What Gave Me Hope, Five Holidays in the Hospital

Written by: Nicole, Dylan's Mom

It is always disheartening to spend the holidays in the hospital. Both my boys, Dylan and Logan, spent their first Christmas at the hospital, and it continues to be an unfortunate trend. We have spent five holiday seasons in the hospital and plan to be at the hospital again this year.  

I worry about the boys’ childhood being taken by illness. For children with life-threatening illnesses, so much of their childhood is stolen from them. They must grow up and face adversity at such a young age. Instead of having memories of baking cookies and seeing Christmas lights, they have memories of beeping monitors and IVs.  

It was especially challenging last year when, due to the severity of care Dylan needed, we found ourselves in another state during the holidays. Despite preparing gifts for the boys throughout the year, we were unable even to drive back home to gather them for the boys. We were using our stretched-thin finances to cover food, gas, hospital parking, and more to get through this admission.

Our worry went away when hospital staff came dressed as Santa or elves, carrying big red bags of gifts, donated by organizations like Starlight. We were excited for the boys to take pictures but never expected the absolute showering of gifts! They were both blessed with five presents. It was incredible. The stress these surprise gifts removed from us as parents, and the joy they brought to our boys, are indescribable. It gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes.  

Even after that day, the gifts they received continued to support the boys, entertaining and helping distract from the sting of a sterile hospital room.  

Moments like these are why programs and support like Starlight’s are so important. They allow kids to be kids again and restore, even for a few minutes, pieces of their childhood that were stolen from them by illness.  

Our hope in humanity is restored when we see strangers come to support us in the thick of it. Kindhearted strangers made sure our children had a Merry Christmas in the hospital.  

For families in the hospital, a donor's gifts can truly be the difference between a child celebrating the holidays and not.

Your generosity can restore hope to children and parents alike, showing that they are not alone in their struggle against illness but are cared for and seen.