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Donation offers repose for patient families by Cindy Abole Public Relations A painful experience and the memory of a child inspired Mount Pleasant couple Lori and Mark Rutledge and their family to support MUSC Children’s Hospital in a big way. When the eighth-floor waiting room needed an update, the couple came through with a $10,000 donation from the Logan Rutledge Children’s Foundation to purchase six new hospital recliners, offering families a comfortable repose while staying close by their children during times of need. Lori and Mark Rutledge, who donated reclining chairs to the 8th-floor waiting room, join pediatric chairman Dr. Lyndon Key, left, director of Children’s Services Dr. Carol Dobos, and administrator John Sanders. The waiting room closed for a few days in February due to renovations,  including a fresh look with warm wall colors and the addition of storage lockers and other conveniences for families using the room. The Rutledges know what it’s like to wait anxiously by their child’s side during a medical emergency or procedure.  On July 30, 2001, Lori gave birth prematurely to their first-born son, Logan. He remained at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NNICU) for 32 days before his death on Aug. 26. Each day, the couple and family spent countless hours at the hospital, staying at the family lounge and using every available resource.  Hurt by their sudden tragedy, the Rutledge family established the foundation in spring 2002 as both an act of thanksgiving for Logan’s care and as an effort to continue his legacy to help needy children and their families. “Supporting the NNICU and Children’s Hospital has always been in our thoughts since establishing this foundation,” said Lori. “Just helping others is our motivation. It makes us feel so good to  help families in need.” The couple contacted NNICU staff coordinator Cathy Chase for a wish list of needed items, ranging from lamps, books, and small toys to a quiet sign, digital camera, and neonatal trans-illuminator—a device used to assist in finding veins in babies. The foundation remains active in its fund-raising efforts. In June 2002, it organized the Lowcountry Splash, a 2.4-mile open water swim around Charleston harbor. All donations benefit the Logan Rutledge Children’s Fund. The 2004 event is scheduled May 8.  “Our family’s loss has helped us to focus on something positive for others,” said Ida Fressilli, Lori’s mom and a 1963 College of Nursing alumnus. “It has showed us that anything’s possible in the wake of tragedy. Logan’s life was a special gift to us, and somehow we wanted to share that and keep his memory alive by giving back to the community.”       Friday, April 30, 2004 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.