KELLEY AUTO GIVES BACK

That experience has made a profound impact on him. In turn, Kelley wants to make an impact on the lives of others. On Thursday, Kelley donated $100,000 to the Burn Council of Northern Indiana in recognition of care he received last month at the St. Joseph Hospital Regional Burn Center. It's the largest gift the Burn Council has ever received. The saga started just over six weeks ago, when Kelley traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to have his right shoulder replaced. It was the second such surgery in as many years on that joint, and doctors weren't sure why the first artificial shoulder wasn't working properly.

During the surgery, staff took a swab of Kelley's shoulder joint. A follow-up culture showed a low-grade infection after he was already back home in Fort Wayne. Kelley was sent to the ER for an antibiotic, but within days he developed a severe reaction to the prescribed drug. 

The rare and life-threatening condition, known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, causes rash, blisters and almost unbearable pain as layers of skin peel away. "It feels like fire ants crawling all over your body," said Dr. Brian Youn, who specializes in intensive care medicine. 

Youn correctly diagnosed Kelley - one of only two or three patients who arrive at St. Joseph Hospital each year with Stevens-Johnson. Patients with severe cases face a 50-50 mortality rate, the doctor said. "I believe God's hands were on this man right here," Kelley said, as he fought back tears and reached over to touch Youn's shoulder. 

Brian Bauer, Lutheran Health Network's CEO, thanked the local auto dealer for his donation. "This is going to touch lives for many, many years," he said. J.D. Dize, the Burn Council's executive director, confirmed that the money will help many families with patients in the burn unit. Because the gift was a surprise, the organization's board still has to meet to decide exactly how to allocate it. 

The Burn Council offers suites in the St. Joe Hospital building where up to four families can sleep, eat and relax while remaining just a few minutes away from a loved one's bedside. The area includes a kitchen, a living room, a washer and dryer, and computer access. The council also provides burn specific ointments, bandages and other supplies to families with little or no insurance. Dize said the right supplies are crucial to healing - and expensive. The cost is estimated at $250 for one month for one person. Before they receive financial help, patients sometimes make do with whatever is on hand. Staff has reported seeing burn victims walk in with butter-smeared wounds wrapped in toilet paper, Dize said. 

His business card outlines what various donations could pay for, including one follow-up visit to the doctor for $50, attendance at a burn survivor conference for $1,000 and one year of Burn Council operations for $50,000. Kelley could have mailed his donation to the Burn Council without fanfare, but he chose to make a public presentation to call attention to St. Joe's burn treatment program, one of only three verified burn centers in the state and the only one in northeast Indiana. "I want people to understand what a tremendous asset we have," Kelley said, adding that he might not have survived if he'd had to travel very far for treatment. 

Despite his recent ordeal, Kelley has retained a sly sense of humor. While waiting for Thursday's announcement to begin, he noticed that the assembled crowd of about 40 people included local business heavyweights Jerry Henry, Don Schenkel and Mike Eikenberry in addition to Lutheran Health Network officials and St. Joe staff. "I see we've got a lot of high-priced people standing around doing nothing," Kelley quipped. "Anybody want to buy a car while we're waiting?"