‘That really made my day:’ local youth surprises hospital patients with handwritten letters
A child in the community made a difference in hospital patients’ days by finishing off her summer creating something special for them.
Nine-year-old Kaitlin Tucker sent over 20 letters to a Fergus hospital to be distributed by volunteers to the inpatients.
Signed “dear friend,” the letters were intended to bring a boost to the community. Per a Facebook post from Groves Memorial Hospital, recipients of Tucker’s letters responded positively, with comments like “that really made my day,” and “that is so sweet!”
Nancy Peer Lilani, manager of Groves Hospital Volunteer Association, says Tucker’s reasoning behind writing the letters was very wholesome.
“Basically, when I asked her why she did it, she said ‘I like writing letters, and I thought if I wrote to the patients it would make them happy,'” Peer Lilani said.
Laura Burns, elder life specialist at the hospital, explained Tucker and her brother have a keen sense of community need.
“Having seen some of the letters and how they were written, I think they were motivated to just encourage patients who are in the hospital and share what was going on in their lives,” Burns explained.
“A lot of the letters would just say something along the lines of ‘know that you’re cared about and thought about,'” she continued.
Burns said that they are just local kids who care.
“I think they’re just genuine kids that care about people in their community,” she added.
Peer Lilani says there were so many letters they may just send some to the Wellington Terrace and other local long-term care facilities to spread the positivity.
The letters had stories of the young one’s summer, as well as a motivational quote or joke for the patient.
