Special celebration will reunite transplant recipients and their clinicians

WHAT: This weekend, Riley Hospital for Children and Clarian Transplant will host a special holiday celebration for more than 30 pediatric heart transplant  recipients and nearly 150 of their family members. The event will celebrate the longer lives these organ recipients have been able to enjoy thanks to transplant operations performed at Riley Hospital.
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 4 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
WHERE: NCAA Hall of Champions 700 West Washington Street, Indianapolis
VISUALS:

* Transplant recipients, families and hospital staff
* Recipients giving their personal testimonies
* Special presentation recognizing patients who received new hearts 20 years ago

DETAILS: INDIANAPOLIS – This weekend, Riley Hospital for Children and Clarian Transplant will host their "Heart to Heart Holiday Party" – a special celebration for more than 30 pediatric heart transplant recipients from across the state and nearly 150 of their family members. The event, which will take place at the NCAA Hall of Champions, will celebrate the longer lives these organ recipients have been able to enjoy thanks to transplant operations performed at Riley Hospital. At the celebration, Riley Hospital and Clarian Transplant staff will also recognize two twentysomethings from Indiana who were given a second chance at life thanks to heart transplants performed at Riley Hospital in 1990.

Together, Riley Hospital – Indiana's only nationally ranked children's hospital – and Clarian Transplant – the sixth largest transplant center in the nation – offer the only pediatric organ transplant programs in the state. Thanks to their partnership, children can receive life-saving heart, kidney, liver, intestine and multivisceral transplants.

In partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley Hospital and Clarian Transplant combine clinical expertise, research and teaching excellence to provide quality, state-of-the-art care to patients.

CONTACT:
Gene Ford
317.985.8731 (cell)
gford2@clarian.org

About Riley Hospital for Children
As one of the nation's leading pediatric hospitals and Indiana's first and only comprehensive hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children, Riley Hospital for Children, a part of Clarian Health, has provided compassionate care, support and comfort to children and their families for 85 years. Each year, Riley Hospital and Riley Hospital at Clarian North serve over 215,000 inpatients and outpatients from across Indiana, the nation and the world. Riley Hospital's partnership with Clarian Health, and its strong affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine, makes it the only comprehensive clinical resource for Indiana's children and the premiere source for health-related information for their parents. From simple care associated with the health and wellness of children and less complex specialty care to the most critically-ill and medically complex cases, Riley Hospital for Children is a national leader. Clarian Health operates the Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children campuses as a single hospital under Indiana law. Visit Riley Hospital for Children for more information.