A few letters from those we support

from a Social Worker at Nemours Children’s Hospital

I hope you all are doing well! I wanted to thank you again for the Wawa and cafeteria gift cards Frogs for life donated to the cardiac center last summer. We’ve been able to help many families in getting to the hospital for imperative family meetings and discharge education as well as buying a hot meal/necessary caffeine boost from the cafeteria during long days. Families have expressed immense appreciation for the cards.

Thank you for all of your support 😊

Courtney

from Nemours Children’s Hospital

First and foremost, please know that we often sit in that room to treat a patient and think of Tommy- I have not sat in the rocking chair lately, but every time I have, I smile at the frog and think of you guys.

As physical and occupational therapists, we wanted to extend our gratitude for all of your generous donations and contributions to the Nemours Cardiac Center. This center has become like a family, and you have blessed us with the ability to help soothe, calm, and entertain hundreds of patients over the years. I wish we could take photos of all of the babies smiling or calming when we provide a mobile, a boppy, or a gentle sound machine. The vibrating pads soothe the infants that still have the critical lines in and can not be held. You have provided us with the ability to help these infants and give them the opportunity to enhance their sensory system while their body recovers.

We all extend our appreciation and will never be able to show you how much you have helped improve this environment for these infants.

With our love and appreciation,

Sarah, Dana, Bridy and Isabel

from the Speech Pathologist at Nemours Children's Hospital

My name is Karli Negrin, I am a speech-language pathologist who works at Nemours Cardiac Center and I am writing this letter to express the deepest and sincerest gratitude for the generous donations that we have received over the years in the memory of Tommy. I am deeply touched for a few reason. First, I remember sweet Tommy and his beautiful family from his days at the hospital. I am a feeding specialist and I had the privilege of working with Tommy as he was learning to eat by mouth. I remember rocking Tommy in a rocking chair while we were working on his bottle feeds. To know Tommy was to love him.

I rock other babies while working on feeding in the rocking chair that was dedicated to the unit in Tommy’s memory. It is one of my favorite chairs to rock in while feeding the babies. Over the years we have receive an abundance of donations that have impacted the lives and development of our infants and children. Children with CHD are at risk for developmental delays and it is so important for us to have available items to stimulate their language, visual, feeding and motor development. Even today I played with a little 12 month old child while they were seated in a high chair that was donated from your foundation. We read books that were donated and played with toys from your donations. It feels like a bit of normalcy in a very abnormal environment for a child to live in. The mobiles that are donated are on almost every crib and we use the sounds to calm the babies and to help develop their brains. Tommy lives on through these donations and we are immensely grateful for your generosity.

From the bottom of my heart, We thank you.

Sincerely,

Karli Negrin-Speech Pathologist

from the Cardiac Unit Director at Nemours

Thank you so much for supporting the Cardiac Center in Tommy’s memory. The books and snacks are awesome. Caitlin has purchased so many useful items for the center with the gift cards you send. Your donations make a difference in the lives of our patient, families, and staff. It is heartwarming to see the patients that were once so ill sitting up in one of the highchairs we purchased with the gift cards. Thank you for sharing the legacy of Tommy with the Cardiac Center😊

Sincerely Grateful,

Janet

Director of Cardiac Unit

from Child Life Department at Nemours

The Frogs for Life toy drive is something that myself and the cardiac center look forward to each year! So often, the infant population gets overlooked when it comes to donations, and this annual drive prioritizes our littlest patients and still has room for other ages too. My favorite part is that the donations aren’t just about volume, but they are in-demand, quality items that really address the neurodevelopmental needs of our patients. These items aid our therapists and staff in providing better care. From mobiles and play mats that provide appropriate stimulation, vibrating pads and sounds machines that soothe, and swings and seats that promote early mobility, we are so fortunate to be the recipient of this fantastic toy drive. On behalf of all the families and staff, thank you for your efforts and generosity, in memory of your angel Tommy.

With gratitude,

Caitlin Meehan, CCLS

Child Life Specialist- Nemours Cardiac Center