Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2009. You maybe asking yourself... what was going on? This was a typical physical therapy session for Mattie when he was in-patient. We literally took up an entire hallway and people we did not know would somehow get involved in our activities. Needless to say, I snapped a photo of the process! The only two people I knew were Anna (Mattie's physical therapist) who was pushing the IV pole and Matt (Mattie's psychiatrist) who was holding the end of the colorful tubes.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 25,732,940
- Number of people who died from the virus: 432,540
Late last night, I received two emails from a supporter of Mattie Miracle. Her niece has two children who are in need of medical procedures and our supporter was reaching out to us for craft kit ideas for the children. She wanted the children to have activities in a kit, so they could transport them easily to the hospital and the children could play with them while they had to remain physically still and in one place for their procedures. Our supporter said that the children LOVED the kits their child life specialist provided them in the hospital, and she was looking to purchase more kits like this!
Years ago, I met the founder of Kraftlove. In fact, we live in the same region, so we have had the opportunity to meet at various childhood cancer events. I learned from the Founder about their wonderful craft kits and I also know these kits are used at both of the hospitals we support. Therefore, I connected our supporter with the Founder of Kraftlove.
Then I reached out to Adina, our child life specialist at Children's Hospital at Sinai in Baltimore. I asked Adina for a list of non-profits that offer craft kits for children who are hospitalized. Below are some of the wonderful resources Adina shared, which I think are worth publicizing. Most of these non-profits will send individual children kits for free! Which is a wonderful gift and I know being the recipient of many gifts while Mattie was hospitalized, that they make a HUGE difference! Gifts can change a child's mood instantaneously like nothing else.
Project Sunshine: Project Sunshine brings volunteer-led programming to pediatric patients and their families in a variety of medical settings. We recognize the tremendous weight of managing a child’s illness or injury, whether it requires short-term or long-term care. Every child with a medical challenge is unique, and our programs seek to adapt to the individual needs of each child. Activity kits...https://projectsunshine.org/what-we-do/ourprogram/
Caitlin's Smiles: is dedicated to sharing smiles and laughter with children facing chronic or life threatening illnesses. Founded in 2004 in memory of Caitlin Hornung, the non-profit organization distributes arts and crafts kits to hospitals, giving kids an outlet for creativity and the means to heightened feelings of self-worth. https://www.caitlins-smiles.org/
Get Your Play (On) Line: seeks to create fun, therapeutic activities, and live events, for children and their parents. Created and run by child Life students, we strive to grow our organization through developmentally appropriate play. Providing the opportunity to engage in play within any setting can positively impact a child’s experience. getyourplayonline.com
GuidePosts: is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring the world to believe that anything is possible with hope, faith, and prayer. They offer Comfort Kits free of cost: https://www.guideposts.org/free-comfort-kits-for-children
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