“I wanted to do something for the kids to make them feel happy and excited,” says 8-year-old Peyton Fisher. Peyton is a former patient at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and now, a Champion for Children.
She is a bright young girl whose favorite pastimes are painting and coloring. She also enjoys hot-gluing things together and making slime. Peyton’s passion for creativity is something that has followed her ever since her first visit to Packard Children’s.
Finding Inspiration
Her first experience at our hospital in 2013 was quite intense. She received emergency brain surgery to remove a tumor at the back of her skull which was prohibiting her from walking correctly. Peyton needed to spend some time at the hospital to heal, which was the start of a challenging journey for her. “When I was a patient at the hospital, I felt sad,” she reflects.
But toys and arts and crafts kits generously donated by Packard Children’s supporters sparked her creativity. The kits enabled Peyton to focus on one of her favorite hobbies: art.
“Once she started feeling better post-surgery, she also enjoyed going to the Forever Young Zone, where she created arts and crafts projects,” says Peyton’s mother, Jenna.
Taking Artistic Action
Since arts and crafts brought Peyton so much happiness during her time at Packard Children’s, she wanted to share that experience with other patients and their families. On a sunny afternoon in May 2019, Peyton presented 40 arts and crafts kits to the hospital for patients just like her. Each package was meticulously filled with fun activities from Play-Doh to paintable statues.
Peyton and her family dedicated an entire month to brainstorming and preparing these kits, shopping at various stores online and in-person. Jenna watched as her daughter spent countless hours deliberately picking out the materials to go into the kits, going so far as to pick the most high-quality and colorful craft supplies as she could find. Then, they sorted through the supplies, carefully creating each kit.
Peyton’s motivation to finish the kits was knowing the influence they would have on the patients and families at Packard Children’s. “Thinking about the happiness the kits would bring to the children was the best part,” Peyton gushes. “I hope they love painting the pretty picture frame, and maybe they’ll hang up their artwork in their hospital rooms to make it feel even more cheerful!”
Jenna echoes her daughter’s positive mentality, encouraging families to “stay in the moment and remember the joys in life.”
Making the Change
Peyton’s budding philanthropy does not stop here. She plays an active role in her family’s foundation, The Morgan and Peyton Fisher Foundation, where she selects causes to support with financial gifts, including Packard Children’s.
Because of the heartfelt donations given to our hospital from Champions like Peyton, our patients and their families can feel supported and have a creative outlet. Thank you, Peyton, for your kind donation to Packard Children’s. We are so grateful!
Inspired by our Champions? Support our hospital and become a Champion for Children today!