A Winning Attitude: Meet Daphney

Eight-year-old Daphney Alderin loves playing outside with her friends and brother. She was born with total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), a rare heart and lung condition where her pulmonary veins did not connect properly to her heart. She had open heart surgery at the age of two.

Daphney first came to Riley Children’s Health in 2017, less than 24 hours after her family moved to New Palestine. She spent her first week in Indiana at Riley Children’s to recover from a fever and difficulty breathing. In summer 2020 Daphney had a stroke that caused a massive brain bleed. She stayed at Riley for seven weeks working hard to learn to walk again and regain strength in her left side.

Daphney’s parents, Emily and Corey Alderin, shared, “God put us at Riley with the right people to save Daphney. We will forever be grateful for their hard work and love for our girl.” Daphney and her family decided to give back to the hospital by fundraising for a Riley wagon. The Alderins surprised her with her wagon at school, where she had a parade with her first grade class. The celebration took place on career day, and Daphney dressed up as a Riley doctor.

Today, Daphney is in second grade at Sugar Creek Elementary and enjoys playing softball for the New Palestine Youth League. This spring she received a special award, The Brody Stephens Award, named in honor of another Riley patient. She was selected for this award for her love of the game, positive attitude, and fighting spirit. Daphney looks forward to trying a new sport in the winter – basketball.