Paula Campbell has held a place in her heart for Phoenix Children’s since it saved her daughter Ashley’s life 31 years ago. “I have such love and respect for the nurses and doctors who not only cared for Ashley, but also cared for me,” she says.
Their care was so meaningful to her that, in April 2024, Paula reached out to Phoenix Children’s Foundation, requesting information so she could name Phoenix Children’s as a beneficiary of her retirement account.
Von Petersen, senior philanthropy officer at Phoenix Children’s, spoke with Paula. “She said she was updating her estate plans, and although the charitable beneficiaries she named for her retirement account were good causes, she said, ‘Why not give to the hospital that literally saved my child’s life?!’”
Paula shared the ordeal her family faced, and why she is so grateful to the health care team at Phoenix Children’s.
A life-threatening diagnosis
When Ashley was just 3 weeks old, she wouldn’t eat. “She would try to suck on her bottle, but she just couldn’t,” Paula says. In an emergency room in Mesa, Ashley began to have trouble breathing. Her condition was critical, and the team prepared to transfer her to Phoenix Children’s by air ambulance.
“I said, ‘Is she going to live?’ And the doctor said, ‘I don’t know.’ A nurse came out and asked if we had called clergy. It was just such a whirlwind. Life was falling apart,” Paula says.
While the family was rushing to Phoenix Children’s, Ashley’s health care team contacted Paul Liu, MD, a pediatric critical care specialist. Over the phone, after asking where they lived and what Ashley’s symptoms were, he reached a diagnosis: infantile botulism, a rare condition caused by airborne spores near the family’s home.
Ashley’s young immune system wasn’t strong enough to fight off the germs. Infantile botulism was slowly paralyzing her.
Knowing the diagnosis didn’t mean Ashley’s struggles were over. At the time, there was no treatment for the infection. All the health care team could do was support Ashley while she tried to clear the toxin from her system. She was intubated so she could breathe, plus she had an IV and a feeding tube. The doctors were worried that she might get pneumonia, which could be fatal.
Caring for a sick baby—and a distraught mother
Ashley was in the pediatric intensive care unit for nearly seven weeks. Paula spent every day with her. She says, “The nurses were amazing. They would help me through my crying and let me hold Ashley and rock her.”
It was devastating for Paula to leave Ashley every evening and go home. “Our house seemed so empty after having a baby there,” she says.
Over time, Ashley started to make small movements—signs that she was recovering the use of her muscles. They removed her ventilator and moved her to a regular room in the hospital. After two days there, she was able to go home.
- “I have such love and respect for the nurses and doctors who not only cared for Ashley, but also cared for me.”Paula CampbellAshley's mother
A successful recovery after months of care
Today, Ashley Geske is a healthy adult, with no long-lasting effects from her illness. She says she grew up dreaming of working at Phoenix Children’s someday. That dream came true, and now she’s a pediatric audiologist, caring for children who have hearing loss.
Recognizing Ashley’s love for her job and the children she works with, Paula has earmarked her gift for the audiology department at Phoenix Children’s. “Her legacy gift and future annual gifts will benefit the wonderful care the audiology program provides at Phoenix Children’s,” Petersen says.
One of the easiest ways to make a legacy gift is to name Phoenix Children’s as a beneficiary of your
retirement account.
