I recently got the opportunity to help out a children’s hospital and deliver a boat-load of presents and money to one family in need, and one sick little boy.
They do it every year. This one unit of nurses at Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital gives of their own money to bring a smile to one deserving child and their whole family each Christmas. They go all out and get EVERY SINGLE THING on that child’s Christmas list and the list of their family. One nurse had another little boy in his neighborhood want to help and he started a lemonade stand. He raised 30 dollars but when word got out about what he was doing other neighbors decided to match what he raised. The little boy ended up influencing a sum of $500. So that nurse got $500 dollars worth of gift cards and gave it to this year’s recipient.
This year’s recipient is one little boy, who we will call BC (the Big Cheese), and who is currently fighting cancer for the second time. His mom has also faced cancer, herself, so this has to be a very terrible thing to watch her sweet 8 year old boy go through chemo, knowing exactly what he is feeling and probably hating that she can’t do a thing to make it better.
Because the gift giving was meant to be a completely anonymous gifting, insert me. I got to do the delivering. So 5 pm, I pulled up to the house with one of the nurses who packed me with the gifts. I rang the bell and BC’s mom answered. Just as I was telling her who I was, a bald little head was bobbing down the stairs coming for me. Despite some facial disfigurement from reconstructive surgery, he had a big old grin on his face.
“That’s a lot of presents!” he said as his mom was helping me toss gifts under their bare tree. I smiled. “You must be BC…”
“Yeah.”
“These are for you! From the little elves from the Children’s hospital.”
“Thank you!” He grinned sweetly. He gave me a hug and then I was on my way. It was a 90 second encounter. Yet, it was one that will stay with me and probably with them too for a long time.
There is nothing like seeing the simple joys of a child light up your soul when their joy is activated. I work with kids all day and it never gets old. They love so purely. They celebrate their little joys so freely. It’s such a beautiful gift to be able to see this every day at work. Yet, to see a sick little boy beaming from ear to ear is even better. It is all the Christmas I need.
Above all I am grateful to God for this opportunity to be a tiny insignificant part of this amazing team of nurses who have such a heart for their job- that is their patients. I am thankful to have been able to be their hands and feet and bring joy to one little very significant heart who’s struggle is so much bigger than he is, but who has so much joy!
Lilly Costea 