INDIANAPOLIS — Friday marked donation day for the Lane family. Charlie and his dad, Patrick, came with a car full of toys to Riley Hospital for Children.
The duo started giving back to the Riley Cheer Guild in 2019. Donations are made both online and in person. Most of the toys are donated by Patrick’s coworkers.
“We’re down here a lot. He still has follow-ups and all the rest. But to be able to give back to a place that saved his life is pretty incredible,” Patrick said about his son.
Giving back is personal for these two. Charlie stayed inpatient at Riley for nearly a year in 2018.
“When we were here, he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t use his arms,” Patrick said.
The then two-and-a-half-year-old had a brain tumor. When he was discharged right before Christmas, the hospital provided the family gifts for the holiday.
It is something Patrick will never forget, and part of why it is the Lane family’s mission to give back to Riley.
“It’s pretty incredible to have him in a place where actually he just got out of all his therapies except for speech and hearing,” Patrick said.
Charlie and the Lane family are still collecting donations for Riley Hospital for Children. Toys can be dropped off at any Edward Jones office in Central Indiana.
The Heartland International Film Festival will also be collecting toys to donate through the Lanes during Merry Movie Nights on December 15-18.
