Gratitude as a Healing Force: Why Recognizing an “IU Health Hero” Matters Now More Than Ever 

Crystal Hinson Miller, president of IU Health Foundation, is a national leader in healthcare philanthropy. Here she shares her personal reflections.

In my years of leading philanthropic work in healthcare, I’ve come to believe that gratitude is not just a feeling — it’s a force. It’s a force that heals, that connects and that transforms. It’s the heartbeat of philanthropy, and it’s the reason we’re launching IU Health Heroes.

This isn’t just a program. It’s a movement. A movement rooted in the simple yet profound truth that saying “thank you” can be one of the most powerful steps in a patient’s healing journey.

We’ve seen it time and again. A patient walks through a frightening diagnosis, a complex surgery or a long recovery. At the center of that experience is a caregiver who made all the difference. Sometimes it’s a nurse who holds their hand. Sometimes it’s a physician who stays late to explain the next steps in their care journey. Sometimes it’s a team who shows up, day after day, with compassion and skill.

For my family, that caregiver was Dr. Larry Stevens.

Even before my family completed our move to Indiana, my husband Eric needed emergency surgery. Larry was our first introduction to IU Health’s clinical excellence and values in action. He didn’t just perform the surgery; he showed up in the emergency department when complications arose. He visited Eric daily during his hospital stay. He made sure we felt seen, cared for and safe. In fact, he still asks about Eric every time I see him.

That kind of care stays with you. It becomes part of your story and it’s why Eric and I are making a gift to the new IU Health Heroes program in Larry’s honor. For us, gratitude isn’t just something we feel — it’s something we act on.

We know that every day, across our system, patients are experiencing moments like ours. Moments of fear transformed into hope. Moments of uncertainty met with expertise. Moments of isolation interrupted by kindness. And I know that many of our patients want to say thank you. They want to share their stories. They want to give back.

Launching the IU Health Heroes program is IU Health Foundation’s response to this desire to act.

It creates a meaningful way for patients and loved ones to honor the caregivers who made a difference in their lives. It’s not about the Foundation’s needs. It’s about the human need to express appreciation and the ripple effect that gratitude can have.

When a caregiver receives a note of thanks, a story or a gift in their honor, it fills their cup. It reminds them why they chose this work. It sustains them through the long hours and the emotional weight of walking alongside patients through life’s toughest moments.

When a patient gives, they’re not just supporting a program or a hospital. They’re participating in a cycle of healing. They’re turning their gratitude into impact — helping ensure others receive the same compassionate care they did.

Some of the most powerful gifts I’ve seen weren’t the largest. They were the most personal. A family who lost their newborn daughter to a rare condition provided kits to help other families preserve memories. A husband who lost his wife to cancer and established a compassionate caregiver award in her name to honor her memory and the team who cared for her. These gifts are acts of love and they are philanthropy in its purest form.

As we launch IU Health Heroes, we do so in a season of gratitude. It’s the perfect time to reflect, to give thanks and to pay it forward. And it’s the perfect time to invite our patients and families to join us in this movement.

Because gratitude heals. And when we give from that place, we build something stronger than a program. We build a culture of compassion, connection and hope.