The holidays arrived early this year for families at Seattle Children’s and Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC). Amazon brightened the day for patients and families by making one of their largest – and most special – deliveries of the year.
“We so appreciate the important work Seattle Children’s and Odessa Brown does for families in our Seattle community,” said Sam Kennedy, an Amazon spokesperson. “We are proud to give back to such amazing organizations and to put a smile on people’s faces during this special time of year.”
The hospital was filled with excitement as patients and families gathered around a giant Amazon gift box in the inpatient playroom at the hospital. Giomoni (Gio) Caro, 6, a long-time patient at Seattle Children’s, was given the honor of unveiling what was inside the box – a brand new Kindle For Kids Bundle with the latest E-reader for every child in the hospital and a $50 gift card for families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – and was designated as an “Elf for a Day” to help spread holiday cheer throughout the hospital.
Another Christmas at Seattle Children’s
Fiona Lynch, 18, suffers from Crohn’s disease and has been in the hospital for almost two weeks, and so when she heard about the Amazon event she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join in on the fun. A team of nurses even helped her get ready by doing her hair and makeup after she woke up from anesthesia today.
“I heard about the event and was so excited,” said Lynch. “It’s amazing that Amazon cares so much about the patients here. It’s especially hard around the holidays to be in the hospital, but this was really cool.”
Lynch will undergo surgery next week and will have to be in the hospital through Christmas, but she’s not letting that damper her mood.
Today, she has a big smile on her face and a new Amazon device to keep her busy during her hospital stay.
“This will be my second Christmas at Seattle Children’s,” said Lynch. “This wasn’t on my Christmas list, but it’s awesome!”
A big surprise
A few miles down the road in Seattle’s Central District, families were thrilled by the sight of another special delivery. At OBCC, a community clinic where children receive care from a team of specially trained pediatric providers regardless of their family’s ability to pay, patients and families patiently awaited the arrival of Santa Claus who helped open a large Amazon gift box filled with toys.
“We came to the clinic today for a flu shot,” said Jessica Roush. “We didn’t expect this. It’s such a good surprise and we’re really grateful to Amazon. My children can’t wait to open their presents.”
Amazon donated $10,000 worth of items for children of all ages from Seattle Children’s Amazon wish list.
Little Zayden, 12 months old, didn’t know what to think of the special delivery, but his mother Asia Mitchell couldn’t stop smiling.
“We’ve been coming to Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic every month for check ups,” said Mitchell. “Today was a big surprise. You always know something good will happen when you visit the clinic, but today was beyond what we had imagined.”
This year the holiday season is extra special for Mitchell. This time last year, Zayden was in the NICU. He was born early and weighed only two pounds. Mitchell said she can’t wait to compare the photos she got of Zayden sitting in Santa’s lap with a photo from Zayden’s first Christmas.
“It’s going to be quite a sight to see how far he’s come,” said Mitchell.
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