October 16, 2014

Dear Mr. Peyton Manning,

I hope this letter finds its way into your hands. Obviously you are a busy man and probably suspect
this is a standard fan mail letter about your football accomplishments. Although I followed you at the
University of Tennessee, cheered for you while you played with the Colts, and continue to hope that you do
well in Denver, that is not why I am writing today. I am writing to say THANK YOU!!!

My wife, two daughters (Tori 4 years old & Taylor 2 years old), and I have had a very stressful year. In
January 2014 we learned we were finally having a son. The good news was quickly taken away when we were
informed that the ultrasound showed an abnormality on his abdomen. We met with specialists and it was
confirmed that his liver was stuck in the umbilical cord outside of his abdomen, technically known as an
Omphalocele. We were educated on potential genetic issues and it was highly recommended that we have an
Amniocentesis done to evaluate the chromosomes of the fetus. A week of anticipation passed and we were
praying for the best. Finally we learned that the chromosomes all checked out fine and that no genetic
syndromes existed or were responsible for his defect. At this point, it was recommended that my wife be
monitored on a weekly basis by specialists in South Bend, IN. However, we were eventually referred to
Indianapolis since South Bend, IN does not have pediatric surgeons capable of dealing with this type of defect
in newborns.

Our first visit to the Indianapolis specialist was to include a special ultrasound to check the fetus’s
heart, take a tour of the NICU at St. Vincent’s Women’s Hospital, and take a tour of the PICU at Peyton
Manning’s Children’s Hospital. This abruptly changed when it was discovered, during the ultrasound, that the
heart was shifted and some tissue next to the heart was vibrating when the heart pumped. An MRI was
immediately scheduled for the following day and it was discovered that our son also had a hole in his
diaphragm. This hole, called a diaphragmatic hernia, allowed the intestines to shift and deposit themselves
into the chest cavity. Both issues are extremely rare individually, let alone together. You can imagine how
broken up we were. This news had just reset our concerns and worries back to zero and seemed to wash
away our hope. We met with a team of doctors and specialists in Indianapolis to discuss the situation and
options. They informed us that they had not cared for a child that had both issues and the most important
factor would be how well the lungs were developed. The intestines being in the chest cavity and the shifting
of the heart can stunt the growth of the lungs and make it extremely difficult for a newborn to breathe
efficiently enough to live. My wife and I left the meeting feeling very discouraged and saddened due to the
below average prognosis.

On May 29th, 2014 Clay Alexander Schramski was successfully delivered Caesarean at St. Vincent’s
Women’s Hospital. He cried for a couple minutes until he tuckered out and could no longer breathe on his
own. The doctors immediately inserted a tube down his throat and placed him on the respirator. His birth
began a long struggle to learn how to breathe and eat. My wife and I stayed with him for two weeks straight
while our girls stayed home in Mishawaka, IN with grandparents. I returned back to work after two weeks, but
my wife continued to stay in Indianapolis at Clay’s bedside as much as possible. The kids and I traveled to
Indianapolis on weekends trying to maximize family time. When Clay was four weeks old, we learned he
would need surgery to remove the intestines from his chest cavity and repair the hole in his diaphragm. With
such a risky procedure, we were terrified but knew it was necessary for him to live.

Clay was immediately transferred to the PICU at Peyton Manning’s Children’s Hospital. As you know,
the ride was less than two minutes since the facilities are right next door and work in tandem together. The
following morning the wonderful team of surgeons, doctors, and medical experts performed surgery on Clay.
After approximately three hours, we were told that the surgery went very well and the hole in the diaphragm
was the size of a golf ball. In referencing the size of a baby’s diaphragm, that was a very large hole. The
surgeon felt very optimistic about the patch and how it had been secured to the diaphragm and the ribs. Due
to the nature of the surgery, Clay was on paralyzing sedatives and morphine to aid in pain management and
the recovery process. The first two days were extremely scary due to the fact that Clay was not breathing on
his own at all and the respirator was doing all of the work. Over the course of the next six days, Clay began to
grow stronger and breathe on his own. It was determined that Clay could be transferred back to the NICU at
St. Vincent’s Women’s Hospital. His progress over the next two weeks was absolutely miraculous. I received a
phone call from my wife on Thursday July 24th stating that we would be bringing Clay home to Mishawaka, IN
the following day. I immediately packed up a few items and returned to Indianapolis the following morning.
We now have our wonderful son home with us and are together as a family. We will continue to have many
appointments over the next few years including another major surgery to place the liver back into his
abdomen, but we are truly blessed to have had everything go so well and to have Clay home.

Due to your generosity and support of such a wonderful group of professionals, you have helped to
give our family the most precious gift in the world. You helped build a foundation that allowed for a facility,
special equipment, and most importantly the wonderful team of doctors, nurses, and specialists that fight
hard every day to save lives. Your foundation allows a medical team of angels to perform miracles and gives
severely premature and birth defect babies a chance at life. You have earned my utmost respect as the lives
being saved at St. Vincent’s Women’s Hospital and Peyton Manning’s Children’s Hospital far outweigh all of
your football accomplishments. True, you should be proud of those accomplishments as well, but they pale in
comparison to how you help to save lives like little Clay. Although you will always be known for your football
accomplishments, your true legacy for me and many other families will be that you gave so many children a
chance at life. Thank you for your generosity and caring. You are truly a great man.

Sincerely,

Adam Schramski
I would like to recognize some of the staff who were extremely special to us and went above and beyond to
support our family:

Surgeon: Dr. Evan Kokaska

Doctors: Dr. John Wareham, Dr. Janice DeSanto, Dr. Robert Jansen, Dr. Walter Harry
Nurses: Lisa Bond, Mitzi Gloor
Fetal Care Coordinator: Rozanna Groves

*For more information about Clay’s story, search “Clay Schramski” on Facebook and request to join his private page*

Clay @ 1 day old

Clay @ 1 day old

Mom holding Clay for the first time

Dad holding Clay for the first time

 Clay’s life support transfer to Peyton
Sisters visiting Clay before surgery Manning’s Children Hospital

Clay after surgery

Clay recuperating after surgery

Special welcome home surprise Clay smiling after coming home