Riley Children's Health

10/21/2026

Thank you to everyone who trusted me to tell their stories. It has been a privilege.

10/21/2026

After fetal surgery to correct a birth defect, Zachariah Smith is thriving, thanks to therapy and Riley specialists.

10/19/2026

It's Medical Assistants Recognition Week and we are so proud of our MAs at Riley who are often among the first friendly faces our patients see.

Yolanda Jones works at Riley's maternal fetal medicine clinic where she uses her empathy and compassion to help mothers facing immense joy or devastating pain. No matter the outcome of their pregnancies, the medical assistant is there with a genuine smile and respect for the patient.

Yolanda Jones believes God placed her at Riley's maternal fetal medicine. Regardless of the patient's outcome, the medical assistant is there with a smile.

10/19/2026

Riley Children’s Health specialists and team members joined healthcare professionals from Bermuda, the United Kingdom and the United States for the first IU Health International Pediatric Complex Care Conference in Bermuda.

More than 70 participants came together for multidisciplinary education, hands-on training and meaningful conversation about caring for children with complex conditions. Just as important, the conference created relationships clinicians can continue to draw on when challenging cases arise. Thank you to our Riley faculty, IU Health International Team, Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) and attendees who made this exchange of expertise and perspectives possible.


Bermuda Tourism

10/19/2026

“I fit the parts of his heart in the palm of my hand.” Mother of heart baby welcomes the technology that assisted in her son’s surgery.

10/17/2026

Bentley Troyer, 3, is on the mend after having surgery to straighten his legs at Riley Hospital for Children. Steel rods were implanted into both of his legs to correct curvatures that were preventing him from walking straight, and causing other complications. The rods will allow his legs to grow straight which will also help his feet be aligned properly. Likewise, they will decrease the stresses placed on his upper body. Originally, it was thought that he may have to have his hip straightened as well, but it was then determined that straightening his legs alone would correct his curvatures. Bentley was relaxing Thursday morning in his bed while he held off taking a nap. But as time passed and the fall sky softened Bentley gave in and took a nap as his father adjusted his blanket. Bentley is the son of Keith and Lori Troyer.

10/16/2026

Michelle Williams is a familiar sight in the Riley Outpatient Center, where she has been a member of the Environmental Services team for 17 years. Before that, she worked in a children’s hospital in St. Paul, Minn., and at an adult hospital in Fort Wayne.

“I love this job. I love the children,” she said.

Williams, who shares her time and talent with many extended family members, including siblings, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, loves to quilt in her spare time. During Riley’s 100th birthday party celebration in 2024, she presented a quilt created from the many Riley T-shirts she has collected over the years.

That quilt, which took her nearly a year to finish, was prominently displayed during the Riley centennial celebration in the lobby of Simon Family Tower.

“It was so amazing to see it hanging,” Williams said. “I was just proud to be a part of the day.”

The quilt is still in safekeeping with Riley administration, but the hope is that it will find a permanent place to be displayed soon.

10/15/2026

Safe sleep saves lives. 👶

Riley experts remind parents and all caregivers infants should always sleep alone, on their backs, and in empty cribs free of blankets, bumpers, and stuffed animals that could cause suffocation. 🧸

Dr. Pat Clements, a pediatric hospitalist and Medical Director of Well Newborn Care at Riley, says about a third of infant fatalities happen to babies during the daytime.

“It’s really important that we talk about safe sleep for every single time a baby is sleeping, not just for those periods at night.“

10/15/2026

Not long after Gay Marsh transitioned to a case manager role from floor nursing last year, she met Drew Eirwin on the hematology/oncology unit at Riley Hospital for Children.

Diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia as a young adult in September 2025, he was facing three years of rigorous treatment. Despite being 26 at the time, he was referred to Riley because the pediatric-inspired treatment regimen is recommended in young adults.

Drew, who is developmentally delayed, spent 10 months inpatient at Riley, including stays in the PICU. During that time, however, he was included in many of the activities the younger patients enjoyed, including making a dance video with the music therapy team.

His grandmother and legal guardian, whom he calls “mom,” has walked every step with him on this sometimes harrowing journey that left him unable to walk for a time. Alongside her has been Marsh and 5W social worker Cammie Campbell.

“Those two women are my saviors; there’s no other way to put it,” said Laurie Eirwin, Evansville. “I don’t know who does what, but when I have a problem, I go to those two and the problem gets solved.”

As a nurse case manager on the integrated care management team, Marsh collaborates with many disciplines within the hospital to make sure patients and families have the support and services they need while inpatient and when discharged to a rehab facility or home.

That included arranging for a place for Drew’s aunts to stay when they were in town visiting him, as well as securing equipment he would need at home, including a wheelchair ramp and hospital bed and access to a medical van for transportation.

He returns to Riley next week for the next phase of his treatment, and Eirwin hopes he doesn’t suffer any serious setbacks or lose the progress he made at home with help from therapy.

“He’s walking now without a walker, but it’s taken us this long to get to that point,” she said.

Whatever turns the road ahead takes, Marsh will be by the family’s side.

“They have a big space in my heart,” she said.

10/14/2026

In just 18 months with him, Christian Ragonesi and Victoria Zainey came to know the most resilient, determined little boy they'd ever met. Doctors told the parents their son, Kolton, had little chance of surviving his first week of life. But he defied the odds and is now helping other Riley patients through a foundation created by his mom and dad.

To help ease the pain of losing their young son, Kolton Ragonesi's parents started Kolton's Klubhouse to help other Riley families afford Christmas gifts.