Donor Stories

Keith and Sarah Faller have long been dedicated to supporting babies and families in neonatal intensive care units. After the loss of premature twin sons, Andrew and Phillip, in 1987, the Fallers endowed a fund to establish the NICU Family Support Director position at Riley Hospital for Children to comfort and assist other families with premature or ill newborns. Their gift also led to development of the NICU Nest Program, which provides comprehensive support services to families needing NICU care and upon their return home. Keith and Sarah also helped to establish the Newborn Parents Association at Riley to offer further support and guidance to parents with similar experiences.

Based on the success of the NICU Nest program at three Indiana University Health facilities, the Fallers elected to establish a NICU Family Support Specialist position at Eskenazi Health in 2017. The primary goal of this position and the NICU Nest program at Eskenazi Health is to improve family engagement and comfort during their stay at the NICU and facilitate healthy outcomes for babies and their families. In recognition of this significant leadership gift, a Medical Education Team Room on the 10th Floor of the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital Tower is dedicated to the Faller family, and a NICU patient room designed for twins is named in memory of Andrew and Phillip Faller.

In addition to their 2017 gift, the couple also supported construction of the 1.3 million-square-foot Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital, including the Sandra Eskenazi Outpatient Care Center and adjoining Fifth Third Bank Building. In recognition of this support, a Physician and Staff Work Room in the Women and Babies Unit is named in memory of Sarah’s father, Jerome (Jerry) F. Habig.

The Fallers’ support of Eskenazi Health, as well as their dedication to infants and their families throughout Central Indiana, makes our community truly a better place to live, work, play and support one another.