IU Health Foundation

Kim Heiderich-Watson, cancer survivor, now gives back to her care team and hopes to help patients undergoing treatment. She received a complete hysterectomy from Dr. Lisa Landrum at IU Health Joe & Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center. And while in chemotherapy, she relied on the support of her care team. So once treatment finished, she decided to give back with a gift to nurse navigation training and education. "The patient care I received at the Schwarz Cancer Center was phenomenal, I would like to see that replicated in other places.” Thank you, Kim, for supporting nursing excellence! https://bit.ly/4cNvmSY

Hanging outside the Palliative Care Unit in the Medical Towers of IU Health Methodist is a Ribbon of Life Wreath to honor and remember the palliative care patients who passed away in 2023. Thank you to our palliative caregivers and the donors who support them.

Congratulations to Dr. William Goggins on completing 3,000 kidney transplants—the most in Indiana, and among the most in the US. And thank you to IU Health Foundation donors who made gifts in his honor! If you’d like to honor Dr. Goggins, give here https://bit.ly/3XSQJhD. And watch as his team and patients surprised Dr. Goggins: https://bit.ly/4d42m9K

Thank you to Sarah and John Lechleiter for your $6 million gift to Indiana University Health and the IU School of Medicine. It is the largest single philanthropic gift ever shared by the health system and the medical school, an indication of the institutions' continued collaboration. This gift will support: 1. Improvements to patient care and physician training 2. A new faculty chair in cardiovascular innovation 3. Research, quality and innovation work in the Cardiovascular Institute. https://bit.ly/3TvbEEB

Congratulations to our 2024 Foundation Values Award Winner, Laura Standley! Thank you, Laura for all you do to care for our patients and their families as well as your colleagues at the Foundation.

Agnes Judge, a breast cancer survivor from South Carolina, visited IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center as part of her mission to visit cancer units across all 50 states and make donations at each. Diagnosed in 2019, Judge transformed her fear into a mission to advocate for health awareness and cancer prevention. She chose Indiana University Health for her Hoosier destination because she was inspired by the wellness programs at CompleteLife and MOVE. Thank you, Agnes Judge, for your inspiration and kind donation! Pictured left to right: Zach Figueroa, Sabrina Riffler, Elyse Turula, Chet Linson, Agnes Judge, Dr. Kelvin Lee, Jodi Gietl, Chad Stearns, Michelle Bailey, Dani Halsey.

After seeing firsthand the toll ALS takes on both patients and caregivers, Mike Fitzgerald and his wife Melanie launched a nonprofit called Head Cook for ALS with a two-part mission: funding research to find a cure and caring for patients. During their community fundraiser, Madness at The Vogue, they raised $50,000 towards ALS patient care at IU Health. https://bit.ly/3ASo8jl

Join us for the Hoosier Health Series: Insights and Innovations in Transplant Care. Dr. Jonathan Fridell, Division Chief of Abdominal Transplant, will discuss lifesaving innovations in transplant care and what's on the horizon for patients. Register for this online webinar here: https://bit.ly/3ABLgCl

Congratulations to the 10 team members who were nominated for Foundation Values Awards this year! Fellow Foundation team members nominated colleagues who exemplify the IU Health values of purpose, excellence, compassion and team. Pictured left to right: Erin Newlon, Sarah Clem, Jamie Thompson, Laura Standley, Nicole Troy, Julie Geise, Melissa Roberts-Faulkner, Julia Bonnett, Jordan Brewer and (not pictured: Abby Charlebois).

Excellent story from Mirror Indy on how an Indy Peace life coach is working with a shooting victim to break the cycle of gun violence and retaliation. IU Health Foundation recently secured a $249,381 grant to launch IU Health's first-ever Hospital-linked Violence Intervention Program, at Methodist Hospital, to address gun violence. https://bit.ly/4d96XHP