Pediatric cardiologist Rush Waller, MD, took his love for Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center to a new level today. On Wednesday, Aug. 13, Dr. Waller unveiled his new Le Bonheur Utility Vehicle (LUV) – his new personal car that has been transformed into an ad on wheels for the hospital.

Le Bonheur President Meri Armour and Le Bonheur Teen Advisory Council members removed the cover during the unveiling ceremony to reveal the brightly colored Dodge Nitro. The LUV was Waller’s brain child. Waller said he’d wanted to do something to share the excitement he feels about the new hospital, scheduled to open in 2010. Waller approached the hospital’s marketing team and volunteered his car to be a traveling billboard.

It was a crazy idea, but Marketing Manager Julie Ashby couldn’t refuse the offer. “All of us who work at Le Bonheur believe this is a special place, but I don’t know many who would volunteer to do something like this,” she said.

Waller’s wife, Clara Gwen, and sons Benjamin and Wilson, were equally surprised by the idea. “At first, I thought he was joking and then I wondered what the neighbors would think. I’m really happy that his heart is so into the hospital,” Clara Gwen said.

Waller, who has worked at Le Bonheur since 1999, is proud to work at the hospital. He currently serves as the president of the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Medical Staff and is the medical director of Le Bonheur’s Catheterization Lab.

“I’m excited and happy about the new hospital. It’s my life. I want people to know that
Le Bonheur is Memphis’ children’s hospital,” he said.

Waller has a long history with Le Bonheur Children’s. His late grandmother, Virginia Waller, was a member of the original Le Bonheur Club in the 1950s that raised money to build the first hospital in 1952. Also, he was a patient in the ‘70s when he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

Waller did his medical training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and his residency at Le Bonheur Children’s. After completing a fellowship in South Carolina, Waller returned home to Memphis in 1999.

“My previous car was a sports car and I enjoyed it. However, just walking up to the LUV will make me smile,” he said.