A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING After a pediatric neurosurgeon saved their daughter’s life, John and Jennifer Eagle established an endowment through a gift of $1 million to Children’s Health.
Dr. Dale Swift , Eagle Family Master Clinician at Children’s Health
For more than two decades, John Eagle has held onto a doctor’s business card. Now yellowed and frayed, the card goes with him everywhere—tucked in his wallet alongside folded receipts and credit cards. He plans to keep it forever. The weathered card is one of his most treasured items—a reminder of what is possible and the pediatric neurosurgeon who saved his daughter’s life. “In the business world, I had people all the time tell me they couldn’t do things,” said John, President and CEO of John Eagle Dealerships, who over the years grew the family dealership business to include many franchises in various cities.
Born during an emergency c-section at 24 weeks old, they each weighed 1 pound and 5 ounces. Because of complications with their premature births, Natalie only lived for about 36 hours, and Alexandra developed hydrocephalus—an abnormal build-up of fluid in the cavities deep within the brain. This fluid build-up puts pressure on the brain’s tissues, and too much pressure can cause brain damage and even death. Alexandra needed a tube—also known as a shunt— inserted surgically to drain the excess fluid. But doctors at another hospital didn’t have the capability to perform the surgery. And Alexandra was running out of time.
“ This card reminds me that nothing is impossible, and I don’t ever want to forget that.” Because more than two decades earlier, Dale Swift, M.D., a Pediatric Neurosurgeon at Children’s Health, was his daughter’s last hope.
In January 1997, John and Jennifer Eagle welcomed twin girls, Alexandra and Natalie. Alexandra Eagle, Age 5
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