The Riley Heart Center Bearevement Committee
The Riley Heart Center Bearevement Committee was put in place after my daughter Elliana Marie Rose Wright passed away on the CVICU side at Riley’s Children Hospital. She was an inpatient for 8 months. The committee supports long term patient families during stay and after their loved one has passed with care support and other resources. They also send bereavement gifts to the funeral homes in honor of them. Elliana was gifted with a plaque after her passing from the entire heart center unit and ICU. This gift initiated the creation of this committee. Now patients who have passed away will receive this plaque after their 1 year anniversary.
The plaque honoring the loved one that passed is engraved with their specific heart beat. This means so much to parents who were constantly staring at a monitor watching their baby's heart beat in the hospital. The comfort and support this plaque stands for is monumental in the grieving process.
The Riley Heart Center is for patients who have heart problems ranging from mild to severe, needing immediate surgeries or other heart procedures. It is a very stressful time for the parents not only emotionally but also financially due to being an inpatient for so long. The committee is very important and helps families as much as they can with meal tickets, supplies, gas cards and other resources they would need during their stay. They work extremely hard taking care of their patients and families. The committee also supports the nursing team as well when they lose a patient, because they put their heart into each of them. The Riley Heart Center staff took the extra time and effort to form this committee with Elliana in mind. For that I will be forever grateful and will strive to support the Riley Heart Center Bearevement Committee as much as possible.
Monetary donations can now be made online or by mailing a check. To donate online, use www.rileykids.org/designatemygift and include "CV service line bereavement fund" in the designated field. To donate by check, include "CV service line bereavement fund" on the memo line and mail to Riley Children's Foundation, 30 S. Meridian St., Ste 200, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Employees can also opt for payroll deduction!
The Riley Heart Center Bearevement Committee has also collaborated with Mended Little Hearts of Indianapolis.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support!
Love, Elliana’s mother
