MU Health Care honored former Mizzou head football coach Gary Pinkel and his wife, Missy Pinkel, for their monetary contributions to the new Children’s Hospital. Staff dedicated a care team station in the name of the GP MADE Foundation on Friday.
“That’s what we do and we try and do it in the community, everywhere and be a difference maker in kids’ lives,” Gary Pinkel said.
He and his wife founded the GP MADE Foundation. Pinkel explained it stands for “make a difference every day.”
He said giving to the Children’s Hospital is all about helping kids.
“That gets back to my football days, right,” Gary Pinkel said. “We had to win games to keep our jobs, but at the end of the day, my job was to help kids and help them mature, help them grow, and be like a father to them. And, I’m real excited about what they’re doing here.”.
Dr. Tyler Severance, a pediatric oncologist at the new hospital, explained how important the new facility has been to transform patients’ lives.
“We have all of the subspecialty services, all of the pieces that we need to provide the highest quality of care right here under one roof,” Severance said.
To be able to provide that care in mid-Missouri is already helping patients and their families.
“Being able to tackle this… being able to handle this as a family of four as opposed to mom or dad with Charlotte somewhere else and then us with our other daughter, or both parents with Charlotte and someone else having to take care of our older child — It’s really helped us stay together and fight this battle together and lean on each other for strength,” said Chris Medley.
Medley and his family were there on Friday to thank the Pinkels for supporting the hospital. Medley’s daughter is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the hospital for acute lymphoblastic lymphoma.
“Looking at her every day and the smile that she puts on everybody’s face is something that keeps us going,” Medley said.
Severance said the Children’s Hospital connects research from around the world and is able to provide the same quality care as any facility across the globe.