Jan. 29, 2010

Indianapolis, IN – As the IPFW Mastodons prepare for their Summit League battle with IUPUI on Saturday, the team’s players and coaches made a side trip on their trek through Indianapolis, as the team made a stop at the Riley Children’s Hospital to visit with the patients there. The Mastodon players visited children in the cancer, stem cell, and pulmonary sections of the hospital.

“I think it is a great opportunity to see how fortunate we are,” said assistant coach Hilary O’Connell, the coach who organized the visit during IPFW’s yearly trek to Indianapolis. “A lot of times, we go through life and not really understand how good our lives are. Going to Riley and seeing the kids makes us forget any of the struggles we might be going through."

Riley Hospital for Children is Indiana's only comprehensive children's hospital, with pediatric specialists in every field of medicine and surgery. Riley Hospital for Children offers one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive outpatient care facilities for children, the world's largest pediatric sleep disorders center and one of the nation's three largest autism treatment center. Riley Hospital for Children also offers Indiana's only pediatric burn center, the most comprehensive neonatal unit, including the state's most experienced ECMO program, Indiana's largest and most comprehensive pediatric intensive care unit and is part of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center - the only National Care Institute-designated patient care center in Indiana.

“This is an opportunity for us to give back to the community,” said head coach Chris Paul. “We as Division I athletes and coaches have a lot of privileges and opportunities given to us. This is a way for us to be thankful for what we have, and to give a little bit back. This also helps to put things in perspective. You may be having a bad day, sore muscles, or tired, but you don’t realize how good you have it until you come down here and see some of these people – these children – who are battling for their lives every day. It puts things in perspective, and lets us realize that maybe even our worst day really isn’t that bad.”

Parents Magazine ranked Riley Hospital for Children 16th overall across the country and recognized the Riley neonatal and pulmonary care departments in the top 5 among select specialties. In addition, seven specialty programs, namely Urology, Diabetes & Endocrine Disorders, Neonatal Care, Respiratory Disorders, Digestive Disorders, Neurology & Neurosurgery and Orthopedics, ranked among the top 30 children's hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report's 2009-2010 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals. All of the Indiana pediatricians listed in America's Top Doctors, a national consumer publication, have Riley-based practices.

The trip is yet another goal of Paul’s, to have his players in the program not only graduate with a degree and a strong four years of basketball, but also to be a better whole person.

“I want the players to be well rounded,” commented the head coach. “We always get judged based on wins and losses, but I think the experience is more than that. It’s the wins and losses; it’s the competing; it’s the going to class; the giving back to the community; and being respectful of everything you have. By going out and doing these types of things, it puts everything in perspective and broadens their horizons a little bit.”

The Mastodons will take on the Jaguars of IUPUI on Saturday, with tip-off slated for 4:30 PM at the Jungle.

~Dons~