WILKINSON — Tables full of dolls, miniature cars, books and other toys filled the front yard of the small house in Wilkinson.
In the middle of it all stood Kaylen Jenkins, 5, with a blonde ponytail and a smile to match the midday sunshine.
Kaylen recently organized the toy sale, seeking donations for the Riley Hospital for Children, because she and her family are moving. She originally wanted to give her toys to the children at the hospital, but her mom, Amber Jenkins, helped her to understand that donations could help the patients and their families in a lot of different ways.
They know, because Kaylen was a ‘Riley kid’ herself.
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Amber and her husband, Eric Jenkins, learned at a 20-week prenatal doctors’ appointment that Kaylen was developing with several of her organs outside of her body, a condition known as gastroschisis, she said. Amber delivered Kaylen at IU Health University Hospital in Indianapolis, and the newborn was taken straight to Riley Hospital for Children, where she stayed for almost two months, receiving multiple surgeries to slowly place her organs back into her abdomen and close the hole in her abdominal wall, Amber said.
Doctors and nurses at the hospital used a device called a silo to slowly reintroduce Kaylen’s intestines and other organs back into her body; the process had to be slow because her small body had developed without space for the organs and had to stretch to accommodate them, she said.
The last procedures were to close the hole where the silo was and create a belly button for Kaylen, Amber said. It’s just a bit off-center of where most people’s belly buttons are, she said.
Since those two months in the hospital, Kaylen has stayed small but otherwise healthy, Amber said.
“They’ve watched her really closely through each transition,” she said. “Other than being really itty bitty, she’s done really well.”
It’s shocking to look back at the photos of Kaylen then, Amber said; the newborn was so small and sick, but at the time, she was just so glad her daughter was there.
“She looked perfect to me at the time,” she said. “We’re really blessed. Not everybody’s story ends that way, so we’re happy to help Kaylen when she says she wants to give back to Riley.”
Kaylen’s grandmothers, Tamme Jenkins and Sheryl Brock, joined Kaylen to help out during the donations drive. They reminisced about the stressful months the now-5-year-old spent at Riley. Tamme Jenkins remembers thanking God the children’s hospital was in their backyard, she said.
“I don’t wish it on anybody, but the experience at Riley was amazing,” she said. “I remember the nurses saying they love (gastroschisis) babies, because they get better 99 percent of the time.”
They watched with smiles as Kaylen collected donations from passersby in a big glass jar.
Amber posted a short video to Facebook, letting people know about Kaylen’s effort, but the Jenkins family had help spreading the word from at least one other outlet.
Church leaders at nearby Wilkinson Church of Christ mentioned Kaylen’s toy sale during Sunday services, and when church let out, several parishioners stopped to browse or drop off donations to the altruistic youngster. Most chose to simply make a donation instead of taking a toy with them.
Jay Grubbs of Knightstown pulled his truck over to make a donation to Kaylen’s effort.
“They said something at church, and I thought, what could be better?” he said.
Kaylen will take the donations to buy gift cards for families whose children are at the hospital, Amber said.
Those who would like to donate to Kaylen’s effort may still do so by visiting rileykids.org, Amber said. To acknowledge Kaylen Jenkins with a gift, click “donate” under the “ways to give” menu and click to make the gift in honor of Kaylen Jenkins.
