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Life goes on, even during hospitalization and illness. There are holidays to celebrate, schoolwork to keep up with, new friends to meet, fears to overcome. And sometimes (most times!) a kid just wants to play.

Your support enables patients to enjoy normal childhood experiences that are essential to their emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Many of the invaluable services that help care for families—such as child life and recreation therapy, our on-site school, palliative care, social work, and chaplaincy—are not covered by insurance.

Whether it is a child life specialist allowing a patient to hear what an MRI machine sounds like before she receives her scan, or a teacher sitting by a patient’s bedside helping him prepare for the SATs, we try to meet patients where they are, and make sure that their hospitalization does not define who they are. 

Without your support, our hospital would still find a way to function. But we would lose the ability to truly care for children and families in the way that makes Packard Children’s unique.

We are so grateful for your kind-heartedness and partnership to create memorable moments like these.

“When we arrived at the NICU on Easter morning, our son had a big, beautiful Easter basket. It was amazing. The hospital was really not where you wanted to spend the holiday, but if you had to be there, it was a very loving place to be.”
—Kate Dachs, mom

This article first appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of Lucile Packard Children's News.