Skip to nav Skip to content

A PICU Passion Project

Clark And Susie Childers Photos (1)


Longtime hospital donors Clark and Susie Childers are no strangers to CHKD

Their connection began nearly 35 years ago in the early morning hours of Labor Day 1990. Those days, the Childers were busy parenting three energetic young boys, including 14-month-old twins, Adam and Chris.

That morning, when Susie reached into Adam’s crib to pick him up, she noticed he was feverish and lethargic, with a splotchy rash. Alarmed, she called Adam’s pediatrician who sent them to the closest emergency room. Once there, the Childers learned that Adam had viral meningitis. Adam’s condition deteriorated quickly, and “they made the decision to call CHKD’s transport team to move him safely to CHKD,” Susie says.

Once at CHKD, Adam was whisked into the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for immediate attention (CHKD’s Emergency Department would open four years later) while his parents waited nearby. Susie remembers how gentle and caring Dr. Jorge Montes was as he prepared them to see Adam in the PICU for the first time. “He told us, ‘I will be right there with you,’” she says. “I’ll never forget it. He explained every tube and every monitor. And he sat right there with us, on a stool by Adam’s bed.”

The next few days in the PICU were a harrowing vigil for the Childers. Adam suffered a stroke and seizures. His doctors placed him in a medically-induced coma to allow his brain to rest. “They were measuring his life in 15-minute increments,” says Clark.

After several days of treating the infection, his doctors stopped administering the medication that was keeping Adam deeply sedated, but he remained unconscious and couldn’t be roused. The PICU team met with the Childers to begin the difficult conversations about what they would do if Adam’s condition didn’t change. As that meeting was ending, they received word that Adam had woken up. “I cannot even describe that feeling,” says Susie. “It was a miracle. We were getting our child back.”

Finally on the mend, Adam was able to transition out of the PICU to a regular hospital room before coming home four days later. The Childers family was back together again.

Remarkably, Adam suffers no long-term side effects from his near-death case of meningitis. A sports management graduate of Georgia Southern University, Adam has worked for both the Atlanta Braves and Hawks. He just celebrated his first wedding anniversary.

And now, thanks to a generous donation from the Childers family, the PICU is getting an update. Renovations began in 2024, and all phases of the remodel will be complete by the end of 2025.

“The much-needed upgrades will affect the whole unit, both patient care areas and family spaces,” says CHKD’s Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Dr. Thomas Cholis. The transformation includes new flooring, fresh paint in calming blues and grays in patient rooms, and beautiful beach-inspired artwork. The Childers donation also ensures the Family Lounge, an area they learned to value during Adam’s stay, receives these long-awaited upgrades. Ultimately the design “will create a soothing, healing environment for patients and families during some of their most stressful times,” says Dr. Cholis.

The entire PICU staff is excited to see the upgrades. “We recognize that having a child in the ICU can be an overwhelming experience, filled with anxiety and uncertainty,” says PICU Director Jennifer Pierson. “These thoughtful enhancements will not only create a more comforting environment but will also ease some of the stress that families face during this challenging time. The generosity and support from the Childers family will undoubtedly leave a lasting positive impact on the families we care for, helping them feel a little more supported during their journey.”

The Childers hope their gift will provide both comfort and care to families with critically ill children. “This is our way of giving back,” says Susie. “If it wasn’t for this wonderful place, Adam wouldn’t be here.”

Published in CHKD's KidStuff Magazine, Summer 2025
Written by Jessica Davenport • Photograph by Ken Mountain