Game Day Ready: Meet the Niece Family
As Indiana prepares for ESPN’s College Game Day visit to the state this weekend, one Hoosier family is warming up for another Game Day.
For the past 12 years, Whitney and Ron Niece have participated in Extra Life’s main annual event: Game Day. Extra Life is a fundraising program of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals that encourages participants to gather with friends and family to raise money while gaming.
This year’s event on Saturday, Nov. 2, is particularly special for the Nieces. It’s the first year they will host their Game Day since all three of their sons had brain surgery at Riley Children’s Health.
Lincoln (10), Norrin (6) and Remley Niece (3) were diagnosed in the past few years with Chiari Malformation, a rare condition where extra brain matter comes down the skull. Symptoms can include headaches, vomiting and balance problems, each of which Whitney and Ron saw in at least one of their sons.
Since March 2023, each Niece brother has required brain surgery for this condition. Norrin was the last brother to have surgery this past January. Dr. Laurie Ackerman performed all three surgeries.
“Knowing that we were handing all our kids over to a skilled team of doctors, nurses and all the things, they’re in good hands no matter what,” said Whitney. “That’s what makes it a lot easier to handle.”
The Nieces first needed Riley Children’s shortly after Lincoln’s birth in 2014. Born with a congenital heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, Lincoln was rushed to Riley Hospital for Children in downtown Indianapolis and had surgery at six days old. Before the age of three, Lincoln had three open heart surgeries. He sees cardiology and neurology care teams yearly.
Following their decompression procedures, Norrin and Remley encountered complications and needed a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placed to drain excess fluid from the brain and continue to visit Riley’s neurosurgery team.
“Riley gave a better-quality life to our kids,” said Whitney. “You can’t thank somebody for that. There’s no way you can properly ever say thank you enough.”
Two years before the Nieces needed Riley’s care for Lincoln, the Nieces began fundraising for Riley Children’s Foundation through Game Day. It started as a way to give back by doing something they love, playing games. Now the younger Nieces have grown the same love for gaming and enjoy the yearly fundraising event.
The Nieces will host a 24-hour gaming event at their house, starting with breakfast followed by games on the Xbox and wrapping up with board games. More than 40 family members and friends will visit during that time with some traveling to Indiana from out of state for it. This will be Lincoln’s second year staying up for the entire event and Norrin’s first attempt.
“Once Lincoln was born, it took on a whole different meaning,” said Whitney. “We were playing for the hospital. It saved his life. Now we’re playing for not only our boys but everybody that we’ve come in contact with that’s said how Riley has changed their kid’s life.”
The Nieces’ goal is to raise $5000 and dedicate a Riley Red Wagon into the fleet at the hospital.
“We’ve used a million of those wagons through the years,” said Whitney. “To be able to hopefully have our team’s name, Lincoln’s Spartans, on a wagon and be able to see it while we’re there for clinic appointments or inpatient, it’s just going to be amazing. It’s something that we really hope we can achieve.”
You can visit the Niece’s Extra Life fundraising page or learn more about how you can get involved with Extra Life to fundraise for Riley Children’s Foundation.
