Hear from parents and nurses
Grinning Ear to Ear
One little boy was so overjoyed after receiving and opening his present that he couldn't stop smiling for the next three hours. After walking around and showing everyone his gift, he returned to his room and kept repacking and opening his present with renewed excitement each time.
In the Hospital for Christmas
When we delivered gifts to one of the hospitals, a cheerful nurse said, "You gals are seriously the best. I am so thankful you're willing to help again. We used all of the toys, and I feel like our department needs them the most because, unlike other floors, our patients can't reschedule their stay and go home for Christmas. And unlike the ICU, our patients are all awake and aware that they're in the hospital for Christmas."
Kindness and Coffee
Nurses in the hospitals we support always make it a point to mention how much the parents appreciate the handwritten notes and Starbucks gift cards we provide. Many moms even keep the message of encouragement on the wall in their child's hospital room for inspiration.
Christmas Morning Surprise
One mom wanted to ensure her daughter had something special to open on Christmas morning. With finances being tight due to new diagnoses and reduced work hours, there wasn't much money left for Christmas presents. However, the present from Gifts of Joy allowed this mom to give her daughter something special for Christmas and help alleviate one burden in this mom's life.
It Came at a Time we Needed it Most
“The Adventure Bible is always our favorite, and the book “It Will be Okay” was such a great book, we read it every week we were at the hospital. For us as parents, when you’re stuck at the hospital for an undisclosed about of time, it can get very difficult. I asked our Child Life Specialist for a Children’s Bible to read with Jameson daily and they brought in 3 beautifully wrapped boxes! A Bible for each parent and for our son along with a few goodies in each box. It was not only an unexpected gift but I was able to have a journal and pen set. Thank you, I will never forget it, it came at a time when we really needed it most.”
Achieving Goals One Coloring Page at a Time
A nurse shared an inspirational story about one of her patients, a little girl who received one of our gifts: "In every room, there is a goals section on the whiteboard. I try to use it with my patients because they often lose sight of normalcy, and setting goals and routines aid in their development. One of my patients received a coloring book from Gifts of Joy, and she set a goal to color a different picture every day until her discharge. It gave her something to focus on and care about. She went from sleeping all day and being very lonely to waking up at 8 AM, ordering her own breakfast, and setting intentions for each day. It was really sweet to watch her transformation."
Everything was Perfect
After delivering presents to one of our hospital partners, one of the nurses enthusiastically told our team, "There is literally nothing you could have done better. You guys made it so easy, thinking of everything from the ages on the tags, to the gift wrap, to the batteries for the toys that needed it. It was so awesome!"
Thank you for blessing us in this way
A sweet mama reached out to thank our team: "Our last hospital visit, the Child Life Specialists left a gift of a rocket toy light on my son’s bed. Thank you, that light gave us hours of conversations with the nurses. We looked at the stars on the “ceiling sky” every night at the hospital. Thank you for blessing us in this way."