The old adage known as Murphy’s Law suggests that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. For Cindee and Joe Murphy, it’s less of a warning and more a humorous acknowledgment of real life.
With four children and 11 grandchildren in a family tree full of mountain bikers, athletes and lake-loving adventurers, it probably comes as no surprise that the Murphys have made plenty of trips to the hospital over the years
“Hey, the last name is Murphy,” Joe said with a laugh. “We’ve learned to deal with it.”
What the Murphys have also learned is that when the unexpected happens, having high-quality pediatric care close to home changes everything. That’s one reason why Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW) is at the top of their family’s giving list and why its growth over the past decade has been so welcome.
From California to a dot on the map
When the Murphys moved from California to northwest Arkansas in the early 90s, it didn’t feel like a booming destination. It barely felt like a region. Their new home base appeared as little more than a dot on a map. Joe, who built a career in consumer packaged goods, wondered aloud to his boss whether the move was a demotion.
“It wasn’t even northwest Arkansas,” Joe said. “It was really just Fayetteville.”
Within a few years, the region had begun its steady climb. Today, northwest Arkansas is known nationally for its corporate presence, outdoor recreation and booming community. The Murphys have witnessed every phase of it.
“We’ve seen so much growth since we’ve been here,” Cindee said. “The region has just exploded.”
Among the most significant changes, they say, has been the arrival and expansion of Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale.
A miracle that shaped a mission
Long before they’d even moved to Arkansas, the Murphys had already experienced the life-changing impact of pediatric specialty care.
One of their daughters was born without a bladder connection. After having moved from California to Washington, a remarkable coincidence unfolded — a specialist who performed a rare bladder reconstruction surgery had just relocated to Seattle.
The surgery — which used stomach tissue to reconstruct the bladder — was considered novel at the time. Their daughter became one of the few long-term success stories. Today, she is healthy and a mother herself.
“It was simply a miracle that it all came together,” Joe said.
Since then, children’s hospitals have held a special place in their hearts. So, when Arkansas Children’s expanded to northwest Arkansas, the Murphys saw it as “kismet” and knew that they had to get involved.
Sitting at their kitchen counter, Joe and Cindee made a list of charitable priorities. Arkansas Children’s landed at the top of the list.
From Little Rock to right down the road
Before Arkansas Children’s Northwest opened, families in Bentonville and surrounding communities often faced a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Little Rock for pediatric specialty care — or a life flight to larger cities in the region.
The Murphys have made those drives. Their son received care at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. One grandson was premature and required emergency transport. Yet another grandchild was airlifted after a serious kidney injury.
Now, ACNW is about 15 minutes from their home in Bentonville, which is reassuring for the Murphys.
“With four kids and 11 grandkids, the chances are pretty high that you’re going to end up in the hospital at some point,” Joe said. “And with ACNW, that’s where we’re going to go because we know that’s where we’re going to get the best care.”
For a family that spends weekends on mountain biking trails and at the lake, orthopedic and sports medicine care are not abstract concepts. They are practical necessities. And the miles matter.
“Every time we drive by it on the freeway, we just look at it and say, ‘Thank God that it is there,’” Cindee added. “It’s opened up the ability for so many people to just get that care without having to go to Little Rock.”
Growing with the region
As northwest Arkansas continues to expand, bringing with it an influx of young families, the Murphys believe pediatric health care must grow alongside it.
Additional inpatient rooms, a new infusion center and expanded cardiology services are recent milestones at ACNW. For the Murphys, those developments represent more than buildings; they signal a shift toward regionalizing care so fewer families must leave home for treatment.
“I hope the campus is able to grow and add all the disciplines,” Joe said. “Orthopedics and pediatrics and oncology and all these different things. It will be nice if we’re able to get the doctors in. They can actually live here and become part of the community.
“It’s nice to have higher quality care close to home,” Joe added. “That’s part of why supporting ACNW is an easy decision.”
Supporting hope — for everyone
For the Murphys, giving is both practical and deeply personal. They want the hospital to be there for their own family — even as they hope they won’t need it.
“We love to have the resource available for our family,” Joe said. “But we also hope our family never has to use the resource. We want to support it so it’s there if needed — for our family, but for any family, really. The community needs it.”
Cindee’s voice softens when she talks about what it feels like to give.
“It makes you feel really good,” she said. “You know that you’re doing the right thing and you’re affecting so many people in so many positive ways. There is absolutely no better feeling than that.”
Murphy’s Law may suggest that accidents and mishaps are inevitable. Cindee and Joe Murphy have certainly seen that firsthand. But they also believe something else is just as certain: when a community invests in its children, good things happen.
Joe perhaps summed up the Murphys’ approach best.
“I think what we’re most interested in is ‘how can we help?’”
This story originally ran in the Spring 2026 issue of Champions Magazine