Spending the Holidays at the Children’s Hospital

A local family shares how hospital staff and community donations brought comfort during a difficult season.

By Allison Kenien

Matilda and her brother on Thanksgiving 2023.

When Lisa and Chad Loomis’ daughter, Matilda, started complaining about wrist pain, the idea of life-threatening illnesses never crossed their minds. They assumed the active 9-year-old must have strained it during taekwondo class. 

But over the next several days, Matilda grew weak. She developed a fever that refused to disappear, even with ibuprofen and fluids. So, they went into the doctor’s office for a checkup and blood work. 

Shortly after returning home, Lisa received news she never expected. 

“We got the call later that morning,” Lisa said. “We were told, ‘You have to take her to the emergency room right now. We've got providers waiting for her. We think, based on her bloodwork, that she has cancer.’”

Lisa and Chad tried to hide their fear while they packed a few outfits and drove Matilda to meet the team waiting for them at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. 

Matilda reading her joke book and wearing her Christmas slipper socks.

She was admitted that day in November 2023. For the first several days, she was bedbound in pain, but when she started chemotherapy treatments, she perked up a bit. Slowly, she grew more interested in moving around and interacting. 

As Thanksgiving approached, her college-aged brother came to the hospital, and the family tried to weave some moments of normalcy back into their lives. 

“We were invited to a Thanksgiving meal with all of the trimmings: turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, everything you'd want for Thanksgiving,” Lisa said. “Volunteers and folks at the hospital were working to provide a really beautiful, really tasty meal for families who were, unfortunately, there during that time.”

After Thanksgiving, the kind-hearted gestures continued for the Loomis family and the other hospital patients. Holiday decorations lined the walls and toys and games were plentiful. It certainly wasn’t a joyous time, but the offerings of support helped spread comfort.

“Matilda just really appreciated the attentiveness of the staff and thinking about the small things,” Lisa said. “It's not like this great rosy picture, but it helps [the patients] to have some sense of normalcy.”

The hospital’s Child Life team is the force behind these programs, which are fueled by funding from The Upstate Foundation and community donations.

“A lot of the families didn't plan to be here,” said Gina Lozito, Child Life manager. “It could be anything: the flu, RSV, or a cancer diagnosis that came out of nowhere. So, creating a special environment for them is just one little thing that we can do to help during this massive transition that the family might be going through.”

The team continually runs uplifting and supportive initiatives throughout the year. During the holidays, they arrange live Zoom calls with Santa, special dinners with Frosty the Snowman and other themed characters, and even comfort items for parents like blankets.

Their biggest holiday program is a gift shop called “Snowflake Central.” It’s packed with games, toys, and gift cards that are donated by members of the community. Families are given free tickets to claim items. Small items like puzzles “cost” fewer tickets than larger items like wireless headphones. 

The shop relieves some of the hardships that come with having a sick or injured child during such a busy season. 

“If your child's in the hospital during the holidays, life is still going on,” said Danielle Bright, director of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Partnership Program. “You still have bills to pay. Maybe one parent is working, one parent is staying with the kid, maybe there are other siblings at home. So the Foundation tries to focus their efforts on eliminating the burdens and some of that financial strain.”

For example, if a family is commuting from Watertown to be with their hospitalized child, the Foundation is able to provide gift cards for gas. This type of assistance for families is made possible by monetary donations from the community. 

In addition to monetary donations, one of the Foundation’s greatest needs is gifts for teens. 

Many generous families think of donating toys, but items that appeal to teenagers like clothes, gift cards, and electronics don’t always come to mind.  

“I think [hospitalized] teens struggle a lot during the holidays because they're away from their family and friends, they're not doing their sports, and their whole life is disrupted,” Lozito said. “They have a little more of an emotional toll at the holidays. I really feel bad for the teenagers, and I think they're the forgotten bunch.”

The Upstate staff posing for a photo in “Snowflake Central.”

The Child Life team and Upstate Foundation want to support everyone, from the patients to the parents, and even siblings. 

“We try to provide comfort for families who feel like the whole world's happening outside and they are inside … just a little touch to say, ‘You're not alone,’” Bright said. 

Families are appreciative of the gesture, like the Loomis family who tried to “pay it forward” since leaving the hospital. 

Matilda, who is now in the maintenance phase of her treatment, speaks out to raise money for the Upstate Foundation and various cancer research and advocacy groups. 

“We're volunteering and we're [fundraising] because we are very fortunate people and we want other people to have support and whatever may be helpful for them,” Lisa said.

Want to help? Make a monetary donation or contribute gifts by visiting the Upstate Foundation at upstatefoundation.org.