March 18, 2011
Dance marathon — Mater Dei students raise over $20,000 for Riley Hospital
Mater Dei High School students hold up poster boards indicating the final total raised during the dance marathon for Riley Children's Hospital. They include Rachel Eickhoff, Mary Haas, Sally Folz, Kayla Hammelman, Ali Weinzapfel, Brooke Slaton, Tyler Marx, Erin Wildeman, Hannah France, Sara Reddington, Emily Short, Theresa Scheller and Jill Beamer. Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
There were probably many, many days last summer and fall when Theresa Scheller felt the pain of not being able to help someone she loved.
Those were the days when her older sister, Clare, was hospitalized at Riley Hospital for Children.
That became the time when Theresa began working quietly to raise funds for the Indianapolis hospital.
The Mater Dei senior hoped to raise $10,000 through a variety of fundraisers at her school.
Last Friday, her hard work paid off. At the end of a dance marathon, attended by hundreds of middle school and high school students, it was announced that not $10,000 but $20,091.25 had been raised.
The news was heartwarming to the entire Scheller family which includes Bob and Mary and their four children, Clare, Theresa, Leo and Maria.
All of the fund raising efforts have meant a lot to Clare who says of Riley “it’s become my home away from home. I was there four months, and I go there every Monday for chemotherapy.”
Clare’s connection with Riley began last June when her pediatrician diagnosed her with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, commonly known as ALL. He suggested that she be taken immediately to Riley Hospital for chemotherapy treatments.
Once they were there, her mother began writing daily posts on a CaringBridge Web site.
She wrote about Clare’s medical condition, and she shared their faith. “Clare has told me several times since last Friday, this is all part of God’s plan and we need to turn to him to help us through this . . .”
On July 16, Mary wrote that her daughter was experiencing leg cramping and pain and also temporary neuropathy; she could not put any weight on her left leg. The next day, Clare was taken back to Indianapolis by helicopter, and treatment began on a life-threatening infection that was rapidly spreading throughout her bloodstream.
The infection sent her into septic shock, causing many of her organs to fail, and requiring multiple antibiotics, IV meds, a ventilator and 24-hour kidney dialysis.
Days of waiting and hoping and praying followed. Late on the afternoon of July 23, Mary wrote, “Clare is in surgery now. As you are aware, the doctors have been very concerned about Clare’s left leg. They had told us days ago that the infection in her blood had involved that leg and severely damaged the muscles there . . . . So to prevent future infections, they decided to have part of her left leg removed . . . . To avoid risk of bleeding, they amputated her left leg just below the knee at the joint.”
She added, “I know this is terrible news to read. We knew from the beginning that she may not be able to save her whole leg . . . It was so swollen and black and blue and the circulation there was obviously not functioning. And it is important to us that all of Clare’s organs and blood are functioning the way they are supposed to . . . So if the leg was preventing that, then there was no other solution.”
Days later, Mary wrote of the long recovery awaiting Clare — “weeks or maybe months.” She added, “The progress each day has been small . . . . But with each ‘good day’ we get closer to Clare’s eventual recovery. While we wait, we ask God for strength, healing and the grace to accept all that has happened to Clare and our family, and the road that lies ahead. He is always with us, like the Good Shepherd, keeping us safe with a love for all of us that defies all understanding.”
Clare left the hospital and returned to her home in Evansville in November, just in time for Thanksgiving. She smiles when she talks about the wonderful treatment she received at the Indianapolis hospital. “Everyone there is so great. The nurses, the doctors, the social workers. It’s a really great place.
“If it weren’t for Riley, I wouldn’t be here.”
Her sister, Theresa, believes that too, and while Clare was hospitalized Theresa decided to raise money for the hospital.
Since 1991, schools around the state of Indiana have participated in dance marathons which raise funds for the hospital.
When Theresa heard about the marathons she thought it was an idea that would work well at Mater Dei. “I thought it was cool. I told my English teacher about it and she said, ‘Let’s go for it!’”
A student committee was formed, and efforts began to raise funds and collect donations for the silent auction. By last Friday night, the group had collected 26 items including a flat screen TV, tickets to Holiday World and a package for senior photos.
Theresa said of the efforts, “It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s been a lot of hard work.”
On the night of the dance marathon, the gym at Mater Dei was filled with huge inflatables. Tables were loaded with silent auction items, and there was a booth where students could write cards to Riley Hospital patients.
The first section of the even-ing was for sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Evansville area Catholic schools. About 50 students attended. Then about 200 high school students arrived.
Along with the dancing, pa-tients from Riley shared their stories throughout the evening.
Mary said the most notable speaker, for her, was Evan Meade, a student from Franklin Community High School in Franklin, Ind.
“He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and was receiving treatment around the same time Clare was diagnosed. He spent several weeks in the ICU at Riley, and went through chemotherapy there as well for months.
“He is now in remission and complete with his treatment. I plan to take Clare and Theresa to his high school this coming Saturday for their dance marathon.”
Clare said the whole evening was for the “kids at Riley.”
She said it reminded her of the lessons she learned when she was a student at Westside Catholic School and at Mater Dei. “The Catholic message is to give to others. I feel an obligation as a Catholic to give back. This is a way to get kids involved — to give their allow-ance, to give their time to Riley.”