people.”

COMFORTS OF HOME Renovations will begin this summer to transform 4 North into a more comfortable home for patients and families who often stay there for weeks while undergoing treatments. The project will enlarge each patient room and equip each with a private restroom and a sleeper sofa for parents staying overnight. The wing, with funding from donations to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation, this year’s Homers for Health program and support from SSM Health, also will receive a new playroom and amenities for families.

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 15

PRESENTED BY:

HOMERS FOR HEALTH KICKS OFF WITH CARDINAL GLENNON DAYS IN JUPITER FLORIDA! Sunny skies, palm trees, peanuts and Cracker Jacks – all signs that St. Louis Cardinals have kicked off Spring Training at Roger Dean Stadium!

s reported last fall – in 2015, more than $1 million was raised for Cardinal Glennon kids, with Homers for Health and K’s for Kids pledges coming in from every state in the US, showing the farreaching power of Cardinals Nation. As we celebrate the beginning of the 2016 program, that widespread support already continues to grow, with new donors and sponsors coming on

board. We are proud to welcome back our presenting sponsor Laclede Gas, and thankful for our 2016 corporate supporters Phillips 66 Petro-Mart, UGas, Mach 1 and Fast Lane stores, Coca-Cola, Dierberg’s, St. Louis Bread Co., Chick-fil-A, Lids Foundation, Johnny Mac’s Sporting Goods, Fox Sports Midwest, KTVI Fox 2, KPLR 11, FM NewsTalk 97.1, NOW 96.3, KSHE-95 and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

HOMERS FOR HEALTH KICKS OFF WITH CARDINAL GLENNON DAYS IN JUPITER FLORIDA! continued

long with additional sponsor support, many of our new donors introduced themselves to our team of volunteers, who fundraise during Cardinal Glennon Days at Roger Dean Stadium each year. On March 6, 7 and 9 our volunteers engaged fans to participate in buying raffle tickets for autographed items, Cardinals tickets, first pitch experiences – and even a years’ worth of Ted Drewes frozen custard! As people surrounded the red Cardinal Glennon tent boasting our trademark sun, many shared their stories –

their “Glennon Factor” experience, gladly dropping tickets in the raffle bins to support our cause. The stories were powerful – there was the man who spoke of his grandson, born with mental disabilities, who also had to have heart surgery at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital – and if it were not for the doctors he would not be alive. The man who was dying and wanted to make a donation for the kids before he passed away… and the nurses who spent more than 30 years working at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and wanted to give back.

Donate to Make a Difference!

Each one with a story, each one gladly sharing their gift and spreading the mission of the hospital all the way down in Florida. On Sunday, March 6 Board President Craig LaBarge and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation Executive Director Sandy Koller accepted a $5,000 check from the CardinalsMarlins Fund, to benefit Homers for Health. Just after the presentation, 10-year-old patient Camryn Akerson threw out the first pitch, who was in Jupiter with her family thanks to The Wishing Well Foundation, who funded their entire trip. Camryn threw out the pitch with her usual smile, this time though it was thanks in part to being fresh off a dugout visit where she met with Mike Matheny and players like Matt Holliday, Randal Grichuk and even Jedd Gyrko, who was part of the trade deal with her beloved Jon Jay. It appeared there were no hard feelings on Camryn’s part! The day ended H4H 2016 K4K with the Homers for Health press conference, where hundreds of fans watched as Matt Holliday, holding Camryn in his arms, thanked Cardinals Nation for raising $2.7 Commercials

Cheer on the St. Louis Cardinals and support SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital at the same time!

Make your pledge to support the hitters with Homers for Health or the pitchers with K’s for Kids. Pledge online at glennon.org or donate at any of our participating retailers.

Fans can make a pledge for either home runs or strikeouts in the 2016 regular season. You can pledge as little as 25 cents for every Cardinals home run or 5 cents for every Cardinals strikeout. million in just four years. Holliday was joined by his co-chair Matt Carpenter along with K’s for Kids co-chairs Trevor Rosenthal and Adam Wainwright. They talked about their visits to the hospital and the impact the patients and families have made on them. It is clear that their support isn’t a “job” to them and they are part of revealing God’s healing presence to all through their work. Let’s cheer on the Cardinals for another successful year of home runs and strikeouts!

HOMERS FOR HEALTH ON

Twitter @cardinalglennon #stlh4h and #stlk4k Facebook facebook.com/ cardinalglennon

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 19

MATT AND LESLEE CELEBRATE

HOLLIDAY’S HEROES

t was a cold wintery night in January – the snow was coming down at record-setting pace, clogging up traffic on the highways. Homers for Health Holliday’s Heroes donors were anxiously making their way to the Missouri Athletic Club, not wanting to miss the meet and greet with Matt and Leslee Holliday that the night promised. Luckily, the leftfielder was also stuck in traffic due to the weather, synchronizing everyone’s late arrival in perfect harmony! As Matt Holliday entered the door, one special little 6-year-old boy greeted him with a gigantic hug, as welcoming as

his warm smile. Chance Wunderle - who is beating cancer with a fight as strong as his energetic personality - couldn’t wait to greet Holliday and escorted him upstairs to the celebration. The Holliday’s hosted their second annual dinner - completely underwritten by them - honoring and thanking those who made a Holliday’s Heroes pledge of $7 or more per home run, or 75 cents or more per strikeout. The night began with St. Louis Cardinals “That One Guy” Todd Thomas welcoming the crowd with a heartwarming highlight video recapping the success of the 2015 Homers for Health and K’s for Kids program. After guests enjoyed their steak dinner and Matt Holliday wine, Matt and Leslee took the stage and thanked all the donors for their generosity, contributing to $1 million raised in 2015, with donations coming in from every state in the US.

20 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Next they teed up a video showcasing the needs for renovations of the 4th floor inpatient oncology unit, where funding for 2015 and 2016 Homers for Health donations will go towards. The floor will be enhanced to include 18 private rooms in a beachthemed environment. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Carlei Huff and her family addressed the crowd. Carlei, a 14-year-old volleyball player has been battling cancer for over a year. Her father Chuck spoke of the family’s painstaking decision to allow doctors to remove her leg, stopping the cancer from spreading throughout her body. He shared their story of faith, hope and gratitude for the doctors, nurses and caregivers who helped them along their journey. Diane Warneke followed Huff on stage, joined by her family, including her daughter Nikki, who was hit head on by a driver under the influence of heroin,

Left: Matt talks with Chance while Carlei looks on Below: Carlei’s dad, Chuck Huff addresses the crowd Lower Left: Matt embraces Mr. Huff after his speech Lower Right: Todd Thomas brings Chance to the stage

morphine and codeine. Holliday and fellow co-chair Trevor Rosenthal met Nikki while on a hospital visit with their wives in the summer of 2015. At the time of her visit, she had not shown any signs of communication for weeks – until the teammates walked into the room, showing everyone she was on her way to recovery, beating the odds of survival after she was cut out of her mangled car that summer. Holliday and Rosenthal were both thrilled to reconnect with her again that evening, seeing the strides that she has made since their summer visit.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come, ‘tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home...” In a special and touching moment, Nikki closed the night, strumming on her banjo, along with her sister Mallory – singing the sweet sounds of Amazing Grace. As she sang “Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come, ‘tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home,” before the crowd, Nikki was a shining example of God’s healing presence.

Above, Left: Trevor and Lindsey Rosenthal Above, Right: Trevor and Lindsey Rosenthal with Leslee and Matt Holliday Right: Mallory and Nikki Warneke sing Amazing Grace to the crowd.

PRESENTED BY:

HOME OPENER • APRIL 11

GBR16

Watch the video

START

22 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

f you’ve lived in St. Louis for at least the last five years, you have come to know that with the St. Louis Cardinals home opener, most likely comes the rain! But that doesn’t stop our annual Homers for Health Game Ball Relay – this year known as GBR16! For this year’s relay we had six very special grateful patient family relay teams; Team Alec, Team Caleigh, Team Evie, Team Luke and Team Gracie, all who raised funds for the hospital leading up to and during the relay, with all proceeds benefiting the Children’s Fund, to meet the immediate needs of the hospital. The day kicked off with Heather and Evie Morgan making a special appearance on KTVI Fox 2, along with big brother Gavin. From there they joined Tech Electronics as they kicked off the event from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital’s atrium, along with President Steven Burghart and a crowd of supporters.

#TeamLuke SPONSORED BY:

All the families gladly braved the rain throughout the relay to be a part of another year of this historic event! The day culminated with former St. Louis Cardinals Manager and 2010 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Whitey Herzog relaying the torch before a roaring crowd of thousands in Ballpark Village, then making the final lap around the warning track at Busch Stadium. Joining Whitey for this final leg was 8-year-old Lauren Ryker who ran in honor of her 6-year-old brother, Cardinal Glennon patient Luke Ryker, who just received a new heart a few days before. Luke’s doctor, Robert Petersen, MD was also running in his honor.

Another special relay team that participated was the family of “Amazing Gracie” Lynn West. When they were at six months during their pregnancy, Gracie was diagnosed with a genetic disease called trisomy 18. Gracie was born on December 5, 2014 with esophageal atresia, two holes in her heart and many complications with her abdominal area. Her parents Jody & Chris West ran in her honor on opening day bringing her along with them in a stroller. Sadly, Gracie passed away Friday, April 29 from complications from her disease, but her strength and spirit live on in her memory.

#TeamEvie SPONSORED BY:

#TeamAlec SPONSORED BY:

#TeamGracie SPONSORED BY:

#TeamCaleigh PRESENTED BY:

SPONSORED BY:

FINISH

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 23

T H A N K YO U TO OUR SP ONSOR S

2016 H4H AND K4K SPONSORS

PRESENTED BY:

St. Louis

T H A N K YO U TO OUR SP ONSORS

HOME RUN DERBY PRESENTED BY: PRESENTED BY:

TED BY:

THURSDAY, JUNE 16

BALLPARK VILLAGE

PRESENTED BY:

F E B R U A RY 6 , 2 016 P R O C E E D S B E N E F I T:

T h e D o ro t h y a n d Larry D a l l a s H e a r t C e nte r

he Inaugural Annual Heart and Soul event was held Saturday, February 6 at The Caramel Room at Bissinger’s. Presented by Keeley Companies, guests enjoyed a night out celebrating Heart Month, benefiting the children and families at the Dorothy and Larry Dallas Heart Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.

P R E S E N T E D B Y: 26 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

The Keeley Family

The night featured an unforgettable dueling piano performance by Howl2Go, which included a playful live auction with the pianists battling out cold and hot weather trips, dressed appropriately. Guests noshed on culinary delights created by Executive Chef Nick Miller. Julie and Rusty Keely, host family of patient Ryan Smith, shared Ryan’s story of traveling to the United States 10

Heart patient Anna Stetzel plays a Heart & Soul duet with her doctor, Charles Huddleston, MD

routinely performed on every cardiac patient. This type of monitoring requires three stickers placed on the patient’s chest which are then hooked into a cable and attached to a monitor mounted on the wall in each patient’s room. Ambulatory Telemetry provides continuous reliable cardiac monitoring without the patient being tied down to their inpatient room or monitor, allowing doctors and nurses

technology will help drive future medical “ This advances by accelerating innovation. Because of that, we believe 3-D technology will help make medical care safer and more effective. ” Nadeem Parkar, MD Chief of Cardiac and Thoracic Imaging years ago at the age of 5 from Jamaica to receive care at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. Ryan was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, a heart abnormality, and received three open-heart surgeries over the span of five years. Proceeds from the evening benefited Ambulatory Telemetry and 3-D Printing. Ambulatory Telemetry is the continuous monitoring of a patient’s heart rate, breathing and oxygenation and is

to safely permit children to move around areas of the hospital more freely (i.e. playroom, child life activities, cafeteria) as their condition improves. Medicine has been called one of the most exciting frontiers for 3-D Printing. From the “printing” of anatomical models to better prepare for surgery, to the creation of actual body parts, 3-D Printing has wide application in enhancing the care of patients with

complex and potentially life-threatening conditions. 3-D printers work much like a standard ink-jet printer, printing copies of whatever is sent to the printer. Instead of ink, however, 3-D printers print substances, such as a plastic or metal, building layer upon layer, until a 3-D model is created. Today, Ryan is a healthy teenager and loves to play soccer. In town from his home country that weekend, he was able to attend the event and thank the Dallas Heart Center staff who saved his life – the Heart and Soul of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon.

Top: Andrew Fiore, MD, Kenneth Schowengerdt, MD and Charles Huddelston, MD Bottom: Jon Stetzel, Kim Stetzel, Gracie Stetzel, Anna Stetzel, Ann Zytniak and Ron Zytniak

CMN UPDATE

Evie Morgan named CMN Ambassador!

“Vibrant, a little silly at times, and an overly determined little girl.” That’s how Evie Morgan’s parents describe their 2-year-old, Evie, who has been named SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital’s 2016 Ambassador to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals St. Louis (CMN-STL). Evie, who was featured in the Fall 2014 edition of Glennon Magazine, was born with a severe form of spina bifida called myelomeningocele, a condition in which the bones of the spine don’t form completely, resulting in an exposed spinal cord and nerves. She underwent a complex microsurgery to enclose her spinal cord when she was just 14 hours

old. Several more surgeries followed, including brain surgery. Today, Evie is healthy, walking with the assistance of a walker and is a ball of energy. “We are just completely honored that we can continue to share our story,” says Heather Morgan, Evie’s mother. “We have gained a whole new family at CMN and truly love their mission. We believe Evie’s journey is one that can help make a difference in this world. We are so fortunate to have Cardinal Glennon serve such a big role in that journey and we are honored to give back in this way.” Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals have helped to raise more than $5 billion since 1983. Money that is

raised through a wide variety of events across the country supports programs, services, equipment, research and training, as well as care for underserved and uninsured patients at pediatric hospitals nationwide. CMN-STL holds several fun events locally each year to raise funds. “Children’s Miracle Network Hospital funds are gifted to the two local children’s hospitals each year and used for patient care and services,” said Krista Lucy, Executive Director of CMN-STL. “Some of the programs/services that we have funded include The Costas Center, the Dana Brown Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Dorothy and Larry Dallas Heart Center, and much more.”

“We have gained a whole new family at CMN and truly love their mission. We believe Evie’s journey is one that can help make a difference in this world.” — Heather Morgan, Evie’s mother

28 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

2016 events so far this year include:

STL Dance Marathon

This crazy and fun marathon is held annually and involves six universities and high schools throughout the region. Students stay on their feet for up to 12 hours while dancing, playing games and celebrating their year-round efforts to raise funds for CMN-STL. The marathon is now a national event involving more than 225 schools across the country. As of January 2016, the local Dance Marathon activities have raised $129,000, with the largest university dance marathon scheduled for later this fall.

Upcoming CMN Events! Ace Bucket Promotion July 23 Purchase a 5-gallon bucket at your local Ace Hardware for a $5 donation to CMN-STL. You also receive 20% off of everything you can fit into the bucket that day.

Bocce for Bambinos

Who doesn’t like bocce ball? Thanks to Champions for Children, the young professionals group of CMN-STL, 32 teams competed in a bocce tournament to raise money for CMN-STL. The event, held in April, took place at Milo’s Bocce Garden on the Hill.

CMN-STL Radiothon

A big thank you to The Big 550 KTRS radio station for broadcasting the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Radiothon in early April. The event raised $14,000 for the two St. Louis pediatric hospitals.

Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen July 28 Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen - $1 or more from every Blizzard Treat sold will be donated to CMN-STL. Customers can also donate by purchasing a Miracle Balloon in their stores.

Did You Know? 62 children enter a Children’s

Miracle Network Hospital for treatment every minute. Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals of Greater St. Louis is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness benefiting local children’s hospitals, including SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and health care services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1988, CMN of Greater St. Louis has raised more than $40 million dollars of support, most of it $1 at a time, through the Miracle Balloon icon. Various fundraising partners and programs support their mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 29

Wine, Dine and Divots | A White Hot Affair

Saturday, September 17, 2016 KRĂ&#x201E;FTIG POLO FIELD

PROCEEDS BENEFIT: Danis Pediatric Center at

For more information, visit glennon.org.

Brightening the lives of Cardinal Glennon kids for 60 years Photos courtesy of Arteaga Photos Ltd.

JULY 5, 1956 Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital for Children welcomed its first patients, who were transferred from the pediatric unit at St. Mary’s Hospital. The facility’s fundraising booklet predicted the hospital would make great contributions to pediatric patient care, education and research. It would give “infants and little children, irrespective of race, color or creed, health and welfare not for 1950, not for the year 2000, but for all the years that this community remains on the banks of the Mississippi. The fact that there are so few children’s hospitals in the Midwestern

states will result in doctors of a widesurrounding area using the new hospital’s facilities. It has been the experience of every outstanding children’s hospital that patients come from all sections of the United States and even from foreign countries . . . its influence and service should eventually become nationally known.” Six decades later, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital has far exceeded those ambitious hopes and dreams. Its influence and services are known not nationally but internationally. Its physicians and surgeons are leaders in developing therapies and technologies that push forward the boundaries of pediatrics

and deliver cures that were thought scarcely possible even one decade ago. “Over the last 60 years, and particularly in my time, Cardinal Glennon has seen remarkable advances in what can be done to help children. This is a remarkable time to be alive, to be an American, to be in science and to be at Cardinal Glennon,” says Mike Vlastos, MD, director of the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute, one of the cutting-edge, world-class services at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. The hospital’s first pediatricians and surgeons toiled to develop treatments for rampant infectious diseases

uch of the building’s steel structure was in place when a cornerstone ceremony was held May 23, 1954. Archbishop Ritter used a gold-plated trowel to place mortar below the massive stone as it was lowered into place. Dr. William Glennon, brother of the late Cardinal, stood at his side. “As this cornerstone symbolizes the unity of this building, so it should also symbolize to us Christ, who is the cornerstone of the Christian family,” Ritter said. Placed inside a copper box within the cornerstone were newspapers, a photo of Cardinal Glennon and other mementos from his life, including a rosary and a prayer book he had given his brother. Also sealed in the box were yearbooks from the archdiocese and medical school and a “Sisters of St. Mary 75th Anniversary Jubilee Book.”

and congenital conditions that caused infant mortality and lifelong handicaps. New procedures corrected many “birth defects,” but it became apparent that birth often was too late for treatment. After prenatal ultrasound brought the ability to detect abnormalities while babies remained in the womb, obstetricians and pediatricians could only wait and plan to do as best they could after birth. Surgical correction of defects during the fetal period began at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon just five years ago. The Fetal Care Institute is one of just a handful of such centers and one of the most productive. Its surgeons have performed approximately 200 fetal interventions and its staff has guided 1,000 additional families gestation and planned for care after delivery. “It is a career dream come true, being at the commencement and watching the blossoming of the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute,” says Vlastos, also an assistant professor of medicine at Saint Louis University. “It is beyond any expectation I could have held when

I went into medicine.” The institute’s surgeons have corrected urinary obstructions and blood flow defects that could have irreparably injured the kidneys, lungs and heart prior to birth, Vlastos says. “We have taken amniotic bands off in the womb so the babies can move forward with all their arms and legs in place. We have helped 50 children with spina bifida have a better chance of walking and living without shunts in their brains.” “SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, SSM Health and Saint Louis University School of Medicine, as well as generous donors to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation, have made the Fetal Care Institute one of many outstanding programs at the hospital,” Vlastos says. “The Fetal Care Institute is one spot in the remarkable brightness of Cardinal Glennon. We have outstanding practitioners in every department and Lord knows none of this would be possible without the great nursing staff we have. There appears to be no limits to be found within this great culture of helping children, focusing scientific inquiry

with philanthropy and the support of our administrators. We can continue to shoot for the stars.” In the hospital’s first decades its emergency unit and beds were filled with children suffering from infectious diseases that often were fatal. “We are seeing much less infectious disease because of immunization programs,” says Robert W. Wilmott, MD, pediatrician-in-chief. “Some diseases go away and others come in to replace them.” While capabilities have grown at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, “I like to think one thing remains the same, which is patient-centered care,” Wilmott says. “We are focused on children and serving the needy children of the city who are, for the most part, poor. At the same time we have a medical school faculty that wants to discover cures for tomorrow as well as serving the children we have today.” In the past decade, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s pediatric medical staff tripled to 121 full-time and 45 part-time physicians, Wilmott says. The surgical staff has grown by 50%, says Dennis W. Vane, MD, surgeon-in-chief. “We now have five board-certified pediatric general surgeons. We also have 27 pediatric surgeons in otolaryngology, neurology, plastic, urology, cardiothoracic, ophthalmological and dental surgery.” SSM Health Cardinal Glennon has been ranked highly among national peers by U.S. News and World Report magazine for gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery; cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery; neonatology

and nephrology. “And not all services are ranked by the magazine,” says Sherlyn Hailstone, who came to the hospital in 2008 and retired as president in 2014. “The magazine does not have a ranking for pediatric surgery or tremendous programs such as the autism center. Historically Cardinal Glennon has done so much for children with developmental disabilities. The hospital has outstanding programs that have state and national recognition and are equal to any in the country.” “All the specialists seem to be younger and younger every year but they are so proficient,” says another proud retired leader, Doug Ries, who came to the hospital in 1981 and remained president until 2008. “They are worldclass experts in their disciplines. They

know what to do and how to carry it out in the least painful way for their patients.” “There is a breadth of knowledge that exists here, in all of the subspecialties, that is cutting edge, state of the art,” Vane says. “The surgeons here are at the forefront of their fields. We are able to recruit the best surgeons available. The surgical reputation of the hospital has changed dramatically in the past eight years.” Growth was made possible by the community support that built the hospital’s new South Wing, with private patient rooms and out-patient clinics, and the North Wing’s modern operating rooms, heart center and intensive care units, along with the latest technology in all. “When young surgeons walk in

demonstrated the hiring of additional faculty would be sustainable based on the demand for services.” “We have added many doctors and programs,” Wilmott says. “The Sherlyn Hailstone & Archbishop Robert J. Carlson effect has been to attract a lot more patients, so we are bursting at the seams for offices, for outpatient space and often for in-patient beds.” “They are doing procedures that probably were not even dreamt of when I came here in the early 80s,” Ries says. “Their ability to successfully treat life-threatening disease and injury knows no bounds. The more they grow the more proficient and experienced staff they recruit. They complement that with nursing Doug Ries support and the ancillary services and the reputation of Cardinal Glennon they see all of the best equipment continues to rise up the charts.” in the world, not a promise to see it next year,” Vane says. “The hospital The Idea administration has the same attitude that we do – we all want to take care Before World War II interrupted, of kids. If a child doesn’t have any the Sisters of St. Mary contemplated a insurance, there is never a question building addition for the overflowing about providing his care. Does the kid pediatric division at SSM Health St. need it? The administration will find Mary’s Hospital in Richmond Heights. the money for it.” After the war thousands of young men The building expansions allowed came home and started families. The the hospital to accept more patients resulting baby boom overwhelmed and even create new services. medical facilities that had not “There were tremendous wait times expanded in decades. to see specialists,” Hailstone recalls. St. Louis Archbishop John Ritter “We put together business plans that was considering a tribute to Cardinal

John Joseph Glennon, who led the Archdiocese from 1903 to 1946. Peter G. Danis Sr., MD, in 1949 enlisted the city’s most prominent Catholics and approached Ritter with a proposal. Danis, chairman of pediatrics at Saint Louis University and a renowned St. Louis pediatrician, urged Ritter to build a memorial hospital that would meet the needs of young people and enhance educational programs and research in the emerging field of pediatrics.

“He Always Loved the Children” John Joseph Glennon, born in Kinnegard, Ireland, arrived in St. Louis in 1903 when the Mississippi River still truly divided the United States. Paved roads ended just beyond the western city limits. The Archdiocese of St. Louis covered all of eastern Missouri, from Iowa to Arkansas. Glennon was six feet and four inches tall and was described by an historian as “tall, impressive, boyishly handsome, eloquent and intelligent.” His voice, charm and imagination

earned the nickname “Great Orator” and he was invited to preach across the country and abroad. He also became known as the “Great Builder.” He oversaw the construction of 100 churches and schools, ordained 4,700 priests and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 225,000 Catholics. He had a special “love for the little ones,” according to a 1946 magazine article. “Cardinal Glennon’s affability and his knowledge of child psychology stood him in good stead with the little children, whose love he cherished and whose innocence he championed with all his power in his sermons and the many pronouncements to the press on social and moral questions.” Christmas Eve of 1945 brought the announcement from Pope Pius XII of a new class of Cardinals that included Glennon – then only the sixth Cardinal appointed to the United States. He received his Cardinal’s hat, on the throne of St. Peter’s at the Vatican, on February 21, 1946. Glennon contracted a cold in Rome and developed pneumonia while visiting Dublin before returning to St. Louis. He died on March 9, 1946. The St. Louis Archdiocese then held 17 Catholic hospitals that cared for about 67,000 patients annually. In a 1952 St. Louis Globe-Democrat column, William P. Glennon, MD, encouraged contributions to hospital memorializing his brother. Dr. Glennon traveled from Ireland to visit his older brother in 1906 and stayed. He had been surgeon-in-chief of St. John’s Hospital since 1924.

Sr. Noreen McGowan, FSM

Peter Danis, MD

“I’ve long realized the serious shortage of specialized facilities for the care of children. We don’t have enough hospital beds for them, we don’t have enough clinics for the care of out-patients, we don’t have enough research equipment for the study of children’s diseases, and we lack sufficient training facilities for specialists in pediatrics,” Dr. Glennon wrote. “It’s providential that a children’s hospital should have been selected as the memorial, for I know of few things dearer to John than the greater health and better care for youngsters.”

then were no medical schools in the Northwest, so he came to Saint Louis University where two distant cousins were enrolled. Danis received his medical degree in 1931. He intended to become a surgeon but was attracted to pediatrics while a resident at SSM Health St. Mary’s. Ritter agreed that a pediatric hospital would make an appropriate memorial for Glennon. A respected national hospital consulting company found that St. Louis had not kept pace with its rising birth rate (doubled in two decades) and lagged behind comparable areas in childhood health indicators. Pediatric hospital beds had not increased in two decades. The infant death rate was higher than in 14 comparable American cities. There were no facilities for premature babies nor any specialized care for teenagers. At Firmin Desloge Hospital there was a continuous waiting list of 30 to 75 children needing surgery. Only 75 of Missouri’s 3,973 physicians were pediatricians. The consultants argued that a

Circumstance Peter Danis was born in Ottawa. His father died when he was 4 years old and his mother when he was 7. He then lived with a beloved grandmother who died while he was in high school so he moved to Spokane, WA, to live with an aunt. He worked summers as a lumberjack and looked forward to studying medicine after high school. There

Mike Vlastos, MD, Angela Ford and Delaney Batchelder

pediatric hospital was needed in the Midwest to boost the training of pediatricians and “materially aid” the pursuit of new treatments. “Research in the diseases of childhood, practically speaking, is still in the pioneer stage,” the report concluded. Fundraising began in 1950 and construction commenced in 1954 on a site across Grand Boulevard from Saint Louis University School of Medicine and across Vista Avenue from Firmin Desloge (now SSM Health Saint Louis University) Hospital. Cleared from the site was the decaying mansion built in 1854 by Capt. John J. Roe, who operated a riverboat fleet. From his third-story turret on Vista Avenue he observed movements on the Mississippi. Danis, who died in 1985 at the age of 75, served as the first medical director and chief-of-staff. In 1979, the hospital’s 200-seat auditorium was named in his honor. Ritter appointed Leo J. Wieck, treasurer of May Department Stores

Company, to chair the fundraising drive. Rev. Lloyd A. Sullivan, pastor of the Old Cathedral, represented the Archdiocese on the building committee. The campaign’s list of officers and sponsors was a “who’s who” of St. Louis. From brewing were the names Busch, Faust and Griesedieck. From retailing came Baer, Edison and May, from aviation McDonnell and Parks. E. Lansing Ray, publisher of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, had backed Charles A. Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis. Fred M. Saigh owned the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Donations totaled $6.2 million. Thousands of schoolchildren donated dimes, each one purchasing a brick for the building.

Largest, Most Complete and Scientifically Up-to-Date Building plans incorporated the latest technology in surgery, radiology, laboratories, pharmacy and medical records. Danis and the medical school

recruited young physicians, surgeons and nurses who were pioneers in their pediatric subspecialties and would become leaders in their fields. Among them was J. Eugene Lewis, MD, chief of pediatric general surgery, and John Schweiss, MD, director of anesthesiology. Armand Brodeur, M.D., director of radiology, became internationally known for reducing x-ray exposure in children. Vallee Willman, MD, cardiac surgeon, performed the first pediatric openheart procedures in the western United States. Sr. Noreen McGowan, FSM, was the first nursing director at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and taught for many years at the Saint Louis University School of Nursing. For decades most of the hospital’s nurses were her former students. Sr. Noreen retired in 1986 but continued to arrive every weekday morning as the volunteer family liaison in the surgery waiting room. She continued to volunteer until 2010, when she was 95 years old. She passed away at the age of 97 in 2012.

DANA BROWN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

then 1957 In its first year Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital cared for 43,021 children, including 4,179 inpatients, and provided 2,136 surgical procedures. The St. Louis area’s first heartlung machine, built for about $1,000, supported 20 children during successful open-heart surgeries. The first neonatal care unit in St. Louis opened.

Today: Dana Brown Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Neonatology is one of the busiest sub-specialties in pediatric hospital medicine. “We admit 800 to 900 neonates every year,” says Farouk Sadiq, MD, director of neonatology, who joined the hospital staff in 1980. “The advancement in our capabilities is incredible. The care of these babies is completely different in our sophistication and technology

now

and even our attention to the babies’ physical and developmental needs,” he says. Premature lungs pose the greatest risk to premature babies. The introduction of surfactant, a protein that relaxes lung surfaces and enhances breathing, “was the first big thing,” says Sadiq, a Saint Louis University associate professor of pediatrics. Next came ventilators that are better able to breathe – and more safely -- for tiny lungs. “The ventilators can be fine-tuned to even the smallest premature babies,” Sadiq says. The SSM Health Cardinal Glennon staff pioneered the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in pediatrics. ECMO provides heart and lung support during acute phases of illness. “ECMO was considered experimental in the early 1980s,” Sadiq says. “Now it is a routine part of care. If the baby has very severe lung disease and we need to rest the lungs for a few days, we can put

them on ECMO.” Three decades ago infants born at 26 weeks of gestation faced long odds to survive. “Now the survival for 24-week babies is in the upper 80 to 90%,” Sadiq says. “We are saving those babies without any increase in neurologic handicaps than what we used to see at 28 weeks.” New knowledge and technology enables neonatal doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists to expand their goals. “Before the focus was mainly on helping babies survive,” Sadiq says. “Now we are more attuned to the babies’ needs for neurodevelopment. We do what we call skin-to-skin care – even the very premature baby is laid directly on the mom’s skin. That is very soothing and calming to the baby and is of tremendous psychological benefit to the mother and promotes breast milk production.” Privacy for skin-to-skin care is possible in the neonatal intensive care unit built with support from

the Dana Brown Charitable Trust, bequeathed in the estate of the well-known St. Louis personality, outdoorsman and coffee marketer who died in 1994. “When we moved here all of our patients had private rooms, which really helps the babies, families and nurses,” says Cristie Rossel, RN, DNP, director of the neonatal unit. “The environment is quieter, which lets the babies sleep.” “Without community support we would not have this unit,” she says. “The Dana Brown Trust gave us the money to help build the unit and we have received equipment donations from donors. The community is key to providing exceptional services.” “Our family support programs are funded by the Foundation with money from the community so we can address the individualized development needs of the babies,” Sadiq says. “All of these things contribute to better outcomes.”

1962

1958

1966

A $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare established a clinic for the evaluation of mentally handicapped children.

The March of Dimes Birth Defects Center opened for treatment of congenital thoracic and gastrointestinal defects. As the hospital celebrated its 10th anniversary its emergency department had become one of the busiest pediatric trauma centers in the country and later would become the first Missouri hospital designated as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center.

1959 A virus research laboratory is established with a grant from the St. Louis Children’s Foundation.

The Child Abuse Management/ Sexual Abuse Management Team formed for “consistent, efficient management of cases of child abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.”

1963 Two patient wings with 33 additional beds opened on the fourth floor, which initially housed student nurses. The first comprehensive multidisciplinary hemophiliac treatment center in the Midwest was founded.

1964 Construction began on the first building addition. Glennon Hall, built as a student-nurse residence, now holds Danis Pediatrics and physician offices.

Today: The Dan Dierdorf Emergency and Trauma Center In 2016 the service, known as the Dan Dierdorf Emergency and Trauma Center, will receive a record 60,000 children and adolescents. The center, which serves a 200-mile radius, has been the region’s busiest pediatric emergency department for two years. “We see everything from a child with a diaper rash or a cold to an infant who was found without blood pressure or a pulse,” says Robert G. Flood, MD, director of pediatric emergency medicine and a professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University. “As a major trauma center we see very sick children. We also are called a quaternary referral center, meaning tertiary-care referral centers will send patients to us for our expertise,” he says. “We have physicians in every pediatric specialty and sub-specialty, such as pediatric neurosurgery, that other hospitals may not have. In addition, our specialized and compassionate nursing staff is outstanding.”

DAN DIERDORF EMERGENCY & TRAUMA CENTER

then The department is named in honor of the former St. Louis Cardinals football player, network sports broadcaster and member of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. It has been supported with proceeds from the annual Dierdorf-Pronger Golf Tournament and other philanthropic donations. “We have MRI, ultrasound and high-speed CAT scanners 24 hours a day. There is nothing out there that we don’t have. We are blessed, truly,” Flood says. “The facilities are beautiful. We have made changes in operations so the patients feel valued during every step of their visit and the entire patient experience is excellent. It is the final human touch that makes it different here at Cardinal Glennon.”

1967 The first medical genetics center in Missouri opened. SSM Health

now

Cardinal Glennon received an “Oxygenaire Portable Incubator” for infants, the first shipped from the English manufacturer to a hospital in the Midwest.

1972 The “Mother Mary Concordia Center” for hearing tests opened with proceeds from the annual Booster Fund Drive, doubling capacity for audiograms. The center was named for the late Mother Mary Concordia, SSM, who was superior general of the Sisters of St. Mary for 37 years.

1974 SSM Health Cardinal Glennon opened the Midwest’s first regional poison control center.

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s emergency room was the country’s second-busiest pediatric emergency department.

1975 St. Louis Cardinal’s great Stan Musial served as honorary chairman of a $5 million fundraising campaign for building expansion.

Today: Homers for Health and K’s for Kids “Stan the Man” is one of many St. Louis sports figures who have offered a hand to the children at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. The hospital’s building campaign committee included Fred M. Saigh, owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Sidney Salomon Jr., who later established the St. Louis Blues hockey team. Countless professional athletes have visited the hospital on special occasions,

STAN THE MAN - A CHAMPION FOR KIDS

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

sometimes forming lasting bonds with kids and families. From 1955 through 1975 one of the hospital’s largest fundraising activities was an annual exhibitionseason football game featuring the National Football League Cardinals, first of Chicago and later St. Louis. From 1998 through 2005 the St. Louis Blues raised funds through “Goals for Glennon.” In 2012 the Homers for Health K’s for Kids campaign was launched by St. Louis Cardinals left-fielder Matt Holliday and his wife Leslee, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Governors. K’s for Kids was added in 2014. In the first four seasons more than $2.7 million was raised to benefit sick and injured children at the hospital. Along with Holliday, Chairmen of Homers for Health and K’s for Kids have included many heroes of the Cardinals’ recent runs toward the World Series – David Freese, Allen Craig, Jason Motte, Matt Adams, Adam Wainwright, Matt Carpenter and Trevor Rosenthal. The Hollidays and other Cardinals encourage donations through media campaigns and personal appearances. Fans are invited to pledge as little as 25

cents for every home run hit or strikeout pitched by a Cardinal in regular and post-season games. Funds raised through the first three seasons of the Cardinal affiliation helped create childfriendly spaces in The Costas Center, Imaging Center and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Thanks to these updated accommodations, children facing procedures feel less stress while undergoing their treatments. Funds from 2015 and 2016 will support the immediate needs of the hospital, including renovation of the inpatient cancer care floor.

1979 The Medical Air Rescue Corps was launched to provide helicopter transportation for patients referred to the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and SSM Health Saint Louis University hospitals.

THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER

then Today: The SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Transport Team The SSM Health Cardinal Glennon transport team first carried neonates and added teams equipped for pediatric patients in 1991. About 1,300 patients are brought to the hospital each year by ground ambulance or helicopter. “We bring premature babies and children who have trauma, surgical emergencies, respiratory problems and long-term health problems that suddenly require transport,” says Cristie Rossel, RN, DNP, director of the neonatal care unit and transport team. The transport of intensive-care patients began before the invention of mobile equipment, she says. Breathing assistance through manual ventilation – a handoperated air bag -- was required. “Now we have a transport ventilator that can almost simulate what the patient has in a room at

now

the hospital,” Rossel says. “The technology and education are so much better. The nurses take a computer to do their charting and look up information on therapies. We’re getting new cooling blankets so we can start some treatments earlier.” While helicopter transports reduced the time of some patient transfers from hours to fractions of an hour, the benefits of still-quicker responses were realized. In 2011 the hospital’s transport services expanded with off-site team based in Cape Girardeau, MO. A team was based in Hannibal, MO, in 2015. “Those teams bring our staff to communities in southern Illinois and eastern Missouri much more quickly,” Rossel says. “That is a big benefit to emergency rooms where people aren’t used to taking care of really sick kids.”

1981 The Knights of Columbus Developmental Center opened to provide multidisciplinary care for children with developmental delays and handicaps.

Today: The Knights of Columbus Developmental Center The Knights of Columbus Center was founded with a team of three child-development specialists. Recently moved to an expansive home of its own on the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon campus, the center now is staffed by 19 experts in pediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, psychology, speechlanguage pathology, occupational therapy, education and research plus Higgins, the therapy dog. The larger Knights Center has allowed the staff to see about three times as many patients as it could

in 2010. Referrals continue to grow through increased emphasis on screening for autism and other developmental disorders. “Parents and clinicians are more aware of developmental disabilities. Universal screening has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics at 18, 24 and 30 months,” said Rolanda Maxim Gott, MD, the hospital’s director of developmental pediatrics and an assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Saint Louis University. In 2007 the center was designated a Missouri Center for Autism by the Department of Mental Health. “From 30 to 40% of our patients are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and we see children with many other disabilities – attention deficient hyperactivity disorder and developmental delays are the other main diagnoses.” “We have preschoolers who are non-verbal and help them learn to communicate. the PEERS group therapy program for adolescent, higher-functioning autism kids who are learning social skill development. There are so many opportunities here,” said Donna Gfeller, PhD, the center’s director of psychology and psychiatry and adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University. The center’s new home, funded with the support of the Knights of Columbus of Missouri and Illinois, welcomes patients to an environment better suited for

children and teens who may be bothered by excessive stimulation. “We have spacious, childfriendly, beautiful rooms that are appropriate for children with disabilities. They do not feel that they are in a hospital. We are in a separate oasis where they aren’t scared by ambulances and a lot of people,” Maxim Gott says. “In 2010 we had 1,899 patient visits. Last year we had more than 4,800,” says Gfeller, who joined the hospital staff in 1986 and became a director of the Knights Center in 2010. “Things have changed dramatically in terms of the array of services and specialized programs we offer,” Gfeller says. A family advisory committee assists the center’s patients with its own projects and advises the staff on patient and family needs. “Rolanda often does presentations at the Knights’ events,” Gfeller says. “We usually have a family talk about what the Knights of Columbus Center has meant to them. It almost makes you cry because it is so moving . . . we can clearly see that we have made a significant difference in these families’ lives. The Knights love and cherish this place.”

1982 The 30-bed SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Pediatric Unit opened at SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – St. Charles, the region’s first

collaboration between a pediatric hospital and community hospital.

1983 Dr. Armand E. Brodeur announced that SSM Health Cardinal Glennon would house the world’s first prenatal diagnostic center using magnetic resonance imaging, which utilizes a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make images rather than potentially harmful x-rays.

Today: Imaging Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Dr. Brodeur’s radiology department now is known as the Imaging Center because diagnostic imaging wields a far wider variety of tools than only x-rays. “We have come a long way,” says Shannon Farmakis, MD, medical director of diagnostic imaging at the hospital. “In 1956 radiology was limited to x-rays and fluoroscopy exams. CT (computed tomography) didn’t come until the 1970s. It was followed by MRI (magnetic

IMAGING CENTER

then resonance imaging) in the 1980s. Ultrasound has been around for years, but as time goes on the quality of those exams and our capabilities in using it have far improved. “We are able to see inside the human body in much greater detail. Some imaging modalities are not good for lungs and soft tissues, others are not good for bones,” she says. “In some way or another we are able to see most of the body while focusing our attention on decreasing radiation doses. We could safely say there isn’t a patient at the hospital who doesn’t get some form of imaging at some point.” In 2013, the department moved into a new suite holding the latest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and low-dose x-ray equipment. The $8.7 million wing was built with $6.5 million in donations to the Foundation. This year the center opened a second-phase suite that contains two new fluoroscopy and digital radiology rooms, a new interventional radiology

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suite, new ultrasound rooms and an expansion of the sedation suite. This followed the March 2015 opening of a nuclear medicine suite with a SPECT CT that produces threedimensional images of functioning tissues. Radioisotopes are injected into the bloodstream, ingested or inhaled. The radioactive materials bind to specific tissues and enable visual differentiation. Dr. Brodeur wrote some of the first textbooks on pediatric radiology and lectured around the world on the importance of reducing radiation exposure in growing children, whose tissues are more sensitive to radiation injury. The department he once led has continued to create techniques for producing better images at reduced x-ray dosage. Recently the center switched to digital radiology, which creates x-ray images without use of film. “The use of digital imaging allows us to acquire images faster and at a much lower radiation dose. The images appear within three seconds,

providing a much faster turnaround time,” said Deborah Joseph, BHA, RT(R), director of diagnostic imaging. “We performed a time study and found that we could complete three exams in the digital room in the same time it took to complete one exam in a conventional radiology room.” “The state-of-the-art equipment acquired in our recent expansion would not have been possible without the help of the Foundation,” she says. “Our ultrasound machines allow us to achieve images of much higher quality than in years past. We can visualize vascular malformations in tissues deeper in the body and deeper in bigger children. Before we might have needed to use CT imaging. This is a great step forward.” “There is a benefit to each type of imaging we have,” says Joseph. “Our goal is to provide quality, accountable health care, utilizing the most appropriate imaging at the lowest radiation dose to the patient. It is essential that we provide the answers so these children can pursue the next

step of their medical path.” The capabilities continue to grow. “With a generous donation from the Glennon Guild, we were able to purchase a new ultrasound machine with the latest technology. We are doing research in shear wave elastography, a form of ultrasound,” Farmakis says. “It measures the stiffness of organs, particularly the liver. We are determining whether it can predict the degree of liver fibrosis or scarring. Right now the only way that liver disease can be measured is by a liver biopsy.” The center has introduced MR urography, which can replace a nuclear medicine study and its radiation exposure, with a magnetic resonance imaging study of blood flow and urine production of the kidneys. The ability to produce threedimensional images on computer screens has led to the construction of 3-D printed heart models that guide surgeons through complex reconstructions. “We are pushing the envelope,” Farmakis says. “We already are using new technologies that are not available in many pediatric centers across the country. The coordinated efforts of SSM Health and the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation have allowed us the opportunity to provide the highest quality care in a pediatriccentered environment with the latest technology available.”

1984 ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) was used for the first time on a patient in respiratory distress. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon was one of the country’s eight pediatric hospitals with ECMO capability.

1985 Missouri’s first clinic for neurofibromatosis, then known as “elephant man’s disease,” opened.

1986 First heart transplant performed at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon when a week-old infant, then the secondyoungest child ever to receive a donated heart, was given the organ of a 3-month-old boy fatally injured in an auto accident.

1989 The first liver transplant is performed at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon for an 8-year-old boy born with biliary atresia.

1990 Philip Clinton Jones, 4-years-old, of Cincinnati, Ohio, becomes the first child at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon to receive a cochlear implant to restore hearing.

1988

1991

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital assisted the state of Illinois in launching the Southern Illinois Perinatal Program, which offers maternity and newborn care services through 27 hospitals. Comprehensive immunodeficiency clinic founded for children infected with the AIDS virus.

The Pediatric Sleep Disorders Center, the first in St. Louis, and the Pediatric Rehabilitation Unit are opened.

1992 A hemodialysis unit is organized for children with kidney disease.

PEDIATRIC HYBRID CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LAB

then 1994 A bone marrow transplant unit opened. Planning began for the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank.

Today: St. Louis Cord Blood Bank provides global treatments and innovation “In 1994 the use of cord blood for transplantation was relatively investigational. Recent studies demonstrated that cord blood worked well in treating bone marrow failures and malignancies in the pediatric population. Here at Cardinal Glennon, Dr. Donna Wall was struggling to find matched donors for her patients,” says Donna Regan, MT, (ASCP), SBB, director of the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank and Cellular Therapy Laboratory. Umbilical cord blood is routinely discarded as medical waste after a baby’s birth. After discovering that cord blood was a rich source of stem cells, scientists considered that it

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could be a useful resource, along with bone marrow, for transplantation in treatment of cancer, leukemia and other blood diseases. The bank engaged obstetricians at SSM Health St. Mary’s to collect cord blood and experimented with processing methods in the laboratory. On January 26, 1996, the first clinically-available unit was banked. In February 1997 the first unit was released for transplant at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. To date the bank has exported 2,700 blood units to 40 states in the US and 35 foreign countries. About 20% of units have been distributed internationally. Patients have ranged in age from 10 days to 71 years. The St. Louis Cord Blood Bank has become another service that has exceeded the founders’ hopes that SSM Health Cardinal Glennon would achieve national significance. When the bank was founded, standards and regulations for cord blood banking and transplantation did not exist. The staff of the

bank, in a collaborative effort with colleagues across the country, assisted in developing accreditation standards and federal regulations that were adopted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2013 the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank received licensure approval from the FDA to manufacture and distribute cord blood-derived stem cell products, which are classified as biologic drugs. The bank was the fourth center to receive approval and is only one of six licensed in the U.S. “Since 1994 we have contributed our data to the national repository which evaluates the success of these treatments in a variety of diseases and patient populations,” Regan says. “That evidence has led to well-defined safety and quality banking criteria and expanded applications.” It initially was thought that a cord blood unit would be sufficient to treat only children. “The cell dose is critical. Over time we have learned how to overcome the cell dose limitations, sometimes by combining units.

Initially 100% of our products were used in the pediatric population but now about two-thirds of our products are distributed for use in adults,” Regan says. Physicians have used cord blood to treat 80 diseases and efforts are underway to expand its use. “Cord blood was used to reconstitute hematopoiesis, the blood-forming system in patients. Research is being conducted today that will support immunotherapy and regenerative medicine,” she says. The Cord Blood Bank’s 31,000 stored units, frozen in liquid nitrogen, were collected through the donations of altruistic mothers and the volunteer efforts of doctors, nurse midwives and labor/delivery nurses at 35 hospitals in eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and the Kansas City region. “In addition to advancing cures, staff members at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon also are influencing policy and creating the standards by which the field is regulated,” says Regan, who is the current president of the American Association of Blood Banks. “The efforts of this regional community truly have a global footprint.”

1995 P. Syam Rao, MD, then director of pediatric cardiology, performed the area’s first non-invasive heart repair procedure utilizing a device inserted through a catheter. The 1-yearold girl, born with a hole between

the chambers of her heart, was discharged the next day.

Today: Pediatric Hybrid Cardiac Catheterization Lab Two decades later, interventional cardiology has replaced conventional surgery as the standard of care for many pediatric heart conditions. The Dorothy & Larry Dallas Heart Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon employs two interventional cardiologists, Saar Danon, MD, and Saadeh Al-Jureidini, MD, director of cardiac catheterization and interventional programs. Cardiac catheterization, long a standard diagnostic procedure, uses a thin, hollow tube that is inserted into a large blood vessel (usually at the thigh) and guided toward the heart. Interventional cardiology added tiny devices that could travel through the catheter to close, enlarge or open holes in the heart’s chambers or vessels. “We do 250 to 300 interventional procedures a year. Each procedure eliminates the need for a surgery,” says Jureidini, who joined the hospital staff in 1984. “Our interventional arena has expanded to the closure of atrial septal defects and ventricular septal defects and patent ductus arteriosus. We can remedy coarctation of the aorta or open branch pulmonary arteries by either balloon or stent. We can open a pulmonic valve or an aortic valve without any need of surgery.”

The next evolution in cardiac care was the hybrid procedure which combines the skills of the cardiothoracic surgeon and interventional cardiologist. In 2011 a pediatric hybrid cardiac catheterization lab was added to the Dallas Heart Center. It was fitted with the technology that enables the cardiologist and surgeon to carry out their stages of procedures in one operation. One hybrid procedure has improved outcomes for children born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a complex defect that prevents the heart from pumping blood throughout the body. The left side of the heart is underdeveloped, resulting in multiple defects impairing blood circulation. The Norwood procedure is a three-phase operation created to correct hypoplastic left heart. The first phase, however, is extremely risky for infants weighing less than 5.5 pounds, Jureidini says. “For those patients, the risk of a Norwood is probably 50%. When we do the hybrid procedure the risk is less

2007 SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Pediatric Emergency Department opened at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in south St. Louis County.

2008 than 5% and we delay the need for the Norwood until the patient has grown,” he says. “About 15 years ago we were still very concerned about the outcomes of interventional procedures. Now I feel so comfortable in recommending them to families. It is a very, very nice feeling.”

1998 The hematology/oncology service was named the Bob Costas Cancer Center in honor of the broadcaster and long-time hospital supporter. The Footprints program, providing family support and research in pediatric end-of-life care, is created with support from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.

2000 A new main entrance and two outdoor rest areas, the Dana Brown Family Plaza and Brennan Courtyard, were completed.

2002 SSM Health became the first health care organization to receive the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award from the US Department of Commerce. It cited SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s “KIDS RULE” customer service program and “Footprints” among the system’s “best practices.”

2003 An expanded emergency department and a new 48-bed patient-care wing, including an enlarged ambulatory care center, are opened.

2004 SSM Health Cardinal Glennon becomes the first pediatric hospital to receive the Missouri Quality Award from the Excellence in Missouri Foundation.

The Bob Costas Chair of Pediatric Medicine was endowed by the Board of Governors of the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation.

2009 The Dorothy and Larry Dallas Heart Center is opened following an estate gift from the former Falstaff Brewing Company executive in honor of his late wife.

Today: The Dallas Heart Center Creates “A Legacy that is Huge” “Sixty years ago pediatric cardiologists assessed heart disease with an electrocardiogram, a chest x-ray and a stethoscope. For children who were born with severe heart conditions, in many cases there were no surgical or medical options for them and they did not survive,” says Kenneth O. Schowengerdt Jr., MD, director of cardiology. “Things have completely changed. Now the majority of those cardiac conditions can be successfully treated surgically and medically. Those children are surviving into

adulthood and doing well.” Schowengerdt holds the WieckSullivan Chair of Pediatric Medicine, endowed by Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation in honor of the chairmen of the hospital’s building campaign -- Leo J. Wieck, treasurer of May Department Stores Company, and the Rev. Lloyd A. Sullivan, pastor of the Old Cathedral and representative of the Archdiocese. Detailed diagnosis of heart defects in the early days often occurred only during surgery when the heart’s anatomy could be seen directly. The Dallas Heart Center now houses an array of imaging modalities that provide precise, non-invasive visualization of cardiac anatomy and function, often without radiation exposure. “We currently have echocardiography machines that can provide exquisite detail of the cardiac anatomy and we have refined MRI and CT imaging over time,” Schowengerdt says. Along with improved technology, advances in medicine and surgery

have led to procedures to successfully treat the majority of cardiac defects. The Dallas Heart Center allows cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons to work together in caring for patients. “Before the Dallas Heart Center opened we had a very small cardiology area -- three exam rooms and a very small area for interpreting echocardiograms,” Schowengerdt says. “The Dallas Heart Center enlarged our space significantly to nine exam rooms and various work areas, a large echo reading room and a dedicated echo lab with multiple echo procedure rooms.” The number of cardiology faculty physicans has nearly tripled in the past decade to 11. In 2011 cardiothoracic surgery director Andrew Fiore, MD, was joined by a second cardiothoracic surgeon, Charles Huddleston, MD. “We reached the point where we needed two experienced surgeons. That was another milestone,” Schowengerdt says. The Dallas Heart Center serves families from a large swath of eastern Missouri and southern Illinois and sees approximately 450 outpatients monthly. “The Dallas family legacy here is enormous. The growth and development of the cardiac program has resulted from the endowment from Dorothy and Larry Dallas. Once the larger, dedicated heart center was in place, the recruiting of specialized cardiologists became

feasible and the division was able to grow,” Schowengerdt says. “As the division grew, the hospital and Foundation continued to help us add new technology. Those contributions set the ball rolling and made it possible for us to achieve our national ranking as an outstanding pediatric program by US News and World Report.”

2009 The hospital’s out-patient primary care clinic, University Pediatrics, was renamed Danis Pediatrics in honor of Peter G. Danis, MD, a founder of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and its first pediatrician-in-chief.

Today: Danis Pediatric Center Continues the Missions Dr. Danis envisioned three missions for the new hospital – patient care, education and research. All continue to be cornerstones, particularly in the Danis Pediatric Center. “Cardinal Ritter and Dr. Danis would be very impressed to see where the

clinic has gone since its inception. One of the missions of this hospital 60 years ago was to create a home for the underserved children of the city who otherwise wouldn’t have pediatric medical services,” says Matthew Broom, MD, a pediatrician at Danis Pediatrics and a Saint Louis University assistant professor of pediatrics. “We are the largest primary care pediatric practice in the city. Five years ago our clinic volumes were 13,000 to 14,000 visits a year. Now we are almost at 20,000. About 80% of our patients are on Medicaid and living in poverty,” he says. “We also are the largest academic practice in the city, so we not only provide outstanding medical services but do it while teaching the physicians of tomorrow.” “We have 55 pediatric residents who rotate through our clinics. Most of those folks go off into primary care, often in our area. We also teach medical students, advanced-practice nursing students and physician assistants.” In addition, Broom says, “We have a tremendous amount of research going on in Danis Pediatrics and are studying a variety of new programs.” The center provides primary care for newborns to teens at age 18 and offers diagnostic services and second opinions for complex cases referred by community pediatricians and family practitioners. Primary care patients are seen by medical school graduates during their pediatric residencies, under the supervision of full-time faculty pediatricians. The center’s pediatricians recently created a system for text-messaging

health information and appointment reminders to teens. Specialty clinics are conducted for foreign adoptees and refugee children who have arrived in St. Louis with no or little past medical care. “We continue our maternal depression counseling program, called ‘Happy Mothers, Healthy Families,’ that screens about 260 mothers a month,” Broom says. Danis pediatricians are developing a “Fostering Healthy Children” program for children and teens in foster care who often require significant medical oversight. “Another program we have added in the last year is called P Square, a parenting clinic that provides a mode of empowerment through positive parenting,” Broom says. “It provides services for children who have behavioral problems or developmental delays. Many of our parents grew up in households where there was not any discipline, structure or insight regarding child-raising.” The center’s burgeoning service load led to the creation of a new satellite practice, Danis Pediatrics Midtown, that absorbed 20% of its patients. “Immediately that volume filled back,” Broom says. “We are looking to add an even larger site in the next three years or so and hopefully move our entire practice into a bigger space.”

2011 First fetal surgery is performed at the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute.

Today: The Future is Unlimited at the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute The founders predicted that SSM Health Cardinal Glennon would benefit children from far away. One of the services achieving that goal is the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute, which was founded with substantial support from an old friend – Fred M. Saigh. Saigh was a lawyer and investor who owned two of the landmark office buildings in downtown St. Louis. From 1947 to 1953 he owned the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1950 he served as a founding sponsor of the hospital’s building drive. Saigh passed away in 1999. His philanthropic legacy continues through the Saigh Foundation. “The Saigh Foundation was instrumental in getting us off the ground,” says Mike Vlastos, MD, medical director of the institute. “With the support of the Saigh Foundation we have established ourselves nationwide as a leading center for fetal surgery,” says Katie Francis, RN, MSN, nurse coordinator of the institute. “We have helped more than 1,200 families. We have had patients from 15 states and 88% of them are from outside of the metropolitan St. Louis area.” The institute is one of fewer than 20 fetal care programs in the country and is one of the most experienced in surgical repair of spina bifida and minimally-invasive laser surgery on fetal lung masses and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. It was among

the first centers in the Midwest to perform an EXIT (ex utero intrapartum treatment) procedure which is a modified cesarean section. The baby’s head and arms are delivered and the baby remains attached to the placenta while a surgical procedure is performed. Surgeons have performed 140 prenatal procedures with a fetoscope, which requires only small incisions in the mother’s abdomen and uterus. About 50 procedures have been performed with an open procedure in which incisions are made in mother’s abdomen and uterus so surgery can be performed on the fetus. The incisions are closed and the fetus continues gestation. 8 to 10% of mothers and patients referred to the institute require surgery, Francis says. “For the other mothers we do testing, confirm the diagnosis, provide information about the baby’s prognosis and come up with a plan for the remainder of the pregnancy, delivery and the care after birth.” “One of Cardinal Glennon’s remarkable stances has always been

that no child will ever be turned away for inability to pay,” says Vlastos. “In the early days of the Fetal Care Institute we were doing procedures that were novel and the administration would foot the bill for cases that insurance companies considered experimental and weren’t covering.” SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and SSM Health St. Mary’s hospitals, SSM Health, Saint Louis University School of Medicine and the Saigh Foundation pitched in when fetal intervention remained highly experimental, he says. “I cannot say enough for the support we have received. The future is unlimited and we are fortunate to have an opportunity of making those positive changes.”

2013 Knights of Columbus Developmental Center moved to new quarters on the hospital campus thanks to the generous support of Knights in Missouri and Illinois. Five rooms added to the Dana Brown Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

with funding from Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation. U.S. News and World Report magazine included SSM Health Cardinal Glennon in its Best Children’s Hospitals for 2013-2104 for its pediatric cardiology/heart surgery and neonatology services. Jeffrey Modell Center founded to care for children with primary immune deficiency disorders. 25th Bob Costas Benefit held at the Fox Theater in support of hematology/oncology services. 30th anniversary Columbia Golf Classic held at Columbia Golf Course. SportsCare program introduced.

Today: SportsCare Helps Young Athletes Stay Healthy and Injury-Free “Each year we reach about 200,000 individuals through our educational outreach program. Our goal is educating coaches, families and kids on injury prevention techniques,” says Katie Leible, M.Ed., ATC, LAT, SportsCare outreach manager at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. When injury or illness does

PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

then strike a child or teen playing in a participating athletic program, Cardinal Glennon SportsCare offers a round-the-clock contact. “We provide education on what to do when injuries or illnesses do occur and provide a 24-hour, seven-days-aweek concierge line. Families can call us and ask any questions about their child’s health,” Leible says. “We can answer their questions and work with all of the service lines within SSM Health Cardinal Glennon to put them in touch with the right people in our system, whether it is an SSM Health emergency room or urgent care center or a specialist here at the hospital.” Three outreach liaisons provide support and educational materials to organizations across metropolitan St. Louis, from Edwardsville, IL, west to St. Charles County. “Philanthropy has been huge for us,” Leible says. “This past year the Coca-Cola Foundation generously awarded Cardinal Glennon SportsCare a grant that allowed us to expand to the Metro East and

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enabled us to provide even more exceptional care.”

2014 New pediatric intensive care unit opened.

Today: Support for the sickest kids in the PICU “The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is never the reason patients come to the hospital, but none of the other hospital programs can provide full care without the unit and the team of health care professionals who staff it,” says Lia Lowrie, MD, director of division of pediatric critical care and Saint Louis University professor of pediatrics. The PICU admitted about 1,100 patients in 2015. “That is an increase from 700 to 750 just four years ago. The numbers are increasing because Cardinal Glennon has been successful in recruiting subspecialty pediatricians and surgeons and

building comprehensive pediatric programs,” Lowrie says. “All specialty centers need a PICU team of doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and other professional who are trained in specific pediatric intensive care processes to knows how to take care of patients who are really sick. We are there for bone marrow or solid organ transplant patients who have a bad infection or reaction to medications, patients with brain tumors, multiple traumatic injuries, complex heart surgeries and patients with more common illnesses like asthma that may be out of control.” The current home of the PICU is triple its previous size, says Pam Brouder, RN, MSN, director of critical care. “As we have grown and learned more in medicine, we have more equipment, more devices, more ways of saving kids. We had a huge need for more space.” The unit grew from 17 to 21 beds and switched to private rooms from the open-ward layout that was the

standard when the previous unit was built. “There is sunshine, brighter lighting and monitors outside the rooms that mimic the monitoring inside the rooms, giving nurses PICU team the ability to assess vital signs remotely,” Lowrie says. “The noise is reduced and the privacy gives families the ability to sleep right there at the bedside.” Funding for the new unit was partially provided by community support to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation. “Families who came to our old unit and have come back said the transformation makes things so much easier,” Brouder said. “One mother told me a peaceful calmness has come over the department. The staff feels it as well.” SSM Health Cardinal Glennon was a pioneer in the development of pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which does the work of the heart and lungs in pumping blood and exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen. The hospital continues to lead in its use and advancement and has been designated as an ECMO Center of Excellence by the international Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. The PICU team has worked with the Dallas Heart Center to expand beyond ECMO. “We have successfully helped to manage a couple of 2-year-olds when they were awaiting heart transplants using biventricular assist devices, which are essentially

artificial hearts. It is very advanced technology,” Lowrie says. “It went really well. I don’t think we would have been as successful with these new technologies in the old physical plant – the monitoring and sheer space and light would have been inadequate.” Adds Brouder, “The life expectancy of some of these kids would not have been possible a decade ago.”

2015 The 26th and final Bob Costas Benefit was held at the Fox Theatre.

Today: A History of Famous Friends After raising $16 million for patient care and research in the cancer center named in his honor, Bob Costas announced that the 26th edition of the benefit would be the last. He promised to remain on Board as a supporter of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, and will return in November to host the Glennon Glow 60th Anniversary gala. Costas had invited some of the biggest stars and legends in comedy and music to entertain for the hospital’s patients: Tony Bennett, Jay Leno, Ray Charles, Garry Shandling, Hootie and the Blowfish, Ray Romano, Natalie Cole, Cedric the Entertainer, Huey Lewis & The News, George Wallace, Bill Murray, Sheryl Crow, Billy Crystal, Paul Simon, Robert Klein,

Jennifer Hudson, Jimmy Fallon, Faith Hill, Conan O’Brien, Kevin Costner, Dana Carvey, Jerry Seinfeld, Diana Ross and Martin Short. The Costas events continued a tradition of celebrities sharing their love and good fortune with the kids at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. First-year visitors to the hospital included cowboy star Gene Autrey and Gail Davis, who played Annie Oakley on television. Other visitors in the early years included actor Clayton Moore, “The Lone Ranger;” Buffalo Bob, Captain Kangaroo and Jane Wyatt of the legendary television show “Father Knows Best.” An all-time highlight was the visit of the Paul Miller Wild Animal Big Top Circus, which brought trained dogs, a clown, an organist and an adult elephant into the main lobby. In 1970 Charles Kuralt brought his famous CBS-TV program “On the Road” to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon to do a story about the radiology and magic tricks of Dr. Armand Brodeur. In 1979 Col. Harland Sanders, founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, toured the hospital and kissed a baby.

THE COSTAS CENTER

then Year after year the celebrities came: The Osmond Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys, Shari Lewis & Lamb Chop, John Denver, Lou Rawls, the magician Blackstone and country music icon Dolly Parton.

Today: Newest Treatments at Kid-Friendly Costas Center As the stage went dark after the final Costas Event, the lights remained bright at The Costas Center, one of the most advanced and friendly centers anywhere for treatment of childhood cancer and blood diseases. “One of the hallmarks of the past 10 years has been a greater ability for us to provide cuttingedge technologies and to enroll kids in clinical trials leading to the development of new anti-cancer drugs. Even more innovative is our ability to enroll children with cancer into studies that use genomic profiling in order to provide patients with personalized

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therapies. Those are very exciting developments,” says William Ferguson, MD, director of The Costas Center and professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University. Ferguson also holds the Bob Costas Chair in Pediatrics that was funded by the Board of Governors of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation. Funds from the Bob Costas Benefit recently remodeled the center into an underwater theme, enabling it to treat more children and teens as outpatients while offering a child-friendly, comfortable place to visit. “It was a great environment before but it is even nicer now,” Ferguson says. “The center gives us a greater ability to deal with longer infusions so treatments can be given on an out-patient basis. “When you or I visit our doctor once a year, it doesn’t matter to us much what the waiting room and office look like. On the other hand, if we were going someplace five days a week or every week for a year -- like many of our kids do -- the environment is

very important,” he says. “Our ability to provide skilled and personalized nursing care along with play therapy, music therapy, social workers and all of the other family and patient supports we have, makes a real difference.” The center sees about 60 newlydiagnosed cancer patients annually as well as patients referred for bone marrow transplants and other specialized clinical trials, Ferguson said. The center is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group and other cooperative groups engaged in the early stages of drug development and in advancing stem cell transplantation in children. “We are moving into cutting-edge areas not only with cancer therapies but also with trials for kids with sickle cell disease and hemophilia,” Ferguson says. The Costas Center is a major referral center for hemophilia and other bleeding and clotting disorders. It serves a large population who have sickle cell disease, a group of inherited disorders of the red blood cells that

can slow or stop the flow of blood and oxygen through the body. It can cause major illness and disability. In the US most patients born with the disease are African-American. “We are approaching 200 patients with sickle cell disease,” Ferguson says. “It is a life-long and serious disease. In the past five or six years our standard of care for these kids has increased with our aggressive use of new technologies and it is our goal to provide these kids with their best chance at a normal life.”

2016 SSM Health Cardinal Glennon pediatricians are known for sharing their knowledge and research with international peers, making 81 presentations at medical society meetings and publishing 105 articles in academic medical journals in the previous year.

Today: The community continues to give back The St. Louis citizens and businesses built the hospital and continue to help it grow. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without the programs supported by the Foundation and the Glennon Guild,” Wilmott says. “Look at the renovation of the pediatric intensive care unit and the Dana Brown nursery and the legacy gift that built the Dallas Heart Center. We have been very good stewards of that money.”

“I am sure the future will be very exciting,” Wilmott says. “We are going to continue seeing miniaturization of instruments and further refinement in imaging. We are going to have new ways of treating cancers.” “I can only think that the next 10 years are going to be phenomenal,” says Vane. “The Foundation has been incredibly supportive. It has bought most of our state-of-the art equipment. We have the infrastructure we need and we have young surgeons who are incredibly well-trained, welleducated and innovative.” Vane holds the J. Eugene Lewis Jr., MD, Chair in Pediatric Surgery that was established by the Foundation in honor of the hospital’s first general surgeon, who passed away in 2013. “I was able to spend some time with Dr. Lewis. He was very happy with what he had seen develop at Cardinal Glennon. He felt that he was part of this initiative -- it was his dream to make this place what it is now.” “Our Board, our system and our physicians and surgeons always had a long-term vision of expertise and caring that melds the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of care-giving,” Ries says. “The founders took a huge leap of faith and hit a grand-slam home run. Their attitude was, ‘We can do it. We will not fail.’ And they didn’t fail. “I have been to almost every community we serve in a radius around St. Louis,” Ries continues. “All the time I heard that Cardinal Glennon was the place to refer children because of the excellence

in delivering services and the caring attitude of the staff.” “Philanthropy has been the key to the hospital’s growth and achievements and will be critical in extending its mission of serving all children regardless of ability to pay,” Hailstone says. “We would not have been able to make the capital improvements we made without community support. About seven of 10 children who are cared for at Cardinal Glennon live below the poverty line. They have a lot of needs.” Jureidini is amazed that minimallyinvasive surgical procedures performed in the womb are correcting heart defects that were totally untreatable 60 years ago and rarely correctable a decade ago. “In 1956? Oh gosh, we could not have done anything by interventional cardiology then,” Jureidini says. “We do five to 10 procedures in the hybrid cath lab each year for children born with critical aortic stenosis. We used to do them in the surgical suite. Mortality was awful – half of them used to die. “Now we do a hybrid procedure. They stay intubated for a couple of days and go home. The survival is about 99%. I thank God.”

n March 28 Steven Burghart began as the new president of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. In this role, Burghart will be responsible for leading the 195-bed academic pediatric hospital that specializes in neonatology, cardiology, pediatric and fetal surgery, and cancer services. “Steven exemplifies strong mission-based leadership, and he demonstrates the enthusiasm and compassion that we were seeking in the new president of Cardinal Glennon,” said Candace Jennings, regional president of hospital operations for SSM Health in St. Louis. Steven Burghart

Before joining SSM Health, Burghart served as chief executive President SSM Health Cardinal Glennon officer for Holtz Children’s Hospital and The Women’s Hospital Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, part of Jackson Health, a nonprofit academic medical system. In this role he oversaw the 354-bed tertiary and quaternary referral center for complex pediatric, obstetrical, gynecologic and gynecologic oncology patients. During his tenure, he successfully led several major initiatives that enhanced patient care, physician engagement, service growth and financial success. Prior to joining Jackson Health System, Burghart worked for Tenet Healthcare in several roles, including chief operating officer at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, chief operating officer at Hialeah Hospital and associate administrator at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. He earned a master’s degree in health care administration from Trinity University and an undergraduate degree from Baylor University.

“Through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God.”

Brightening the lives of Cardinal Glennon kids for 60 years

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Home away from Home

Ryan Smith, a happy 14-year-old from Jamaica who almost died a decade ago from complications due to a malformed heart, is today the picture of health, thanks to the love of a host family and a team of specialists at the Dorothy and Larry Dallas Heart Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Ryan Smith (below, right) sits with some members of his heart team at the Dallas Heart Center, including (standing) M. Babak Rahimi, MD; Andrew C. Fiore, MD; Michael Czajka, APRN-CNP; and (sitting) Saadeh Al-Jureidini, MD.

58 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

A young Ryan enjoys a day at the lake with Sully Keeley after undergoing several heart procedures at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon.

yan, born in Jamaica with complex congenital heart disease, struggled to breathe almost since the day he was born. “I remember when I was 4 or 5 years old that I couldn’t walk from one room to the next. I would have to fall to the floor to catch my breath.” Unknown to his family at the time, Ryan had Tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia, congenital heart disorders that left him without critical connections between his heart and lungs. “In layman’s terms, the heart and lungs are connected with a tube that’s shaped like the letter ‘T,’” says Andrew Fiore, MD, director of cardiothoracic surgery at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. “At the base of the ‘T’ there is a valve. Ryan had no pulmonary valve, no straight part of the ‘T’ and no side

parts of the ‘T.’ His heart was basically disconnected from his lungs.” Amazingly, Ryan’s body adapted as much as it could to get small amounts of oxygenated blood from his aorta into the lungs. Tiny peripheral branches of blood vessels grew from the aorta as substitutes for the lung arteries, much like a tree develops small branches. They reached out into the lungs to carry blood and oxygen. “Ryan had hundreds of these tiny blood vessels that were each maybe only one or two millimeters in size, but they kept him alive for his first five years,” explains Dr. Fiore. Ryan’s mother traveled for miles in Jamaica seeking help. She even made a plea on television for someone to take care of her son. Through her efforts, word about Ryan’s condition reached the St. Louis based-World Pediatric Project,

Open Heart, Open Doors: St. Louisan Julie Keeley opened her home and became a second mom to Ryan every time he came to the United States for heart care.

which contacted SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, one of its largest partners in providing care for needy children from developing countries. When the heart

“He came off the plane looking so very sick, but from the minute we met him, we felt connected. It was love at first sight.” team in the Dallas Heart Center gave the go-ahead, Ryan was flown to St. Louis. “He was a tiny, tiny 5-year-old who was suffering from such a lack of oxygen that his skin and lips were blue and the whites of his eyes weren’t white, but grey,” says Julie Keeley, Ryan’s host mom in St. Louis. “He came off the plane looking so very sick, but from the minute we met him, we felt connected. It was love at first sight.” Within days of arrival, Ryan suffered a significant stroke and was immediately placed in the hospital’s intensive care unit. As soon as he recovered from that, the heart team went into action. “In the United States, his condition would have been diagnosed soon after birth or even during a fetal ultrasound,” says M. Babak Rahimi, MD, one of Ryan’s pediatric cardiologists. “This typically would have been fixed in the first few months of life, but in Ryan’s case, living in Jamaica, he didn’t have that chance.” glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 59

Home away from Home GROWING NEW ARTERIES

A comprehensive medical evaluation in the Dallas Heart Center and a series of diagnostic tests visibly showed surgeons the extent of Ryan’s missing heart components. Says Dr. Fiore, “He was really cyanotic because of his lack of oxygen. We see cases like this regularly in the Dallas Heart Center, but not to the degree that Ryan had. If left untreated, Ryan would have had a life-threatening complication as he had with his stroke and eventually, his heart would have failed.”

Rusty Keeley hugs Ryan to comfort him while in the hospital.

flow to the lungs so that he could receive more oxygen and stimulate growth of his pulmonary arteries. They did that by inserting an artificial heart shunt, or bypass tube, to take the place of nonexistent pulmonary arteries.

With decades of expertise in complex heart reconstruction, however, the heart team decided upon a series of procedures to get Ryan’s heart functioning in a more normal way. Says Dr. Fiore, “The tubes are about the size of a pencil and made from GoreTex. We placed one to the right and the left lung over the course of several weeks. Once we created a good source of lung blood flow, it stimulated Ryan’s body to grow larger blood vessels which we then could use as his pulmonary arteries. In other words, we made bigger branches grow to replace the tiny branches that Ryan’s body initially had formed.”

With more oxygen flowing through his body, Ryan changed right before Keeley’s eyes. “He went from being blue, like grey blue, to having pink lips and gums, and his eyes were white again,” she recalls. “His fingers, which had clubbed and turned under as a result of his condition, were beautiful. He kept looking at them and saying to us, ‘Look how normal my hands are! And my toes — I’ve got beautiful toes!’ He was so proud of that.”

A NEW ‘T’ With the shunts in place and his condition stabilizing, Ryan was sent home to Jamaica. It took about a year for the blood vessels to grow to a suitable size. A year later, Ryan returned to the Dallas Heart Center. Surgeons closed holes in both the upper and lower pumping chambers of the heart and created an artificial ‘T’ and pulmonary valve to reconnect the heart and lungs. “We actually separated the blue blood on the right from the red blood on the left side of Ryan’s heart,” says Dr. Fiore. “His heart now basically functions with every beat much the same way a normal heart does except that Ryan has artificial material in his heart that doesn’t grow, namely the pulmonary valve and the ‘T’piece to connect the heart to both lungs. As Ryan grows and gets bigger, we’ll have to go back and replace these with a larger valve and ‘T’ piece.”

With decades of expertise in complex heart reconstruction, however, the heart team decided upon a series of procedures to get Ryan’s heart functioning in a more normal way. Surgeons first had to improve blood Picture of Health: With new arteries and a re-connected heart, Ryan happily tackles the sport of water skiing.

60 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

A PLACE TO CALL HOME Over the course of five years, Ryan underwent three open heart surgeries and numerous other cardiac procedures. Each time, he stayed with Julie, her husband and their three sons. They have become his second family.

“His mother had such courage to send him alone to another country to get well. I’m amazed at her strength and Ryan’s.” “The Keeleys are a great family!” he says. “I started calling them mom and dad when I was about 6 years old. They treat me like family. I feel really comfortable and happy around them. Also, I have three (host) brothers here and they show me how to do things and I learn from them and they learn from me, like how to play cricket.” In Jamaica, Ryan is finally able to play with his siblings, too. “I can play soccer and cricket with them there and here I can play basketball and football. I also can swim and go biking,” he says. “Anything I want to do, I can, because I can breathe better.” Ryan now has plans to go to college in the next several years and make a home of his own here in the United States. “That’s one of the joys of my job to see kids get better and hear them plan for their future,” says Dr. Rahimi. “Ryan was extremely sick when he came here and he had a very tough time after surgery. But he recovered beautifully. Now, when you look at him, he’s just this wonderful young man. You would never know he had such major heart disease.” Dr. Fiore agrees. “Pediatric cardiac surgery is truly a team effort and we have a great team at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital that’s been together a long time,” he says. “We want to give

Ryan Smith hugs Julie Keeley, who stepped in to become Ryan’s “second mom” while he stayed multiple times in St. Louis for heart and vascular care.

these kids a second shot at life. We want to get them out of grade school and see them enter college, get married and enjoying life to the fullest. That’s the payoff in congenital heart surgery. And the payoff is extremely rewarding for everyone.”

A MOM’S COURAGE “Ryan is truly a miracle and such a gift,” says Keeley. “Each visit, each stage has been so much fun to be a part of and such a gift for us to be along on this ride with him. He is such an exquisite young man and I think he realizes himself that he has been given a gift. If he had stayed in Jamaica six more days, he wouldn’t be here.” She adds, “His mother had such courage to send him alone to another country to get well. I’m amazed at her strength and Ryan’s. We’ve talked about

this several times and she knows that I’m going to love him enough until he gets back home to see her.” Asked if God had a hand in his coming to St. Louis, Ryan looks up and says, “Well, that’s the most important part. He saved my life. If I stayed in Jamaica, I would be dead right now. The equipment they had there couldn’t help me at all, so I think God really helped me to get a family here so that I could come to this hospital and get better.” Keeley looks at Ryan with tears of joy in her eyes. “When Ryan and I first came to the Dallas Heart Center, we immediately felt at peace and we knew we were in the finest hands,” she says with emotion. “We knew that if anyone could save Ryan, this was the place. We felt like God was there and miracles were happening. Certainly, miracles happened with Ryan.”

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 61

GLENNON AMBASSADORS P L E A S E J O I N U S A N D O U R PAT I E N T S A S W E H O N O R O U R C A R E G I V E R S AT T H E

2 016 AM B ASSA D O R C H O ICE AWA R DS THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 •

6 p.m.

Joseph Schulte Theatre • St. Louis University High School • 4970 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110

E AT

FU L

BA CK

ors ad

Ambass n o

For more information, visit glennonambassadors.org

Glenn

Free parking available in St. Louis Science Center lot

NG FAM IVI ILIES G

You’re Invited

Join grateful families and staff of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

for an evening of appreciation and recognition, as we honor the work of our caregivers, and highlight stories of those who “reveal the healing presence of God” through their exceptional work and dedication. •H eavy hors d’oeuvres and cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by awards program and dessert

•T o purchase tickets, visit glennonambassadors.org. Reservations will be accepted until July 21, 2016.

•$ 25 per person — Includes beer/wine/soda, hors d’oeuvres and dessert

•A ny questions regarding tickets or reservations may be directed to Erin Hentz at 314-678-6639 or erin_hentz@ssmhc.com.

For more information about the Glennon Ambassador Program, contact Program Coordinator Laura Wulf at 314-678-6635 or Laura_Wulf@ssmhc.com.

2016 NOMINEES THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 •

6 p.m.

Caregivers selected to receive Ambassador Choice Awards will be revealed at the event (just like the Oscars!) and will be highlighted among their peers during the program. This year’s nominees are:

EXCEPTIONAL MEDICAL CARE

EXCEPTIONAL NURSING CARE

EXCEPTIONAL TEAM

CONTINUED

Brittnea Adcock, MD

CONTINUED

Pediatric Cardiothoracic

Mike Vlastos, MD

Erika Ricci, RN

Surgery Nurses

Ellen Wood, MD

Aimee Roddy, RN, BSN

Pediatric Cardiology

Connie Anderson, MD

Jeannie Ruhland, RN, BSN, CSN

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Teresa Andreone, MD

Cierra Sellers, RN, BSN

Pediatric GI Nurses

Brittanie Shetterly, RN, BSN

Gary Albers, MD Saadeh Al-Jureidini, MD

CONTINUED

Vipin Bansal, MD

EXCEPTIONAL NURSING CARE

Deepika Bhatla, MD

Kerri Alexander, RN, BSN

Dawn Sleeper, RN

Knights of Columbus Developmental Center

Stephen Braddock, MD

Kara Arnold, RN, CSN

Mary Pat Spillane, RN, BSN

Blood Bank

Nandini Calamur, MD

Joy Baltz, RN, BSN

Marsha Steffen, RN

Laura Cerny, MD

Brooke Brothers, RN, BSN

Nikisha Thebeau, RN, BSN

Kaveer Chatoorgoon, MD

Pam Brouder, RN, MSN

Melinda Thompson, RN, BSN

Victoria Cornelius, MD

Amy Boudonck, RN, BSN

Susan Vasel, RN, BSN

Dary Costa, MD

Andrea Clark, BSN, SCN, CPN

Saadeh Al-Jureidini, MD

Saar Danon, MD

Claire Colbert, RN, BSN

Kim Vierling, RN, MSN APRN PCNS-BC

Samer Elbabaa, MD

Lindsay Dobsch, RN, BSN

Trevor Wolf, RN, BSN

Teresa Andreone, MD

Elizabeth Engel, MD

Katie Dippel, RN, BSN, CSN

Richard Feldenberg, MD

Karey Conrad, RN, BSN

Andrew Fiore, MD

Lisa Cornell, RN

Colleen Fitzpatrick, MD

Katie Croghan, RN, BSN

Robert Fleming, MD

Michael Czajka, APRN-CNP

Thomas Foy, MD

Terri Glidewell, RN, BSN

Gordon Gale, MD

Jennifer Glore, RN

Jeremy Garrett, MD

Anna Harper, RN, BSN

Thomas Geller, MD

Abby Hedges, RN, BSN

Rafif Ghadban, MD

Meggie Hilbert, RN, BSN

David Greenberg, MD

Mary Howell, RN, MSN, CPNP

Jose Greenspon, MD

Stephanie Jackson, RN, BSN

Mary Susan Heaney, MD

Jill Kelly, RN, BSN, CPN

Charles Huddleston, MD

Andy Klostermann, RN, BSN

Christopher Hugge, MD Himanshu U. Kaulas, MD

Barb Kountzman, RN, CTS Clinical Nurse

Gretchen Kopec, MD

Mary Grace Dunham, RN, BSN

Alexander Lin, MD

Mary Miller, RN

Michelle Marino, MD

Nicole Miloshewski, RN, BSN

Terry Moore, MD

Lauren Missey, RN, BSN

Robert Peterson, MD

Lindsey Moreth, RN, BSN, CSN

Aki Puryear, MD

Alisha Nichols, RN, MSN

M. Babak Rahimi, MD

Erin Nichols, RN, MSN

Mary Rickard, MD

Michelle Ohlson, RN, BSN

Anthony Scalzo, MD

Linda Payne, RN, BSN

Angela Sharkey, MD

Casey Petry, RN, BSN

Robert Ream, MD

Beth Price, RN, BSN, CSN

Jeffrey Teckman, MD

Maria Price, RN

DR. PETER DANIS AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT (MD) Gary Albers, MD William Keenan, MD

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE

Andrew Fiore, MD

Ikea Abron

Thomas Foy, MD

Elmarie Bennett

Gordon Gale, MD

Huey Blake

Thomas Geller, MD

Charles Bright

M. Susan Heaney, MD

Abbie Hedgpeth, BS, CCLS

Anthony Scalzo, MD

David Levin, RPh

Dennis Vane, MD

Margaret Minton, Clinical Partner

Edward Wittgen, MD Ellen Wood, MD

Tom Mulvihill Whitney Nolden Jan Rauckman, BSRT, RDMS

HERITAGE AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Molly Rejent, OTR

Lynn Bock, S.L.P

Lashonda Ross

Lisa Buffington - Registrar

Zaida Ruiz

Sharon Gorsich, RN

Denise Schmidt, M.Ed., CCLS

Chris Green, APRN-CNP Trauma Services

Paula Northcutt

Leighton Wassilik

Pat Kelley, RN

EXCEPTIONAL TEAM Dan Dierdorf Emergency and Trauma Center

Pam Miller, PT Erin Nichols, MSN, RN

4 North

Katie Robbins, DNP(c),RN, NNP-BC

Cystic Fibrosis Team

Cristie Rossel, DNP,RN,NEA-BC

Club Foot Clinic

Grace Spinner, RN, MSN, PCNS-BC

Costas Center Nurses St. Louis Fetal Care Institute Pediatric Genetics Team

Kim Vierling, RN, MSN APRN PCNS-BC

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 63

PARTNERS IN PARENTING

Leads The Way

Safety House Executive Director Kelly Cobb teaches 10-year-old Alexa Hartmann the PASS rule for using a fire extinguisher: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep the base of the fire with the nozzle from the extinguisher to put out small fires.

t takes only seconds for the room to fill with smoke after a fire starts in a kitchen trash can. But thanks to a safety program at the West County EMS and Fire Safety House, 10-year-old Alexa Hartmann of Troy, IL, learns how to put out the blaze using a sweeping motion with the nozzle of a fire extinguisher. The fire was a very realistic computerized simulation designed to safely show kids and adults how fast a fire can spread and what to do in an emergency. It’s one of several simulations — from what to do

when a tornado warning sounds to how to safely exit a burning home — taught in a unique facility called the Safety House. “The closest facility like this is in Texas,” says Brandon White, a firefighter and paramedic with the West County EMS and Fire District who assists with the safety programs. “It really catches everyone’s attention and helps kids to retain what they learn.” The Safety House is a hands on, interactive learning center built in 2012 with funds from a county bond issue. It is the cornerstone project of the

64 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Safety House Foundation, which offers a wide range of home and fire safety programs both in the Safety House and in the community. “We offer free programs for children in pre-school through grade 12 either from schools or groups such as the girl scouts or boy scouts,” says Safety House Foundation Executive Director Kelly Cobb, M.S.Ed. “We also encourage adults and senior citizens in the community to participate in programs since many either have children themselves or take care of young family members.”

Members of Girl Scout Troops 307 and 397 from St. John Neumann Catholic School in Maryville, IL, get ready to tour the Safety House in west St. Louis County.

Three years ago, the Safety House Foundation reached out to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and its GlennonKids Safety Program to partner on additional injury prevention and first aid programs. It was a natural fit because the hospital is the lead agency for Safe Kids St. Louis, a coalition of child safety advocates and organizations in the region that work together to reduce unintentional childhood injuries, a leading cause of death in children age 14 or younger in the United States. “We have the same mission as the Safety House Foundation in that we are focused on preventing injuries so that kids can thrive,” says Lori Winkler, MSN, RN, injury prevention nurse coordinator with the GlennonKids Safety Program. In addition, since 2005, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon has partnered with Kohl’s Cares® on the department store chain’s Kohls 4 Kids Program, which funds programs focused on bicycle and car seat safety. “Through the generosity of Kohl’s, we’ve been able to do car seat and bike helmet safety checks in the community and provide free bike helmets and car seats to hundreds of families in the region,” says Kim Fanter, RN, the Kohls 4 Kids grant coordinator. The partnership with the Safety House offers a new venue for the wide variety of safety programs offered by the hospital through its GlennonKids and Kohl’s 4 Kids programs, including: • First Aid and CPR classes • Car Seat checks and installations • Gun Safety • Bicycle helmet safety and fittings • Child passenger safety Inside the Safety House, a group of children from two Girl Scout troops based at St. John Neumann Catholic School in Maryville, IL, are engrossed in their tour. While watching a cartoon,

the program is interrupted with weather bulletins and tornado warnings. As the simulated storm gets closer, kids feel the rumbling of the tornado from a surround sound system underneath their seats and see lights flicker on and off. In another room, their eyes are glued to a video about a house fire while they learned about the importance of a family fire escape plan. Elsewhere, the group sees simulated fires in an oven, toaster and microwave and learns to react properly when smoke appears under a bedroom door. “It was almost like we got to actually experience it with all the sounds and stuff,” says Madison Harbison, one of the students who watched the tornado safety program. “Not only was it fun but we learned a lot.” Eight-year-old Sophia Windorff also listened carefully to safety tips in the kitchen. “You have to be responsible to secure stuff that can cause harm,” she says with wide eyes. “You have to turn the pot handles so they don’t stick out and you have to call 9-1-1 if there’s a fire.” Says Winkler, “It’s a fact that the

more lifelike an educational program is, the more learning retention you will have and the more comfortable the kids will then be in an emergency situation.” John Hefele, a member of the Board of Governors for the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Childrens Foundation, has found from personal experience that kids remember what they learn at the Safety House. “We were at our farm with our grandson and as we were getting ready to go to bed, he went upstairs and the first thing he asked me was, ‘Are the windows unlocked?’” recalls Hefele. “Then he asked, ‘Is my bed over a roof

Last year, more than 3,200 children and adults visited the Safety House. and where’s the ladder to get out?’ I finally asked him where he learned all this and he said, ‘I went to the Safety House and they taught me this. These are the things we need to know as little kids.’” Last year, more than 3,200 children and adults visited the Safety House. “Thanks to the partnership with Cardinal Glennon, we continue to enhance the programs we offer,” says Cobb. “Our missions to prevent injuries are intertwined and that makes this partnership a great success.”

Firefighter and paramedic Brendon White conducts EMS tour with Madison, Damon & Garrett Harbison; Harry Hamm and Sophia Windorff. glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 65

GLENNON KIDS

D.J. Lampert still stops by regularly to see the pediatric transplant team. From left: Katie Gruenkemeyer, PNP, pediatric nurse practitioner; Erin Foristal, RN, and Wendy Gould, RN, transplant coordinators.

of a Lifesaving Transplant D.J. Lampert is on a mission. The 26-year-old wants to travel the world, not just to enjoy the sights and sounds wherever he goes, but also to spread the word that organ donation saves lives.

D.J. is headed to the 2016

was only five to six years.

Transplant Games of America

“I’ve been involved with the

to be held in Cleveland, OH in

Transplant Games since 2000,”

June, where he’ll be inducted

D.J. says. “I’ve been to Japan,

into the Quarter Century Club

France, Canada and several US

for transplant patients who are

cities to compete and, in 2006,

25 years post-transplant. It’s

I received the Outstanding Male

quite a milestone, especially

Athlete Award at the Games,

since his parents originally were

which enabled me to travel

told that the life expectancy for

and compete in Thailand.”

liver transplants back in 1990

66 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

lthough he first appeared quite healthy to his parents when he was born, D.J.’s health started to go awry when he was only a few months old and his skin turned yellow. His parents were soon told that their son was born with a condition called biliary atresia, a rare disorder that left him without bile ducts connected to his liver to properly digest the fats in any foods he ate.

D.J. shortly after his liver transplant.

Doctors first created a man-made bile duct to try to reverse his condition. When that procedure failed, D.J., just 7 months old, was placed on the liver transplant list. He was lucky. On November 30, 1990, he received a donated liver at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “As I got older, I learned that there were four other families at the time whose children needed a liver transplant like me, but three of those children passed away before they could get a transplant,” he says softly. “As I got old enough to understand it all, I realized that life is a blessing to me, thanks to a family who selflessly made the decision to donate organs.” As D.J. grew up, his parents pushed for permission from school officials so that D.J. could participate in outdoor activities and school sports. My parents were my champions,” he says. “My dad told them, ‘We didn’t go through all this to not let him live like other kids. Let him play soccer and baseball.’ So I did and loved it.” For 18 years, D.J. also thought about his donor. Just prior to entering college, he was home getting the mail when his hand froze on a letter addressed to him. “My dad asked me what was wrong and

I looked up and said it was a letter from my donor family. They wanted to meet.” In what D.J. called one of the longest, yet most exciting road trips ever, he and his family traveled to Kansas City to meet the donor family face to face. “My donor was only 8 months old when she passed away,” he said. “How can you truly ever say thank

certification to be a soccer trainer and full-time coach. “My passion is to train junior high and high school students to play soccer in college,” he says. Ever thankful for his liver transplant, D.J. still stops by the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Transplant Team office to say hello. He regularly lectures about

“I think about my transplant constantly . . . the very least I can do to say thank you to my donor family, is to continually talk about the need for organ donation . . . you to someone who, in their own grief, gives you a lifesaving, life-changing gift? I still remember the text message when we got to the hotel. It said, ‘We’re ready when you are.’ I will never forget that day.” At Quincy University, D.J., at first, didn’t tell his prospective soccer coach about his transplant and just walked on for tryouts. He became a goalkeeper and was a member when the team rose to become No 5 in the nation.

the benefits of organ donation and is now a Glennon Ambassador, bringing his message to even more audiences. “I think about my transplant constantly,” D.J. says. “I believe that the very least I can do to say thank you to my donor family is to continually talk about the need for organ donation and to show people what a difference it can make in people like me. I am passionate about what I do because life is precious.

D.J. winning at the World Transplant Games to honor his donor.

Says D.J., “My coach said later that he took a risk once he found out I had a transplant, but that he was glad he did!” D.J. also trained with the F.C. Adrenaline soccer team and helped to coach high school soccer players at Lutheran South High School. Currently he is in the process of obtaining his

I was given a second chance at life through organ donation and I’m going to do all I can to give back to honor the memory of my donor and her family.”

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 67

THURSDAY, JUNE 16

BALLPARK VILLAGE

Tickets on sale now! Call

314-577-5605 or visit glennon.org PROCEEDS BENEFIT:

PRESENTED BY:

Keeping Kids Safe! 314-612-5770

Call or visit kohls4kids.org for dates and locations.

Every Gift Counts $1,000 could fund... • Tablets with interactive games

and activities that the Child Life therapists play with children

throughout the hospital • Laptop computers children could use to keep up with schoolwork

and interact with peers when hospitalized for long periods • Gaming equipment to occupy kids undergoing lifesaving infusions in The Costas Center • Crafts for children to enjoy while hospitalized • A single outpatient chemotherapy infusion treatment to help a child

battle cancer

$1,500 could fund... • Bouncy seats and activity chairs for children served by multiple programs • Two gliders for parents in the

NICU who are bonding with and holding their premature infants

during their critical first weeks of life

$2,500 could fund... • Three children to attend diabetes camp or Camp Braveheart for heart transplant patients

$4,000 could fund... • A Hospital grade sleeper sofa for parents who are spending the night with their child and would

appreciate a comfortable place to sleep

$5,000 could fund... • Echocardiogram exam tables, which assist in the diagnosis of heartrelated conditions

$10,000 could fund... • Art therapy and music therapy programs for children hospitalized for long periods of time

The best gifts under the sun

for America’s leading Catholic children’s hospital!

he Glennon Circle supports our mission to reveal God’s healing presence by providing for the greatest needs of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The generous spirit of donors across the United States allows the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation to sustain dozens of critical departments, programs and treatment centers at the hospital. Members of the Glennon Circle enhance the health care and treatments of those we serve by making annual contributions of $1,000 or more: Levels President’s Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 and above Champion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000-$9,999 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,500-$4,999 Guardians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,000-$2,499 Members of the Glennon Circle enjoy the following courtesies: » Invitations to donor appreciation events, lectures and receptions

» Monthly e-newsletter » Glennon Magazine recognition » Glennon Circle lapel pin

Charter Membership: » 2016-2017 Members will receive permanent recognition in the hospital on the Glennon Circle of Hope statue. President’s Circle members only: » Exclusive communications from SSM Health leadership regarding the state of SSM Health.

For more information please contact Colleen Dolnick at 314-678-6626 or colleen_dolnick@ssmhc.com.Thank you!

70 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

S P O T L I G H T

Nicholas and Kristen Guehlstorf Supporting the Educational Mission of the NF Clinic

or more than half of their young daughter Maria’s life, the Guehlstorfs have been giving back to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The Glen Carbon, IL, couple has been coming to the hospital since 2004, when they were first referred to the hospital’s Neurofibromatosis Clinic. “Maria was about 3 months old when our pediatrician first suspected something,” says Kristin Guehlstorf. “She had café au lait (light brown) spots on her skin and she wasn’t really tracking things properly with her eyes. The pediatrician was worried that she might not be able to see and might have an optic glioma or brain tumor.” Maria was referred to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon for rapid evaluation by pediatric specialists. A brain tumor was ruled out, but doctors monitored the spots. “Over the next several months, Maria developed freckling in her armpits,” says Kristin. “That was another sign and resulted in her diagnosis of NF type 1 (NF1) by the time Maria was a year old. Since that time, she has developed numerous tumors throughout her body that need to be carefully monitored.” NF1 is a neurological disorder that can be present with a variety of symptoms. In addition to light brown spots in atypical locations, tumors can appear, sometimes affecting the skin, optic nerve, spine or brain. “It’s a progressive disease and there’s no way to predict how it will progress or what complications will develop,” Kristin says.

Maria Guehlstorf (left) having fun with her cousin, Allie.

What she and her husband, Nicholas, noticed almost immediately, however, was the compassionate care they and their daughter received in the Neurofibromatosis Clinic. “They take care of Maria and us,” says Nicholas Guehlstorf. “They really are caring for the entire family.” Maria, 12, is now a happy seventh grader and playing volleyball and basketball at St. Mary’s Catholic School in

Edwardsville. “She’s always on the move,” says Nicholas. “I don’t think we need to have a chair in the house for her because she’s always doing something. She’s very creative.” Kristin agrees, saying “Maria just got into photography so we bought her a camera, which she absolutely loves. She also likes to bake and cook and do arts and crafts with her friends, so there’s always some type of art project in development!” The Guehlstorfs say they have been blessed with their four children and in their work lives — Nicholas as a professor in political science and environmental sciences at SIUNicholas and Kristen Guehlstorf Edwardsville and Kristin as a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers in St. Louis. “I feel like we are in a position to help and we are grateful that we can,” says Kristin. “We have donated to Cardinal Glennon for about eight years to support the educational mission of the NF Clinic.” Their donations have enabled physicians and staff to attend national conferences and have been used to support educational forums here in St. Louis for both doctors and families of children with NF. “Maria is seen in the NF clinic multiple times per year and her care is always being impacted by the latest research and clinical experiences gained through the NF clinic team’s close connection to the NF community of researchers, providers, patients and families,” says Nicholas. “It’s our way to give back in some way and help the NF clinic. One of the great things we know about Cardinal Glennon is that they don’t turn away anyone who needs treatment.” Adds Kristin, “We very much believe in the mission of Cardinal Glennon and are so blessed that Maria has received exceptional care. The NF clinic and the entire hospital all have an important place in our family’s life.”

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 71

Why I Give »

“The thing that inspired us most to support Cardinal Glennon was the personal experience we had as great-grandparents of Joey, a child born with the congenital heart defect Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). About four days after being stabilized, he underwent open heart surgery. This would be the first of four surgeries over a four-year period with Dr. Fiore. Joey is now in preschool for four half-days a week and will start kindergarten this year.

The care he received by the doctors and nurses in the PICU and TCU was exceptional, but Cardinal Glennon gives the same kind of care to all the children, regardless of the ability of the parents to pay for the services their child receives. We are very blessed to have the two best pediatric surgeons, along with many other types of doctors, at Cardinal Glennon. That is why we will continue to support this organization as much as we can.”

George & Judy Meyer

“We give because we have seen God at work through the doctors and nurses at Cardinal Glennon. Due to a traumatic incident at birth, our little Sophia was deprived of oxygen for 10 minutes. Her diagnosis was Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). She was a perfect candidate for a new cooling procedure. This new procedure was only available at Cardinal Glennon.”

Doug & Wendy Dwyer

“Seeing the miracles that Cardinal Glennon works with children is the best ROI on our donation investments that we can receive.”

Marc & Susan Potrzeboski

72 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

The Ongoing LEGACY of Rev. James A. Reinert, SJ

n the back of the chapel on the first floor of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is a closet full of liturgical garments. Among them hang six colorful vestments decorated with cartoon characters such as Snoopy, Batman, and Superman. Still in great condition, they belonged to the hospital’s first director of pastoral care, James “Jim” Reinert, SJ, who served the children of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon from 1973 until his unexpected death in 1987 when he had a heart attack while driving home from a Cardinals baseball game.

Rev. James A Reinert, SJ

“His presence is still felt today in the strong legacy he left to expand and enhance pastoral care services at the hospital,” says Sr. Judy Carron, RSM, BSN, who served as pastoral care director after Fr. Reinert’s death and now is a coordinator of the hospital’s Footprints program, which supports children and families dealing with complex illnesses. “He made it his life’s mission to turn children’s fear and trepidation about being in the hospital into joy and laughter. He did that by his mannerisms and his God-given ability to relate to the smallest of children in the exact way they needed.” Fr. Reinert was a pioneer in many ways. He actually lived in the hospital in a small room in the administrative hall. He presided over daily Mass in the chapel, sometimes wearing his Superman cape vestment and regularly gathering children — some still in hospital gowns — around the altar for blessings and conversation. “He could have lived down the road in Jesuit Hall, but I believe he lived at the hospital so he could be there at a second’s notice if a child needed him,” says Doug Ries, former President of the hospital. “He started the movement of having pastoral care become a respected and integral part of the caregiving team and he reported directly to me because I felt that pastoral care was second to none in its integration into all aspects of our care.” Rob Marx, a former patient, now lives in Alaska and works for a company that specializes in special needs

Tribute

housing and housing for the homeless. He recently emailed SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation and shared his thoughts about Fr. Reinert. “He could sit with you, and both of you could just be, without forcing conversation,” Marx says. “No matter what your age, he did not need to talk down or make great theological statements. He just allowed you to feel what you felt or he simply created distractions from what was going on.” Among the distractions, Fr. Reinert loved sitting with patients to watch television or listen to Cardinals games on the radio. Marx, who had undergone bowel and bladder surgery at the hospital at a young age, became a hospital service volunteer during his middle school years and served under the direction of Fr. Reinert, running errands or talking with patients in the hospital. “He asked me if I wanted to go to a Cardinals game one night, but I had family coming into town from Canada and Florida, so I couldn’t go,” Marx recalls. “The next morning we got a phone call that Fr. Reinert had had a heart attack and died on the way home from the game. I was so devastated.” But Fr. Reinert’s spirit of compassion and service lived on in Marx, who continued as a hospital volunteer and then an employee before joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps working in both Washington and Alaska. Married with two children, Rob Marx and his family in Alaska. Marx recalls, “He was the first one to ever challenge me to think beyond my health issues and ask me, ‘what else?’ he says. “What was I going to do and who was I going to be? Those questions molded me into what I am today.” In Fr. Reinert’s memorial mass at the hospital, Ries noted,

“So many of us felt close to Father Jim through the years. He leaves us physically, but he will never leave our hearts. His spirit will live on with us.” Adds Sr. Judy, “He’s here. I feel it every day. He was — and still is — a blessing to the hospital and to all the children who come here.” glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 73

Glennon CELEBRATING THE FAITH, COMMITMENT, AND GENEROSITY OF OUR SUPPORTERS.

Brave A Shave For Kids With Cancer

St. Baldrick’s Event Surpasses $500,000 For Third Straight Year!

undreds of people turned out in early March at Helen Fitzgerald’s Irish Grill & Pub to “Brave the Shave” and shave their heads for childhood cancer research. The annual event is the signature St. Louis fundraiser for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

The Long Family at 2016 Brave A Shave for St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

“We’ve held this event for 13 years and raised more than $4 million,” says Peggy Schneider, the St. Louis organizer. “This year we raised over $529,000, making it the third year in a row that we’ve surpassed the half million dollar mark. In fact, our event was the second-largest event held worldwide for St. Baldrick’s. It was just amazing!” The money raised, which is donated almost exclusively by individuals who have been touched by cancer or who have had a loved one with cancer, is placed into a grant-funding pool. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation then awards grants to cancer researchers, including those at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Charlie Long and Fudge 74 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

RE G CE IFT IV S ED

Anthony and Carrie Long with friend Junior Kuntz.

“The grant enables us to continue our search for treatments and cures for childhood cancer, and also to give our patients the most advanced treatments available in a nurturing and healing environment,” says William Ferguson, MD, Medical Director of The Costas Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. Carrie and Anthony Long are longtime participants in the local fundraiser. In memory of their son, Charlie, the Longs formed a group called Charlie’s Angels to help raise funds. In 2016, their team raised over $58,000. “Our son Charlie was an amazing little boy who made us so very proud,” says Carrie Long. “While fighting neuroblastoma, he wanted to make a difference. He raised $1,500 for St. Baldrick’s in March 2006 before he lost his battle on September 19. We have continued his dream of someday Carrie and Charlie Long finding a cure and Charlie’s Angels have now raised more than $300,000.”

NEW FRIENDS LISTING FORMAT

All gifts made in 2016 of $250 or more will be recognized in the 2017 Spring/Summer issue of Glennon Magazine.

Spotlight

Mary McDermott

Basketball Tournament

t was another spectacular turnout for the 7th annual Mary McDermott Basketball Tournament for third graders in the St. Louis Archdiocese. The tournament, with 16 teams, topped last year’s mark and raised more than $36,000 this year. All funds raised go toward the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital unique hybrid cardiac catheterization suite, a specialized procedure room that enables interventional cardiologists to work side by side with heart surgeons to diagnose and repair specific heart problems. “The suite enables doctors and nurses to accomplish numerous tasks at one time, as opposed to years past when multiple surgeries were required, thereby reducing hospital stays, risk of infections and just overall emotional distress on the family,” says Bill McDermott, Mary’s father.

Mary, who was diagnosed with heart problems when she was an infant, passed away in 2008 at the age of 24. In her memory, her family holds the popular basketball tournament. Hundreds of people attend each year. To date, donations have totaled more than $262,000. This year, the McDermotts were thrilled with the many auction items they received for the tournament, including a Mike Matheny autographed St. Louis Cardinals uniform, an autographed sweater from St. Louis Blues hockey player and assistant captain Vladimir Tarasenko, and United States National Team shirts signed by World Cup winners (and St. Louisans) Lori Chalupny and Becky Sauerbrunn. “Our family likes to think that people who participate in the tournament do so for a two-fold purpose,” adds McDermott. “They continue to honor the memory of Mary and her association with Cardinal Glennon and they help raise funds to guarantee quality health care for children in and around the St. Louis area. We, as a family, are eternally grateful to Cardinal Glennon for enabling us to have 24 years with our sweet Mary.”

October 21 October 30

SAVE

20%

Glennon Card

2016

Benefiting SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

PRESENTED BY:

ote this in your calendar now — Purchase the Glennon Card this fall! Presented by McBride and Son Homes, the Glennon Card is a wonderful fundraiser for SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation. Spearheaded by the Glennon Guild, a ladies hospital auxiliary comprising 300 volunteers, the Glennon Card enables purchasers to receive a 20% discount at more than 300 stores, restaurants, spas and salons in the Greater St. Louis region. This year’s shopping days will be October 21-30. “Each year, the program has grown both in funds raised for the hospital and in the number of cards sold to the community,” says guild member Tricia Davies, co-chair of the Glennon Card program. “We are gratified to see the many ways in which our volunteer hours and the Guild funds have helped the kids being cared for at Cardinal Glennon!”

Glennon Cards cost $50 each. Since the Guild started the program in 2011, it has helped to raise more than $785,000 for the hospital. In 2015 alone, more than $187,000 was raised. “Funds from the 2015 Glennon Card efforts have allowed us to purchase a new state-of-the-art ultrasound machine,” says Damon Harbison, chief operating officer. “The better image quality not only helps in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment planning for our patients, it also may reduce the need for evaluating some patients using a radiation-based imaging technology, such as CT.” This year’s card sales begin on September 12 and will benefit inpatient cancer care. For more information, visit glennoncard.org. If you want to be a sponsor or participating merchant, visit the website or call the Foundation office at 314-577-5605. Did You Know? If you spend $250 using your Glennon Card, you will recoup your initial $50 purchase price because of the 20% merchant discount! Save money and help the children at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital at the same time! glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 75

Spotlight Santa Landing

was nine days before Christmas, when over at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital... what to our wondering eyes should appear, but Santa Claus himself, from the air! On December 16, the big man in red came in via helicopter for a special visit with all of our boys and girls.

After he landed, he made his way inside and through the halls to visit our patients and families. Santa even caught some of them peeking out of their rooms, awaiting their one-on-one visit. They may have been tipped off that he was on their floor, as a group of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon volunteers sang Christmas carols along the way. Santa left some gifts for each of the boys and girls, with special wishes for a Merry Christmas to all. Just one day later, the photo album posted on the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Facebook page had received nearly 700 “likes” and many touching comments. “I caught a glimpse of Santa today and thoroughly enjoyed the wide eyed wonder of the small children” “We were there when he flew in! Kids loved it!” “Aw. This brings tears to my eyes as we were there last year and this happened. It brightened up my son’s face like nothing else. Spending Christmas in the hospital surely isn’t ideal, but Cardinal Glennon made it truly special! Thank you!” “What a blessing this was!! Thank you Cardinal Glennon! Love the staff - so grateful for the care they give my niece.” 76 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Circus Fights Cancer!

lowning around was just part of the fun at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital last October as members of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus stopped by to give a special performance for hospitalized children. The troupe, from Ringling’s Circus Xtreme, also presented a $10,000 check to go toward pediatric cancer care and research in The Costas Center. It’s one of dozens of donations totalling $1 million that the circus is making to pediatric hospitals across the country. The connection between the circus and cancer research has been making headlines since last fall, when a study found that elephants could hold the key to stopping cancer from forming in the body. Elephants have a cancer mortality rate of less than 5% compared to 25% in people. The study, supported in part by the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation and published last October in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that the reduced mortality rate could be linked to a specific cancer-inhibiting gene protein called p53. Humans have two copies of the gene that encodes this protein; elephants have 40. The research also found that elephants have a stronger immune response toward detecting and then eliminating damaged cells from their bodies before the cells become cancerous.

$10,000 donation

“It’s as if the elephants said, ‘It’s so important that we don’t get cancer, we’re going to kill this cell and start over fresh,’” said Joshua Schiffman, MD, one of the researchers involved. “This may be more effective of an approach to cancer prevention than trying to stop a mutated cell from dividing and not being able to completely repair itself.” Schiffman notes that p53 could be nature’s way of keeping elephants from getting cancer. “It’s up to us to learn how different animals tackle the problem so we can adapt those strategies to prevent cancer in people,” he said in news reports about the research.

Home Grown

Spotlight

Monoc Sisters Rock the Lobby!

Cardinals Fan Wins Big!

ising country pop singer/songwriters Lindsey and Katie Monoc stopped by SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in February to play a special concert in the hospital lobby. The sisters, from O’Fallon, MO, started singing together several years ago and have performed in Branson as well as in other states. They signed with Rhythm Music Group in St. Louis and are now on iTunes with a single titled “Number 23.” “We came to the hospital because we love sharing our music with every single age group,” says Lindsey Monoc. “After playing in front of the children and their families, we felt such a happiness in our hearts that we had the honor to sing for them.” Adds Katie Monoc, “Playing music gives us such joy, so to be able to share it with the kids and their families made it even better. Their eyes lit up after the first strum of the guitar. Things like this make you appreciate the little things, like music and fellowship. It truly was an honor to play for them.”

ifelong Cardinals baseball fan and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital donor Carol Klockenbrink Daughtry had the time of her life after winning a private dinner with Cardinals players Matt Holliday and Trevor Rosenthal. Daughtry was the highest bidder during the Homers for Health Game Shows auction last year to win a group dinner at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. “It was one of the best, most memorable evenings I’ve ever had,” says Daughtry. “Being with Trevor and Matt and their wives, well, they epitomized heroes on and off the field. They are so nice and I got such great pleasure watching my aunt and friends having a great time!” Daughtry has been an enthusiastic Homers for Health participant and donor for the past several years. She successfully bid on a Matt Holliday World Series banner that was hung in downtown St. Louis at the Game Shows two years ago. It’s now in a place of honor in her basement in Troy, MO, where she has created her own “fan cave” dedicated to the St. Louis Cardinals.

From left: Anne Braungardt, Dr. Ryan McCann, Lindsey Rosenthal, Trevor Rosenthal, Leslee Holliday, Matt Holliday, Alex Guthermuth, Kellen McCann, Jill McCann, Carol Daughtry

The Monoc sisters have written more than two dozen songs to date. You can follow the duo and check their performance schedule on Facebook (search for MONOC). We thank the sisters for sharing their talents and brightening the days of the children and families at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon!

“I still have the old stadium seats from Busch Stadium and buckets of signed baseballs and bats,” she says. “I also have several signed team jerseys. I just love them!” Daughtry says Homers for Health is a perfect way to support a great pediatric hospital and share her love of the Cardinals. When she was younger, she was often in the hospital with regular bouts of pneumonia and several allergies. “I’ll keep going to the Homers for Health Game Shows because I love Cardinal Glennon and the Cardinals,” she says. “It’s a great combination!”

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 77

Spotlight Volunteer Rock Stars!

ant to be a “Glennon Rock Star” and make a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve? Just sign up to be a volunteer! Our volunteers are students, seniors, professionals, former patients and family members, businesses and organizations from throughout the community. They help out at events and community programs or volunteer for a variety of jobs around the hospital.

In January, for example, a blended team of Washington University Law School students and alumni from the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in St. Louis came to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital to sort and help us store hundreds of toys that were donated to the hospital during the holiday season for later distribution to patients and families. “We are part of the Public Service Advisory Board, which organizes a school-wide public service event in the St. Louis area every year on Martin Luther King Day,” says Tom Neuner, one of the law school’s service day organizers. “Cardinal Glennon is one place where we always volunteer and we are happy to help out. We had such a positive experience that we’re now talking about volunteering more often at the hospital.” Sign up to be a volunteer and we’ll make you a Glennon Rock Star, too! Just visit glennon.org/volunteer. 78 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Hitting the Runway 23rd Annual Friends Of Kids With Cancer Fashion Show

ho doesn’t want to feel special? Last November, 10 young cancer patients from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital were treated to a full pampering day before hitting the runway as part of the 23rd Annual Friends Of Kids With Cancer Fashion Shows. The two shows, occurring over lunch and then dinner, were all part of a fundraising effort that has a dual purpose — to raise funds and also to celebrate survivorship and fun. Arianna Dougan, 10, was one of our patients who participated in the fashion show. “I felt like a star for the whole day, and who wouldn’t want to be a fashion star!” she said excitedly. Friends of Kids With Cancer provides patients with the educational, emotional and recreational support needed while children are going through long hours of chemotherapy or other cancer treatment. The non-profit organization was founded in 1992, with the fashion show debuting a year later and the organization’s first major fundraising event. The shows, which include boutique shopping and silent auctions in addition to the fashion show, draw more than 700 people each year. Aleeza Granote, MSW, LCSW, a pediatric oncology social worker at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, also participated in the fashion show. She says the event brings some needed sunshine into the lives of many children. “Having them model on stage gives them courage and self-confidence,” Granote explains. “It really made the kids feel so incredibly beautiful, which is exactly what we love for them to feel. As for me, it was such an honor to stand alongside our courageous patients and represent Cardinal Glennon.” The 24th Annual Friends Of Kids With Cancer Fashion Show is set for November 10, 2016.

Dan Dierdorf

Portrait Unveiling

an Dierdorf joined longtime Bob Costas Benefit committee members, sponsors and other supporters who came together in the Dan Dierdorf Emergency and Trauma Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital on April 19 for a portrait unveiling ceremony in his honor. Artist Marie Donato was on hand to help unveil the portrait, commemorating 30 years of generosity and to celebrate the tremendous impact Dierdorf has made on thousands of patients and families over the years. The Dan Dierdorf Emergency and Trauma Center was the first level one pediatric trauma center in Missouri. Nearly 60,000 children visit the emergency and trauma center each year for all types of injuries and illness, ranging from sprains and asthma attacks to serious trauma injuries.

Ed Hempstead, Jim Woodcock, Dan Dierdorf and Jerry Caesar

Joined at the podium by fellow Board members Jim Woodcock and Ed Hempstead, who shared jokes and stories with the crowd of 100 plus. One particular story was shared by Hempstead, who told guests he initially enlisted the help of Dierdorf to start the golf tournament 30 years ago. Encouraged by fellow committee member Jerry Ceasar, he randomly called in on a radio show Dan was hosting and publicly made the ask. The reception was a celebration of what happens when sponsors, committees, supporters and one particular NFL Hall of Famer, come together to make a difference in the lives of sick and injured children.

Spotlight A Moving Gesture

huge thank you to All My Sons Moving and Storage Company in Earth City, MO, who stepped in to help a family in need from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The company assisted in packing and moving a family whose daughter had been treated for cancer. “All My Sons Moving answered a call for help on short notice,” says pediatric oncology social worker Aleeza Granote, MSW, LCSW. “We are so grateful they volunteered to help us get one of our families where they needed to go.”

Roksana Attaei, 4, underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2014 following a cancer diagnosis. Her mother says SSM Health Cardinal Glennon was amazing in both caring for her daughter before, during and after the diagnosis and in finding All My Sons Moving to help. “It’s a privilege that we’ve been able to give back to the community that has given so much to us,” says Clif Cooper, Operations Manager for All My Sons Moving and Storage. “We are glad to be able to make a difference and move Roksana and her family safely into their beautiful new home. “ “I love Cardinal Glennon and I’m so grateful,” says Sedika Attaei, Roksana’s mother as she looks at a picture Roksana drew of a rainbow. “Before, we were in the rain and clouds. Now, we’re in rainbows. Thank you to both Cardinal Glennon and the moving company.”

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 79

Spotlight Celebrating A Championship Year!

he year 1976 was a magical one for a team of soccer players from Oakville High School in south St. Louis County. At times considered the underdogs, the Oakville Tigers went on to win the Missouri State Soccer Championships with a final record of 23-3-2. “All three losses came in overtime and I believe we allowed only 11 goals that year,” says Gary Ullo, one of the players. “We simply out-worked the competition. We also believed that when we walked onto the field, we’d be victorious. I credit that to Coach Jim Bokern, who believed in us and taught us how to win.” “The ’76 team was a family,” adds goalie Jim Tietjens, “That one magical day in November was ‘Our Day.’ Not one of us has forgotten it. We grew up together, experienced wins and losses together and still today, we are a team.” So when members reunited in 2015 after the tragic death of teammate Sean Hogan, they decided to not only support each other, but also to give back to the community. Mike Dolan suggested making a donation in the amount of their championship year and Ullo followed that by suggesting SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital as the recipient.

“Most of us went on to play college soccer and several played pro soccer. Even more important, many of us received scholarships and earned our degrees, setting us up for successful futures,” says Ullo. “Our donation as a team represents something bigger. It’s our families together helping the children in this community.” He adds with a laugh, “Now, we’re challenging the 2000 Oakville State Soccer Champs to do the same!”

Donated $1,976

The 1976 Oakville High School Missouri State Soccer Champions and friends.

102.5 KEZK

Grants Random Acts of Kindness to our patients!

n February 29 102.5 KEZK granted Random Acts of Kindness to five patients of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Their special Random Act of Kindness promotion included a red carpet treatment for the premiere of Disney’s “Zootopia” at Des Peres Cinema. Life-size star cutouts and an actual red carpet greeted the patients, friends and families upon arrival as well as a string of paparazzi and the hospital’s mascot, Rally Squirrel. Each patient was interviewed by Trish Gazall of 102.5, along with the great reception upon arrival they also received their complimentary tickets and favorite movie treat to enjoy during the movie. Thanks to 102.5 KEZK for making a night to remember!

Rally Squirrel and Alec Ingram

80 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

Back Row left to right: Arianna Dougan, Savannah Thebeau, Vincent Ambrosecchia, Alec Ingram, Rally Squirrel and Denise Schmidt Front Row left to right: Colleen Boron, Trish Gazall, Meggie Hilbert

Spotlight Mind Full of Words

he PNC Foundation and Webster University unveiled a two-year Mind Full of Words program to help build vocabulary for children living in lower-income neighborhoods around St. Louis. Through this initiative that is part of PNC’s Grow Up Great early childhood program, pediatricians from 16 area medical clinics that serve lowerincome families will discuss the importance of reading to young children during routine well baby and early

Dr. Haller is interacting with children from the University City School District - Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Education Center and Carondelet Leadership Academy. The three women are representatives of those two schools.

childhood check-ups. At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, the program Reach Out and Read prepares America’s children to succeed in school by partnering with our pediatricians to prescribe books and encourage families to provide the foundation for literacy and vocabulary development by reading together.

Left to Right: Dr. Beth Stroble, Webster University President, Dr. Ken Haller, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, Michael Scully, PNC Regional President, Elmo, Sesame Street, Jessica Bellomo, Gateway Media Literacy Partners, Crystal Cauley, Director, University City Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Education Center, Patty Carleton, Director of Youth Services, St. Louis Public Library, Susan Blandford, Executive Director, St. Louis Teachers’ Recycle Center.

GRANTS Grants Meet Multiple Needs

n 2015, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital benefited from more than $1.1 million in grants. A huge thanks goes out to our donors for making these things possible:

• Mental-health services — St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund and Missouri Department of Economic Development Youth Opportunities Program

• Screenings and health care for foster kids and refugee children — Missouri Foundation for Health, Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis and Pott Foundation

• Car seats, bike helmets, seat/helmet fittings and safety education — Kohl’s Department Stores

• Diagnostic and therapeutic equipment — Guth

Foundation Charitable Trust, Enterprise Holdings Foundation and Phyllis Weber

• Cancer research — St. Baldrick’s Foundation • Safety-in-sports education for coaches, parents and young athletes — Coca-Cola Foundation

• Psycho-emotional care for NICU families — Children’s Trust Fund of Missouri

• School-work assistance for hospitalized and

extensive-care patients — Kallaos Family Foundation and Optimist Club of St. Louis

• Patients’ basic needs — Pillsbury Foundation, Frank

Adam Foundation, Kisling Foundation, Southwest Airlines, Echo Valley Foundation, Kuhn Foundation, Employees Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis, U.S. Bank Foundation, Jordan Foundation, Toyota Bodine, and St. Louis Affordable Housing Trust Fund

• Developing a database of children with special health

needs — Donald and Mary Jane Buchanan Foundation

• Age-appropriate books for preschoolers at well-child visits — Harry Edison Foundation

• Summer camp attendance for dialysis patients — American Kidney Fund and Genentech

• Light up Glennon (holiday lights) — Ameren Missouri

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 81

Nationally ranked care for kids. That’s

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital has over 200 of the best pediatric experts in St. Louis, practicing across more than 60 specialties.

and nationally ranked programs in cardiology and gastroenterology, children across the St. Louis region have access to the best care possible.

Here if you need us. In case of emergency, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon pediatric experts can be found at the following hospital ERs: >> SSM Health DePaul Hospital

>> SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital West

>> SSM Health St. Clare Hospital

>> Anderson Hospital

>> SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital

Find an SSM Health Cardinal Glennon pediatrician and learn more about our pediatric expertise at

cardinalglennon.com

With the region’s top two pediatric heart surgeons

Trained at the Best John Peter, MD

1986-1990, Resident and Chief Resident in Pediatrics 1990-1992, First Fellow in Pediatric Emergency Medicine now Medical Director, Pediatric Transport Team & Chief Medical Officer, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital

ohn Peter, MD, is just one floor up from when he first came to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital 30 years ago. Peter, the chief medical officer of the hospital and medical director of the Pediatric Transport Team, was the hospital’s first fellow who trained in pediatric emergency medicine in 1992. “The big thing I remember about the fellowship was that I just jumped in from day one into treating pediatric emergencies,” he recalls. “I quickly realized that you had to have a specific type of personality to work in the emergency department. You had to have the ability to remain calm under pressure and rapidly come up with a diagnostic plan for every patient that came through the doors. You also had to work well in teams. I liked all of that.”

Peter was drawn to emergency medicine while he was a resident at the hospital. “At the time, the ER and Acute Care were in a separate area from the hospital,” he says. “Acute Care was run by a senior resident, an intern and a nurse practitioner and we saw lots and lots of kids with coughs, colds, and sinus infections. None of us knew how much of a great learning opportunity that was at the time, but you honed your critical thinking and clinical skills in that environment. We learned to rapidly distinguish between the variety of ear infections, for example, and to really pay attention to the nuances of taking a medical history and diagnosing young patients.” What he also remembers is the cohesive “family” atmosphere among all those who worked in the emergency department and says he learned much from the nursing staff. After completing his residency and fellowship, Peter was offered a job as an attending physician. “That started in 1992 and I’ve never left,” he says with a smile. “Over the years, it has never occurred to me to leave. This is such a special place.” During his tenure, he has expanded the geographic reach of the pediatric transport team to help more children who need to come to the pediatric hospital. Even with his busy leadership roles, though, he still handles a clinical rotation in the Emergency Department and delights in serving as chair of the hospital’s Mission Committee. “This is the committee that considers pediatric referrals from around the world so that children in need of the care that we provide can receive it,” he explains. He sits back and muses about his

tenure. “You know, in all the years I’ve been here, I’ve never been asked to not accept a child for treatment because they didn’t have the ability to pay. We just somehow figure out how to make it work. There’s a definite spirit in the air here and a feeling of camaraderie. That’s why I stay.”

glennon.org Spring/Summer 2016 • 83

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Heather Hoertel, RN DIABETES PATIENT FROM ROLLA, MO now NURSE IN THE TRANSITIONAL CARE UNIT AT SSM HEALTH CARDINAL GLENNON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

leven years after being a patient at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, Heather Hoertel is back, this time as a new nurse in the Transitional Care Unit. “Here I am returning so that I can be one of the people who has the privilege of caring for these kids,” she says. “I wanted to share how grateful I am for the care that was given to me, for the beating heart of this hospital that I’ve witnessed in so many of the people that work here, and

to be a part of that wonderful rhythm.” Hoertel was 16 years old when her mother, an adult cardiac/OR nurse herself, felt something was wrong. “I had lost a lot of weight. I was running around with an insatiable hunger and I had that off-colored skin that kids tend to get when they’ve been sick awhile,” she says. She was diagnosed with outof-control diabetes. Her aunt, who worked as a pediatric nurse in St. Louis, recommended SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. “She said that Glennon had ‘heart,’ and that they would take care of more than just

my medical needs,” Hoertel remembers. She spent a few days as an inpatient and then the next several years as an outpatient in the hospital’s endocrine clinic. “Those days in the hospital and the handful of hours in the clinic

were enough to put Glennon in a very special place in my heart,” she says sincerely. “I realized afterward what a lucky kid I was. The wonderful doctors and talented nurses taught me the skills and confidence to take care of myself. I wanted other kids to have the same experience that I had so now I’ve become the nurse, and I try to bring smiles to those here.” She adds, “I am one of the hundreds of kids who have passed through these doors and have felt this love all around the hospital. I’m so thankful that I get to be a part of giving that this time around.”

Bill Millonas DIAGNOSED WITH STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME

now OWNER, MILLONAS PAINTING & INSPECTION CORRECTION IN BALLWIN, MO

ill Millonas still has the get-well cards from his second grade classmates at Ellisville Elementary School that were sent to him while a patient at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital 40 years ago. “My mom gave the cards to me one day,” he says. “They remind me of all that I went through.” Millonas was 8 years old when he had what his parents thought was the flu. “But I had a high fever and started to hallucinate, so they took me to the doctor. The minute he saw me, he sent me to Cardinal Glennon.”

He was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare, life-threatening inflammation in the skin and mucous membranes. In 30% of patients, like Millonas, dangerous inflammation occurs in the eyes, causing them to crust and seal shut. His pediatrician, Dr. Abraham Phillips, had to come and scrape away the discharge so that Millonas could see. “He told me that I was the first person at the hospital to survive this illness with my eyesight intact,” Millonas recalls. His parents, both teachers, took turns caring for two other children and coming to the hospital. What Millonas clearly remembers while he was alone

84 • SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation

in his patient room were the caring nurses. “There was this one nurse, Toni,” he recalls. “She was in her mid-20s. A few nights before I went home, I sat by the window in my room and talked with her. She was so kind. I would love to know how she’s doing today and thank her. She really embodied what I think Cardinal Glennon stands for today, caring and compassion.” Millonas grew up, started a painting and remodeling business in west St. Louis County and got married. He and his wife, Claudia, tried several times to find an “adult” physician, but nothing clicked. Millonas then called “Abe” up and asked if he would serve

as both family physician and pediatrician. “I have met several people my age and older who have him as their adult doctor. My son goes to him now. I think he’s just the best doctor in the world. To think, I found him when I was a kid.” If you know the whereabouts of Bill’s nurse, Toni, contact SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation at 314-577-5605.

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