While Caroline was in the PICU each time, we personally experienced the shortage of toys they had available to the kids admitted there. It's REALLY hard to entertain a child (especially a baby/toddler) when you're confined to two feet of space, and hooked up to a million wires--for days or even weeks, and in unfortunate circumstances, months. I had several conversations with the charge nurse, and she told me they were making calls to some of their usual Christmas donors, to ask for help--they couldn't wait that long.
I knew right then and there that there was something we could do to help. We belong to a church whose whole premise is service to others, so I knew exactly who to turn to for help--and I was right. After one phone call to the Relief Society President, I was able to okay boxes in the foyers, and established other drop-off points. E-mails were sent that night, and within a few hours I had many enthusiastic responses.
We gathered toys for several weeks, and then last week, brought them all home to clean them and get them ready for delivery. The kids loved going through the toys, cleaning and organizing them, and deciding which toys might not work for the kids in the PICU. We also had a lot of laughs along the way, when we found legless and headless dolls, and a few other funny toys. :) I had to keep encouraging cleaning, and not playing. Ha!
We also bought a few new toys, and once they were all packed into bins and ready to go, we made the trip into Buffalo to personally deliver them. It was so nice to walk in there and not have a child there! Immediately I related with the parents and children that were there though, and especially during the Thanksgiving holiday. It felt to good to give back to those that gave such excellent care to our baby, and to spread a little cheer to those darling children and kids.
I'm grateful to everyone who was willing to go through their toys and playrooms and give generously. I'm grateful to everyone who passed the word along, and gave support. I'm grateful to my family, for being excited about it, and wanting to help. I'm grateful for the nurses, doctors and staff at the hospital who give more than their learning and knowledge. I had nurses (more than one) give me their personal numbers in case I needed anything when we were at home, since we live farther away form the hospital, and they live near us. They brought me homemade brownies that were for the staff, but they thought I needed one. They rocked Caroline in the middle of the night when she wasn't sleeping, so I could sleep for just an hour. I'm grateful for doctors who listen to mothers, and who treat you like a person.
Feeling that gratitude made Thanksgiving the perfect time to give.
