KCH Welcomes Kate's KartKosciusko Community Hospital Wednesday became the 14th hospital in Northeastern Indiana to welcome Kate's Kart.
Kate's Kart, a not-for-profit organization, provides free, new books to hospitalized children. It was founded in memory of Katherine Anne Layman.
Kate was born in June 2006 with Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia associated with the 22q11 chromosomal deletion. She endured four open-heart surgeries, five heart catheterizations and more than 150 days in the hospital. To help pass the time during her hospital stays, one of Kate's favorite things to do was look at books and have others read to her.
Her prognosis looked hopeful, but on Jan. 15, 2008, Kate's heart gave out and she died at 18 months old.
In memory of Kate, the Layman family wanted to find a way to give back to the medical community that had taken care of their daughter during her short life. As a tribute to Kate's love of books, the Laymans started a single rolling book cart in the pediatric unit of a local hospital. The cart was filled with new books, and each child could select a book off the cart to keep.
Kate's Kart started at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, in June 2008. Since then, other hospitals have welcomed Kate's Kart, including Jay County Hospital, Portland; Parkview Hospitals in Fort Wayne, Kendallville, Columbia City, Lagrange and Huntington; Dupont Hospital, Fort Wayne; Ball Memorial Hospital, Muncie; Cameron Memorial Community Hospital, Angola; Saint Joe Hospital, Fort Wayne; DeKalb Hospital; and now KCH.
The Layman Family, including Kate's parents Andrew and Krista, from Fort Wayne, were on hand Wednesday at KCH to get Kate's Kart started.
Krista said the Kart was donated by Sunrise at Aboite Ministry.
"We were just ready to add another Kart, and geographically, this was the next one," Krista said of KCH.
One Warsaw kid who benefitted from Kate's Kart while he was in the hospital was Austin McCleary. He and his family was at KCH Wednesday for the start of Kate's Kart.
In 2003, when he was only 3 years old, McCleary was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer of the nervous system. Then in summer 2009, he had his second relapse with the cancer. His family took him back and forth to Fort Wayne hospitals for treatment. During his hospital stays, McCleary was able to get new books to read at the hospital or at home through Kate's Kart.
McCleary is now six months clear, but he still loves to read. He also helped get a collection started in 2010 and 2011 at Eisenhower Elementary School for Kate's Kart.
People can now drop off new books for Kate's Kart at the Health Services Pavilion, 1515 Provident Drive, Warsaw, or Kosciukso Literacy Services, 850 E. Smith St., Warsaw. Books should be for children up to 18 years old. Krista said the biggest need is for children up to 3 years old.
For more information on Kate's Kart, visit its website at www.kateskart.org
