Riley Children's Health

05/30/2026

Brinley Patterson, 14, loves to be outside, so Friday’s beautiful weather was just too good to pass up. Together with her mom and sister (Jennifer Patterson and Layla Patterson) and her physical therapist Trevor Taylor, Brinley completed her PT session on an exercise bike around Riley Hospital for Children. Layla helped celebrate at the finish line and showed Brinley where sections of her course were completed. The session helped Brinley work on her leg strength and coordination as she navigated corners and went up a ramp near a building entrance. Brinley comes to Riley Hospital often and benefits from PT once a week.

05/29/2026

Just call her “Dr. Millie.” Millie Modesitt, who received a heart transplant earlier this year at Riley Hospital for Children, recently paid tribute to a historic figure in heart surgery circles. Millie dressed up as Dr. Nina Starr Braunwald (1928-1992), the first woman to be certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and one of the first women to perform open-heart surgery. Dressed in scrubs and a white coat and wearing her own IU Health name badge, Millie posed next to her poster detailing Dr. Braunwald’s accomplishments. It was all for a school project that the outgoing fourth-grader participated in from home because she had not yet been cleared to attend in-person classes. Millie, the daughter of Mitch and Candra Modesitt, joked that she just needed a white coffee cup in her hand to look like her heart surgeon, Dr. Mark Turrentine. ❤️
--mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

05/28/2026

They knew their baby would not survive after birth, so they asked an OB nurse/ordained wedding officiant to marry them.

05/28/2026

Atlas Coughlin was born on December 7 with a head full of hair and also a bladder exstrophy diagnosis.

The calm and sweet baby had surgery, his first of several, on April 23 and spent a month inpatient at Riley, capturing the hearts of his doctors, nurses and care team members.

He is recovering now and receiving plenty of attention from his parents and older sister. You can read more about Atlas' care and bladder exstrophy by clicking the link in our bio.

05/27/2026

One of the many tragic scenes in the hit HBO Max medical drama, The Pitt, is in season 2, episode 11 when a frantic mother rushes into the ER with her son who got trapped in her hot vehicle as she was gardening nearby.

Dr. Jessica Kanis, a Riley emergency medicine physician, reacts to this heartbreaking scene and shares useful tips to prevent this from happening to more children.

05/27/2026

Sandra "Sandie" Kennedy is saying goodbye to Riley after 43 years of service! Sandie currently works as a nurse practitioner on 9 West where she cares liver and multivisceral transplant patients.

Dr. Jean Molleston and Dr. Chaowapong Jarasvaraparn, two of her teammates in pediatric gastroenterology, give Sandie the highest praise and offer their well wishes.

Congratulations, Sandie! Thank you for caring for our kids.

05/26/2026

Our trauma specialists have seen almost everything. Here are some of the things they would 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 do, and 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 do, to keep kids safe. ❤️‍🩹

05/26/2026

Did you know? Our pediatric heart surgery program meets the criteria for a Comprehensive Care Center—the top tier outlined in national recommendations. Learn more about heart surgery at Riley Children’s and how we’re caring for children with complex heart conditions.

At Riley Children’s Health, our pediatric heart surgery program meets the criteria for a Comprehensive Care Center. This means we provide advanced care…

05/23/2026

Summer is the perfect time for kids to get outside and ride a bike. A properly fitted helmet and simple safety habits can help prevent serious injuries and keep kids riding confidently all summer long.

Teaching your child bike safety and why it matters.

05/22/2026

Tyler Nichols didn’t set any speed records when he completed the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon this year, but he certainly showed off his heart and endurance. Tyler, the 14-year-old son of Dustin and Emily Nichols of Brownsburg, walked the half-marathon (13.1 miles) distance on the oncology unit at Riley Hospital for Children while being treated for leukemia. He completed 210 laps around the unit with his mom by his side, cheered on by his medical team. Dave Neff, president and CEO of the 500 Festival, came to Riley earlier this week to recognize Tyler for his accomplishment and present him with an official Indy Mini medal, shirt and other swag. “Hearing your story inspired all of us,” Neff said. “Keep going. We all believe in you.” Also on hand for the moment were Tyler’s oncologists, Dr. Allison Yancey and Dr. Christina Ebenroth, as well as several nurses from the oncology team. Tyler, an avid runner who completed last year’s Mini with a time of 1:28, has a long road of treatment ahead but vows to run the 14-mile distance from Riley to his Brownsburg home after he rings the bell signifying the end of treatment in early 2028.
--mgilmer1@iuhealth.org