Paul George will deliver the green flag with a special friend to start Sunday’s race.
Paul George will deliver the green flag to start the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, multiple sources told VigilantSports.com. Even more special, he’ll do so with a patient of Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health.
The plan is for the face of the Pacers to meet the patient at the downtown heliport. From there, they’ll take an IU Health helicopter into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 10:25 a.m. Once inside, the two will then take a lap around the 2.5-mile oval and come to a stop at the Yard of Bricks, where the green flag exchange will be made at approximately 10:45 a.m.
Tori will have a very special experience Sunday with Paul George.
UPDATE: IU Health sent out a release confirming the news Thursday afternoon. George will be joined by 14-year-old Tori Gwyn.
Tori, a native of Paoli, Indiana who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2009, was selected by Riley at IU Health for this special experience for her display of strength and courage under stress that exemplifies Riley patients. She will ride on the same medical transport helicopter that rushed her to Riley at IU Health on a summer day in 2014 after she developed diabetic ketoacidosis – a life threatening complication that occurs when elevated blood sugar and insulin deficiency causes the body to produce high levels of blood acids called ketones, which act as a poison.
Notably, Tori will ride with one of the same IU Health LifeLine crew members who was part of her medical transport team last summer.
Last year, the role was handled by Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
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George is already scheduled to be in the IPL 500 Festival parade on Saturday, along with Pacers head coach Frank Vogel.
Until this year, George had been busy playing in the postseason every spring since being drafted in 2010. Without it, he continues to rehab his injury, work on his game, and try new things. This will be a unique opportunity for George and a particularly memorable day for the patient.
George, a proud parent of a one-year-old daughter, Olivia, has a sweet spot for kids. In early March, he made the wish come true of Kaden Curtis, a 14-year-old who was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, Germinoma. (When Kaden visited for a pair of games, he had only recently overcame it.)
And, earlier this month, George donated $10,000 to help an Indiana girl and her family purchase a wheelchair-accessible van they desperately needed. This past Friday, the Esterline’s proudly became owners of the van.
Don’t expect George to be the Pacer player in attendance at the race, either. Multiple players are planning to attend the race.
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Paul George to deliver green flag with Riley patient at Indianapolis 500 | Vigilant Sports