It’s not easy to spend any day in the hospital, but it can be especially hard when you add a pandemic on top of the holiday season. Luckily, two local hospitals have been working throughout the giving season to let their patients and staff know they are loved and appreciated.
Although many things this holiday season have been postponed or canceled due to coronavirus concerns., officials at Advent Health and Baylor Scott & White hospitals have been working to make sure this unforgettable year has a sweet ending.
Ashley Blackmon and Leah Woodward, Child Life Specialist at McLane's Children’s Hospital, work day in and day out to put a smile on the tiniest faces all year round. With the community's support, Christmas is going to be a whole lot sweeter for their patients and their families.
“The fact that we are able to share our donations with them eases a little bit of their burden for them trying to figure out how they’re going to provide Christmas while they’re in the hospital,” said Blackmon.
“A child being in the hospital, that can be very isolating and a difficult time not only for the kids but also the whole family. The way families react when we’re able to provide them with these gifts in the holiday spirit, it’s just rewarding itself,” Woodward said.
Over at Advent Health, they are spreading the holiday cheer too.
“I’ve actually got a little Christmas present for every patient. I’ll be wandering through the halls visiting the patients today and tomorrow to give them a greeting from administration and a little special Christmas gift,” said President and CEO of Advent Health Central TX, Kevin Roberts.
Roberts says they are going all out this year to make sure patients still feel jolly despite being in the hospital.
“This actually is a little Christmas ornament. It’s an ornament that reminds them that it’s Christmas and it thanks them for sharing their Christmas with us, even though they may not have volunteered," Roberts said of the Christmas trays that will be given to each patient.
Though they are two completely different facilities, the care they provide for each patient and each other is what the Christmas is all about.
