Boy donates to hospital where he was treated

An Indiana boy with a tremendous heart is giving back to the hospital that helped his little brother.

It all started last year, when Karsen Smithey’s younger brother, Cash, was born with a cleft palate and needed to have surgery right away.

"We didn’t know until [Cash] was born," Katie Smithey, the boys’ mother, told InsideEdition.com. "We had to go to Riley Hospital when he was 4 days old."

Cash underwent surgery on June 9, 2016 at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health.

Karsen, now 7, wanted to thank the hospital for their efforts in helping Cash.

“I just ran inside and said, ‘Momma, I’m making something for Riley Hospital,’” Karsen told InsideEdition.com.

The boy decided to raise money for the hospital before going back to school. His initial goal was $300.

With the assistance of his mother's Facebook page, Karsen began fundraising in June and was able to raise a total of $740 to give to the hospital.

“I felt really, really happy,” Karsen said.

Katie said she was able to get in contact with the donations coordinator of the hospital and to let her know about their contribution.

“She said, 'We really want to do something special. We have a giant check we want him to sign and we would love to give him a tour,’” Katie said. “So we were thrilled and she was really excited.”

So on August 7, Karsen arrived at the facility and signed his name on a big check made payable to ‘Riley Children’s Foundation/Riley Hospital.’

Katie said the family has expressed the importance of giving back to Karsen, but she was amazed when he developed the idea on his own.

“I’m just super proud of him,” Katie said. “He has a big heart.”

A spokesperson from Riley Hospital told InsideEdition.com the $740 will go towards the Child Life program at Riley, which provides comfort and healing to families through services like diagnosis education, therapeutic play, sibling support and special celebrations.

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