Cooperative Living November/December 2016 - 19

The halls of St. Mary's Hospital are familiar to Dalton Ashworth. It was here that he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2013. Dalton is
pictured here with younger brother Logan and Ilona Scanlon, certified child life specialist for St. Mary's Hospital.
Being able to place gifts into little hands
and see the resulting smiles and grateful
tears of harried, stressed-out families
touches the boys' hearts. " Dalton and
Logan actually give the wrapped gifts to
the patients, unless the children are on
restrictions, and then the gifts are taken to
them by the hospital staff and the boys
wave at them from the hall, " Rachael says.
" You can tell how touched the children
and the parents are, and that is priceless. "
Kristin Barry, of Richmond, is one of
those parents. Her daughter, an effervescent
blond-haired, blue-eyed child, was
5 months old when she suddenly came
down with the flu. It was just days before
Christmas when she was admitted to
St. Mary's Hospital.
The family was devastated to be
spending their daughter's first Christmas
behind hospital walls, but tried to remain
positive. Santa will come another day,
Barry would reassuringly whisper in her
daughter's ear. So when delicately
wrapped Christmas gifts were delivered
to their hospital room, Barry was
surprised and grateful to experience a
little touch of Christmas. " My daughter
got several presents, and it was really
sweet, " she says. " It was very special and
not at all expected. "
And that is why the success of
Operation Cheer means so much to
www.co-opliving.com
Dalton, a student at Central High School,
and Logan, a student at Lunenburg Middle
School. " While other kids are opening
presents and spending time with their
family at home, there are kids stuck in the
hospital, unable to open presents or be at
home, " Dalton says. " They shouldn't have
to feel forgotten. "
Last year, the boys handed out about
150 wrapped gifts. " We were really pleased
'I think it's really
wonderful that Dalton
wants to give back to
other kids hospitalized
during the holidays ... '
says Ilona Scanlon,
certified child life
specialist for
St. Mary's Hospital.
with that number, " Rachael says. The
brothers hope to give out just as many, or
more, gifts this year.
Dalton has even bigger dreams, too.
When he becomes a professional baseball
player like his idol Derek Jeter, the nowretired
All-Star shortstop for the New York
Yankees, Dalton would like to see a unit at
the hospital devoted just to children with
Crohn's disease. " I love him. He dreams
big, " Rachael says, smiling.
But, for now, bringing yuletide cheer to
hospitalized youngsters is satisfaction
enough. Dalton says, " It feels really good
to give hospitalized kids a reason to smile,
especially during the holidays. " 
CROHN'S DISEASE FACTS
* Crohn's disease is a chronic
inflammatory disease of
the intestines.
* The cause of Crohn's disease
is unknown.
* Crohn's disease can cause ulcers
in the small intestine, colon
or both.
* Abdominal pain, diarrhea,
vomiting, fever and weight loss
are symptoms of Crohn's disease.
Source: www.medicinenet.com/
crohns_disease/article.htm
November-December 2016 | Cooperative Living | 17

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Cooperative Living November/December 2016

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