Raising awareness: Youth gives back to hospital that changed his life for the better

Photo caption: Mikey, Mary and Terry Lee have reached out to Riley Hospital for Children even while health concerns have challenged their family.

By John Shaughnessy

When Terry and Mikey Lee made their usual Saturday trip to the hardware store, the father and son never

imagined it would be a life-changing experience.

The visit to one of the Sullivan Hardware stores in Indianapolis normally meant the father and son would buy a bag of popcorn and share it as they strolled along the aisles looking at the latest tools and gadgets.

Yet as they left the hardware store that Saturday, then-10-year-old Mikey saw a group of students from Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis running a car wash.

Looking closely at the signs that some of the students were using to try to get drivers’ attention, Mikey noticed that the car wash was part of the fundraising efforts by the Bishop Chatard dance marathon group to benefit Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

As a child whose life was touched by the care he received at Riley, Mikey walked up to the students and asked if he could help with the car wash.

“He volunteered for three hours that day,” recalled his father, Terry. “He was holding up signs, shouting through a megaphone and washing cars. In the process, he told them his story of being associated with Riley. They told him about the dance marathon and asked if he would speak at it. He wrote his own speech and gave it at the dance marathon.”

The story that Mikey told at Bishop Chatard’s 2004 dance marathon touched the hearts of the high school students.

That story began in 2002 when Mikey’s mom, Mary, had brain surgery. A tumor the size of a golf ball was removed from her head. A day after she came home from the hospital, she crumpled to the floor of the kitchen. Paramedics rushed to the home of the members of Christ the King Parish in Indianapolis. Mary rebounded, but Mikey was still affected.

Later that night, he suffered terrible seizures. He was rushed to Riley.

“He had never had anything like that,” his father said. “They determined his seizures were directly related to what was happening with his mom. He was stressed that whole week before her surgery. And his sleep pattern was messed up. His seizures were caused by sleep deprivation and stress.”

Mikey told the Chatard students that doctors at Riley made him better. As Mikey gave his talk, the director of the Indiana University Dance Marathon—which the Chatard dance marathon is a part of—was in the crowd. He was so impressed by Mikey’s talk that he asked him to give it at the dance marathon at Indiana University in Bloomington. Mikey stood in front of 1,300 college

students and told his story again.

Since that moment two years ago, the problems for the Lee family have continued. Mary had surgery for a fourth brain tumor in August. Mikey has been treated at Riley for headaches he’s had since November of 2005.

“Personally, only one time in all of this did Mikey look at me and say, ‘Why is this happening?’ ” Terry said. “I said, ‘I don’t know. It must be in God’s plan.’ From there, he’s took it in stride. For me, I pray a lot. I’m praying for him to get better. I’m praying for Mary to get better. I don’t understand, but I’ve said it 1,000 times—God only gives you what you can handle.”

While the family’s health concerns continue, so does Mikey’s commitment to Riley.

Soon to be 13, he has helped with the dance marathons at several high schools. He has collected money at the Indiana State Fair for Riley. He has bussed tables at the Knights of Columbus Hall on the north side of Indianapolis when that council decided to donate contributions from a breakfast benefit to Riley. He has already met his goal of raising $1,500 for Riley this year.

He will be at the six-hour Chatard dance marathon on Oct. 22. He will be a part of the morale committee at the 36-hour IU dance marathon on Nov. 3-5.

“It’s hard enough to stay up for 36 hours without

sitting down,” said Mikey, an eighth-grade student at St. Matthew School in Indianapolis. “It’s even harder doing that and being the star of the show. You have to keep everyone enthused. I teach a line dance, too.

“Riley is helping more and more patients every year. This is just helping them out. It’s just an amazing feeling helping so many kids. People are just amazed that a kid my age would be doing something like this.”

His mother said it’s just Mikey being Mikey.

“He has always been the kind of person who would do something for someone else before himself,” she said. “He’s always liked making people happy. When something was wrong with me, he brought me a bell and any time I rang it he would run to help me. He’s always been a helper. He feels good about doing that.”

(Anyone wanting to help Mikey can make a check to IU Dance Marathon and send it in care of Mikey Lee, P.O. Box 20322, Indianapolis, IN 46220.) †