Hi my name is Joseph Peters and this is my Riley story! First, me and my brother were mowing the lawn and I was riding on the deck of the mower. We went over a mole hole and my leg went in front of the mower and my leg went under! Minutes later the ambulance arrived! Next, I went to Saint Elizabeth in Lafayette then took a helicopter to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. After that I had an immediate surgery. I needed to have my right leg amputated below the knee. I was all ready to go home and then I got a very high fever and got really sick. A nurse and a doctor figured it out in about a few days what was making me sick but then they figured out I had an infection in my leg. A couple weeks later I got a fever again and they found out I was allergic to one of the medicines. All the different doctors that came to visit me were very special, they saved my life. Five weeks and 4 and a half days later I was out of the hospital. I have had two surgeries since being in the hospital. The nurses, staff, and child life specialist helped me to have fun during my stay at Riley. The rehab nurses and I had wheel chair races. One awesome nurse and I played uno all the time. The child life specialist made me feel more comfortable during the hard times, and helped me have fun! She brought me an Xbox to keep in my room. One day I got to squirt the nurses with water through syringes! Also I had dog therapy and music therapy! The dogs met me and I got to pet them on my bed and there were 4 different dogs that came to see me. Music therapy was when I get to listen to the guitar and the therapist sang some times too and once I got to play the guitar my self! My mom said that Riley is the Disney land of hospital for kids! Riley means a lot to our family, and we are very grateful for Riley supporters. My dad used to say we donated to Riley for the kids who needed it, even though I didn’t at the time. Now we donate to Riley because when I needed them most, everyone at Riley was there for me and gave me hope.
