The Iroquois Steeplechase, Nashville’s iconic sporting event benefiting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, took place at Percy Warner Park on Saturday, May 9. Over the last three decades, Steeplechase has raised more than $11 million to support Monroe Carell — an achievement made possible by the generosity of Bank of America as the presenting race sponsor.
Each year, the Iroquois Steeplechase selects an honorary co-chair and child ambassador to represent the dedicated staff and inspiring patients at Monroe Carell on race day. This year, Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, retired President of Monroe Carell, served as honorary chair, and Judge Colvin served as child ambassador.
Rush arrived at Vanderbilt in 1984 as a motivated resident passionate about helping children, with a special interest in critically ill infants. In 1987, she began fellowship training in the Division of Neonatology, later joining the faculty in 1990.
During her time at Vanderbilt, Rush served as a research investigator as well as a leader in education and clinical care. She led the Neonatal Fellowship Program from 2001 to 2011 and emerged as a senior administrative leader in 2007, when she was named Chief of Staff for Monroe Carell. She also served as acting Chair of the Department of Pediatrics in May 2011, an appointment she held through August 2012. In February 2020, she was appointed President of Monroe Carell, a role she held until her retirement in December 2025.
As the race day child ambassador, Judge represented the strength and resilience of young patients at Monroe Carell. During a storm in 2020, a 75-foot oak tree fell on Judge, who was 3 at the time, and his father, Jeff. Both would require lifesaving intensive care followed by inpatient rehabilitation.
After the accident, Judge was transported to Monroe Carell, as he was in a coma and had suffered a traumatic brain injury. At the same time, Jeff was in the intensive care unit at Vanderbilt University Hospital with multiple injuries, including a broken back. Shelly, Judge’s mom and Jeff’s wife, said it was excruciating not being able to be with both of them, but she is thankful the hospitals were across the street from one another and for the Vanderbilt Health medical teams who coordinated their family’s care so well.
When Judge woke from his coma, he needed inpatient rehabilitation, which meant moving to Atlanta, since no pediatric inpatient rehabilitation services were available in Tennessee.
Jeff and Judge were discharged from the hospital on the same day. The family temporarily relocated to Atlanta, where they both began their rehabilitation journeys.
Judge, now 9, is back in Nashville and thriving. He is an active swimmer and loves video gaming. He is a new member of the Screen Actors Guild having recently appeared in singer-songwriter Noah Kahan’s video for the song “The Great Divide.”
Knowing how important inpatient rehabilitation was to their healing journey, Judge and his family have been passionate advocates and supporters of Monroe Carell’s efforts to establish the first inpatient pediatric rehabilitation unit in Tennessee.
