The Mysterious Kangaroo at American Family Children's Hospital

Patients receiving care at American Family Children's Hospital's Robert and Jean Rennebohm Diagnostic and Therapy Center receive a special gift from a family whose name is long familiar to Madison and UW Health.

The Diagnostic and Therapy Center provides services such as chemotherapy and dialysis, as well as preparatory sedation procedures. A premium is placed on the child's comfort, and to further that aim children receive a complementary copy of The Mysterious Kangaroo - It's Absolutely True.

The Mysterious Kangaroo is also available to the public in the American Family Children's Hospital gift shop, located near the front entrance.

A Long History of Good Works

The book was written by Jean Rennebohm, with assistance from University of Wisconsin Foundation writer Merry Anderson and illustrator Dr. Larry Hogan.

Ms. Rennebohm is the wife of Bob Rennebohm, the son of former Wisconsin governor Oscar Rennebohm. Bob served as president and executive director of the UW Foundation and as a director of the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation before his passing in 2006.

The Diagnostic and Therapy Center is but one of the many local public goods to which the Rennebohm family has given. In fact, the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, located less than a block from American Family Children's Hospital, bears the family's name as well.

About the Book

Ms. Rennebohm wrote The Mysterious Kangaroo to help occupy the young patient's mind during a period that can be confusing or frightening. The book is inspired by the "runaway kangaroo," which was found loose near Dodgeville in 2005 and taken to the Henry Vilas Zoo, and includes games and puzzles.

The Mysterious Kangaroo - It's Absolutely True is also available in the Vilas Zoo gift shop and as part of its Befriend An Animal program. Contributors to Befriend An Animal receive a plush toy for their donation. One of the plush toy options is a kangaroo, and The Mysterious Kangaroo is included with each kangaroo plush.