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The Kosh Family
Dan and Elizabeth (Liz) Kosh welcomed their baby daughter Ella this spring in the newly renovated Labor & Delivery unit at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital. Six years earlier, their daughter Emilie arrived at the same hospital, ahead of schedule, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the circumstances surrounding each birth couldn't have been more different, one thing remained constant, the quality of care.
Inspired by the exceptional care they received and their family's longstanding connection to Cleveland Clinic, the couple made a gift to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital and became members of the Eagle Society, a giving program whose members commit $10,000 or more in support of the hospital.
"Our gift is in gratitude for the excellent care Cleveland Clinic has provided our family over the years," Liz says.
Growing up in an eastern suburb of Cleveland, Liz was introduced to Cleveland Clinic through her parents, John and Margaret Wheeler, longtime Cleveland Clinic supporters who also maintain a home in Vero Beach, Florida.
"I remember going to a Cleveland Clinic fundraiser at the Museum of Natural History when I was a little girl," she recalls. "And all my doctors growing up were Cleveland Clinic doctors."
Years later, after Liz and Dan met as students at Vanderbilt University and ultimately married, the connection grew even stronger. While living in Seattle, Liz was diagnosed with melanoma, the most virulent form of skin cancer.
"I was on a plane two days after my diagnosis to be seen at Cleveland Clinic," she says. Over the next year, Liz and Dan traveled regularly between Seattle and Cleveland for treatment from a team she knew and trusted.
"It was a harrowing time," recalls Dan. "It was our first time facing a serious health issue."
The experience reinforced the importance of having access to high-quality healthcare and helped shape the couple's philanthropic priorities.
In early 2020, while expecting their first child, Dan and Liz traveled from Seattle to Vero Beach as COVID was just getting started in the Pacific Northwest. The seaside town was a home away from home, where the couple were married and frequently vacationed.
It was supposed to be a one-week visit with Liz’s parents. But the day they arrived, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
"We had planned to go back to Seattle, but the world changed," says Liz.
The couple decided to remain in Vero Beach during the pandemic, where Emilie made her arrival five weeks early at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital. "I went into labor at four in the morning; we didn't even have a hospital bag packed yet," Liz recalls.
"Hospitals around the country were banning spouses from the delivery room," says Dan. "Fortunately, Florida just began allowing one visitor in the room."
"It was also a difficult delivery, but my obstetrician (George Fyffe, MD), and the nursing staff were amazing," adds Liz. “They are my heroes.”
Not long after, Dan and Liz decided to make Vero Beach their home and permanently settled in 2021. Five years later, they returned to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital to welcome Ella.
Months before her birth, the couple toured the newly renovated Labor & Delivery unit and were impressed by the comfortable and welcoming environment created for patients and families. "The spaces are big, bright and happy," says Liz.
And this time, everything went according to plan. "It was a wonderful experience," she says.
Today, the Kosh family hopes their philanthropy will help ensure that future generations continue to have access to exceptional care.
"Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital is a bedrock institution for the community," says Dan. "It's an unbelievable gift to have high-quality healthcare so close to home, and we envision great things for the future."
"We also hope our gift will inspire other people to give, especially the younger generations raising their families here," says Liz.
