Alliance Data Associate: Nationwide Children's Hospital is Beacon of Light

By: Joseph Gilani, director of co-brand product, Alliance Data’s card services business, and his wife, Janet Wheeler-Gilani

When our daughter Caroline was diagnosed with cancer just last year at the age of six, our entire family’s world was turned on its head. As we sat in the emergency room trying to comprehend the shattering news, we had never felt more alone – but all of that changed because of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The care that Caroline (and our family) received from Children’s was the best we could have possibly imagined. When you need the medical and technical care that Children’s gives, the hospital is a beacon of light. Children’s guided us and supported our family on every step of our journey, in hundreds and hundreds of ways.

That’s why Alliance Data’s announcement of a $400,000 gift to Nationwide Children’s Hospital makes us so proud and grateful. It truly lifts our hearts. Alliance Data associates are so lucky to be a part of an organization that believes in building a caring community, and this gift is a way for associates to know that they have worked to make a better life possible for so many kids. From kids with basic medical needs to those with life-threatening conditions, Children’s gives them the chance to live and thrive. These kids and their families are our colleagues, neighbors and friends – we can’t forget that.

It’s humbling to recall how many Alliance Data associates reached out to our family when things were really hard – and through this gift, that outreach continues. Our family was very lucky – on our journey, we met many families whose fights were even harder than ours. The generosity of Alliance Data helps all of them.

When Caroline got sick, we were so lucky to be here in Columbus with access to one of the world’s best hospitals. Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the institutions that truly define Columbus – it makes Columbus a world-class city. And now, through the help of this gift, Children’s will have world-class “big data” architecture, improving patient care and diagnoses by linking all pediatric and research data sources. Alliance Data’s business is driven by the power of great data – and now, that same approach will help to save children’s lives.

In addition, Alliance Data is supporting a mile of this year’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon with Caroline as the Patient Champion – she can’t wait to cheer everyone on along the way!

This amazing, generous gift literally means the difference between life and death – it creates the possibility of a better life for so many kids who wouldn’t otherwise get the care they need. At Alliance Data, community and family are truly at the heart of what we do. We hope this incredible gift inspires the whole business community to pay it forward and believe in the difference they can make. On behalf of Caroline, and all the families who are served by Nationwide Children’s Hospital – thank you!