Kittle family, fellow Bobcats turn tragedy into opportunity to help others
Alumni from the Master of Sports Administration Class of 2009, including Matt Kittle (back row, second from right), gather for a group photo during this year’s OHIO Sports Administration Symposium, held May 9-11 on the Athens Campus. Photo by Quintin Lash
“She’s developed a pretty interesting legacy for a little girl who only lived 58 minutes.”
That’s how Matt Kittle, BBA ’04, MBA ’08, MSA ’09, and his wife, Elena, talk about their daughter, Evie, whose short life has touched the lives of many – all because her parents and her father’s 91̽ classmates decided to turn moments of sorrow into opportunities to give to others.
November 19, 2014, was supposed to be a joyous day for Matt and Elena. They were going to the doctor for an ultrasound that would show the gender of their first child.
The ultrasound determined that the Kittles were having a baby girl. Sadly, it also showed that their child had two birth defects: a diaphragmatic hernia, an abnormal opening in the diaphragm that allows abdominal organs to move into the chest cavity, and a hypoplastic left heart, in which the left side of the heart develops at a slower pace than the right side.
Both conditions are relatively common abnormalities and, on their own, treatable. When you put them together, the survival rate drops significantly.
“It was such a range of emotion,” Matt said of that day. “You hear that you’re having a girl, and you’re super excited and thinking of everything to come; then immediately you hear the devastating news that she has less than a 1 percent chance to even make it to delivery, let alone live beyond that.”
In that moment, Matt and Elena knew what they were facing. The doctors gave them an honest assessment, and Elena is a cardiovascular ICU nurse. Before even driving away from the hospital, the couple sat in their car and considered their options.
Though Evie Kittle’s family only had her for 58 minutes, her parents cherished the time and vowed to establish her legacy. Photo courtesy of Matt Kittle, BBA ’04, MBA ’08, MSA ’09
“We closed the doors and immediately looked at each other and thought that if something good can’t come out of this, something good should happen for someone else,” Matt said. “And we thought we needed to look into organ donation. It was that quick.”
The Kittles continued to consult with doctors, but even as she continued to develop, their daughter’s chance of survival was becoming grimmer.
While at the Cleveland Clinic, the Kittles were introduced to Lifebanc, a nonprofit organ and tissue recovery organization serving Northeast Ohio. With guidance from their doctors and support from Lifebanc, the Kittles decided to carry her infant to term and, when the time came, to donate her organs.
Despite being faced with devastating loss, Matt said they were lucky.
“Unlike a lot of other families who have a child who doesn’t live beyond birth, we knew,” he said. “So we were able to plan.”
Evelyn “Evie” Grace Kittle was born at 6:48 a.m. on April 4, 2015, and her parents’ plan for her brief life began. Evie was baptized. She spent time with family. And her gentle spirit was captured in beautiful photographs.
“I wanted to make sure I could take her outside because I thought that it would be kind of ridiculous for someone to be born and not breathe fresh air outside and see the sun,” Matt said.
The Kittle family was able to do everything with Evie that they had planned, giving her what Matt described as “a lifetime in an hour.”
Evie passed away at 7:46 a.m., and the Kittles once again made the choice to put their grief aside to help others, immediately turning their daughter over to doctors for organ donation.
Evie donated five organs that day, giving life to others and a new purpose to her parents.
“The longtail result, locally, is that, prior to us, neonatal donations were not a topic that was easily discussed, and, frankly, it just wasn’t very common,” Matt said. “We were super excited that one of the outcomes (of Evie’s donation) was that we started having dialogue with doctors and nurses about how to approach families in similar situations and help them understand how impactful organ donation is. It’s a very traumatic situation, but it can be very positive. It can help build a legacy for your child.”
The Kittles are now advocates for organ donation, and Matt serves on the Lifebanc Board of Directors. They were even invited to the 2016 Rose Bowl where Evie’s name was among those on the Donate Life’s Rose Parade float honoring organ and tissue donors.
“She’s been the catalyst to help generate a significant amount of money for organ donation and a few other causes,” Matt said of his daughter.
More than four years after her passing, the Kittle family has grown to include Thomas, age 2, and Eleanor, “Ellie,” 6 months, and Evie’s story has reached far and wide, including 91̽.
When Matt’s 2009 classmates from the Master of Sports Administration (MSA) Program heard about the Kittle family’s incredible sacrifice and selflessness in the midst of tragedy, they were inspired – not only to support their fellow graduate but also future Bobcats.
In honor of the 10th anniversary of their OHIO graduation, nearly all of the MSA Program’s 2009 alumni banded together in true Bobcat spirit. Twenty-three Bobcats, including Matt Kittle, have establish the Evie Kittle Award, a scholarship benefitting full-time graduate students enrolled in the or the .
More than four years after Evie Kittle’s passing, the Kittle family has grown to include Thomas, age 2, and Eleanor, “Ellie,” 6 months. Photo courtesy of Matt Kittle, BBA ’04, MBA ’08, MSA ’09
The idea for the scholarship was spearheaded by Mike Levine, BSSE ’93, BSSPS ’96, MSA ’09, who approached Matt to see if it would be OK with him and his family.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told the story of Matt and Evie and Elena Kittle,” Levine said. “I know people that are going through pregnancy, and the thought of keeping a baby even though you’re only going to have (a few short) minutes with her or him to me is just incredible. You’re doing all of that so that other children can lead healthy lives. That is just amazing.”
The response he received from his classmates about establishing the scholarship reaffirmed for Levine what he knew about the MSA Program at OHIO long before he enrolled in it.
“It really is a family that looks out for each other,” Levine said of his fellow Bobcats. “One of our family members went through this loss and is so strong, and his family is so strong, and we just wanted to share that with the world – with the OU world and beyond.”
Matt Kittle said he was overwhelmed with gratitude upon learning about the award, which creates another avenue for Evie’s legacy.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for my class and how they responded,” Matt said. “They were phenomenal. It is a testament to how our family at OHIO supports each other and this institution that has given us so much.”