Saving Grace's memory: Couple's loss of daughter leads them
to help others
Published: 3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM
Last Updated: 3/7/2008 12:01:31 AM
By: Jason McFarley
Pete and Suzanne Letherman of Granger know it's the small comforts that get
families through the waiting and uncertainty in the wards of a children's
hospital.
Sometimes a stranger's gift of a stuffed toy or a new book to read to an ailing
child brings brief solace between the medical tests and the consultations with
doctors.
It did when the Lethermans were going through that ordeal with their "Sweet Pea"
-- their first-born child, Grace Elizabeth.
The 6-month-old died from a genetic muscular disorder in May 2003, but in the
years since then, her parents have sought to make help other families get
through the hard times at hospitals.
In its first five years, the nonprofit Sweet Pea Foundation that the Lethermans
started has purchased more than 2,500 toys and delivered them to children's
hospitals and pediatric units in Elkhart, South Bend, Indianapolis and Chicago.
The organization has supplied more than 100 other larger gifts, such as
hand-held video game systems, DVD players and crib aquariums.
"For us, those kinds of things were more beneficial than focusing on the disease
that brought our daughter into the hospital in the first place," Suzanne
Letherman said.
Pete Letherman recalled the days his family spent at Riley Hospital for Children
in Indianapolis and Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where Grace was
treated for a condition known as spinal muscular atrophy.
"There's
a lot of waiting," he remembered. "You have a period of time where you meet with
doctors and there's testing, but you have this time in between when you're just
waiting. Those toys are the things that help you and your child get through the
difficult time together."
In addition to delivering toys in person, the Lethermans have mailed about 40
"Grace E-Grams," or care packages, to young patients.
Last fall, they reached a milestone that the Lethermans consider their
biggest accomplishment: meeting a fundraising goal to permanently endow a room
at the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana, an organization they felt strongly
about helping after Grace's death. Families of inpatient children can stay for
free or discounted rates at the Indianapolis facility.
The couple delivered a $3,500 check there in October, enough money to sponsor
Room No. 43 for a year.
"That was just a fun day to be able to do that," Pete Letherman said of making
the donation.
Beth Johnson, executive director of Ronald McDonald House, said it marked the
first time that someone has endowed a room beyond an annual sponsorship for a
year or two.
"They're just a family that really wanted to give back," Johnson said. "It's
just so wonderful that someone who has experienced that situation wants to help
others who may be going through the same thing."
A
Ronald McDonald House in Chicago also will benefit from the foundation's monthly
gift that will fund a one-night stay for a family there.
All told, the volunteer-run foundation has raised about $120,000, largely
from a core group of donors across the United States. Annual fundraisers such a
golf tournament and St. Patrick's Day event also bring in money. Local schools
and businesses help by organizing toy drives.
All proceeds go toward the foundation's mission of helping sick children and
their families, the Lethermans said.
"We get support from all over the country," Pete Letherman said. "It's such a
humbling experience to get contributions from these people who relate to our
story."
It's a story the Lethermans have begun sharing with their son, Andrew, 3; and
daughter, Cecilia, 20 months. The parents keep pictures of Grace around the
house, and the siblings play with their late sister's toys.
On Grace's birthday, the family visits her gravesite and releases balloons into
the air; then they go to dinner at a Granger restaurant.
"We make it a positive," Suzanne Letherman said.
In the future, the Lethermans hope to grow their "Seeds of Grace" campaign by
sponsoring activities and programs at children's hospitals. They also want to
establish stronger relationships with Elkhart County-area hospitals and with
organizations doing similar work as Sweet Pea Foundation.
"We know we're not making a huge difference, but we're making a difference,"
Suzanne Letherman said. "This is our way of remembering Grace, too."
"There's
a lot of waiting," he remembered. "You have a period of time where you meet with
doctors and there's testing, but you have this time in between when you're just
waiting. Those toys are the things that help you and your child get through the
difficult time together." 
A
Ronald McDonald House in Chicago also will benefit from the foundation's monthly
gift that will fund a one-night stay for a family there. 