Patients at children's hospital have a surprise visitor
Patients at Akron Children's Hospital had a surprise visitor on December 23, when Santa Claus himself stopped by with gifts for them.
Almost 200 children were expected to spend at least part of the Christmas week in the hospital, and Santa and Mrs. Claus were there to cheer them up. The Clauses arrived at 9:00 am, coming not via sleigh but by helicopter, bringing gifts with them that had been personalized for each recipient based on their gender, interests, and age. Many of these gifts had been donated.
Among those who received the unexpected gifts was Paityn Merkin, age four, who received a stuffed reindeer about half as big as she is. According to Ohio.com, she hugged it, then tried to give it back to Santa, assuming it was just a loan. She was overjoyed when Santa told her the reindeer was hers to keep.
Luke White, aged eight, found a Darth Vader toy in his gift box. Both Luke and his mother Julie love ‘Star Wars’, so the gift was perfect. Julie said she had heard Santa was coming to visit, but assumed he would simply remain in the lobby. She added that seeing Santa and receiving presents cheered up Luke, and she was deeply appreciative of the program for the improvement it made in Luke's mood.
Programs like this can benefit if organizers create brochures for area-wide distribution, explaining their program and how people can help.
Almost 200 children were expected to spend at least part of the Christmas week in the hospital, and Santa and Mrs. Claus were there to cheer them up. The Clauses arrived at 9:00 am, coming not via sleigh but by helicopter, bringing gifts with them that had been personalized for each recipient based on their gender, interests, and age. Many of these gifts had been donated.
Among those who received the unexpected gifts was Paityn Merkin, age four, who received a stuffed reindeer about half as big as she is. According to Ohio.com, she hugged it, then tried to give it back to Santa, assuming it was just a loan. She was overjoyed when Santa told her the reindeer was hers to keep.
Luke White, aged eight, found a Darth Vader toy in his gift box. Both Luke and his mother Julie love ‘Star Wars’, so the gift was perfect. Julie said she had heard Santa was coming to visit, but assumed he would simply remain in the lobby. She added that seeing Santa and receiving presents cheered up Luke, and she was deeply appreciative of the program for the improvement it made in Luke's mood.
Programs like this can benefit if organizers create brochures for area-wide distribution, explaining their program and how people can help.