Volunteers and staff worked hard to raise the spirits of the young patients over the festive season.
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Christmas isn’t really fun when you’re sick, but at Red Cross Children’s Hospital volunteers and staff work hard to raise the spirits of the young patients over the festive season.
On Thursday the hospital held its annual Christmas party and parade for about 300 outpatient children, with Father Christmas, Snow White and a host of other characters raising the excitement levels to fever pitch.
Outpatients and some of the children from the wards, many wearing bandages, plasters, drips and drains, were treated to ice-cream, popcorn and entertainment.
Inside the hospital, Father Christmas and his wife Mother Christmas made their way around the wards, delivering presents to all the children.
A second, secret Father Christmas is also used to make the delivery go quicker, but hospital staff make sure the two are never spotted together, using carollers to distract the children.
In Ward E1, the ear, nose and throat and cardiac ward, children broke into shy smiles as they received their presents.
Sandisiwe Bonani, 10, a cardiac patient who arrived from the Eastern Cape on Wednesday night, had a butterfly painted on her face.
She quietly opened her gift, which contained a shiny handbag, pink beaded jewellery and some pencils.
Hospital spokeswoman, Lauren O’Connor-May, said the Red Cross Children’s Hospital Trust collected toys throughout the year. This year they had received large donations from Charly’s Bakery and Syntell.
“We sort the toys by age and gender, and put them into bags. Then, on the day, we get the numbers of children and we send the toys up. As far as the children are concerned, they came from Father Christmas.”
“The Friends of the Children’s Hospital Association, an NGO based at the hospital, accepts, sorts and distributes donations in kind on the hospital’s behalf.
“The Friends will be open during office hours, until December 21,” she said.
Anyone who wants to donate after hours or after December 21 can contact the matron on duty.
“This would be the only way that people can get involved during this time.
“During the festive season the volunteer programmes de-escalate, along with the rest of the hospital, and only reopen for new registrations next month,” she said.
Tygerberg Children’s Hospital held its Christmas party last week. Spokeswoman for the hospital, Laticia Pienaar, said there were no special plans for Christmas Day. - Sunday Argus