PERRYSBURG, Ohio — Being at the hospital when you're sick is never easy. It can be especially hard for younger patients. While parents and caregivers can steel themselves against fear of the unknown when it comes to having a child in the hospital.
It's not the same for kids in the hospital, who may not ever understand what's going on around them.
So, sometimes having simple little comforts, like a blanket, can make it a little easier for the kids and parents both. Mother-of-two Skye Lavelle said she wants to make sure Toledo's ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children's Hospital can give as much comfort as possible to its pediatric and neonatal intensive care patients.
It's why she's planning to make over 100 tie blankets for their patients. It's just like the blankets she saw over the more than two months she and her late son, Saint were in the hospital. Saint Lavelle was just three months old when he passed away from medical complications from Zellweger Syndrome, a rare genetic disease. Skye said she's hosting a Tie Blanket Drive to honor her baby, who she misses every day.
Saint passed after he was born at 31 weeks. During that time, he spent 62 days in the hospital and 11 days at home. He unfortunately died after returning back to the hospital. Skye said she has the honor of fighting to keep Saint's name alive and making sure it means something.
She said community members are encouraged to create tie blankets to donate to her drive. The blankets must be 40 inches by 50 inches, with at least one of the two fleeces being a solid color. The public is also invited to make monetary donations. To learn more about both the donation process and Saint's story, click here.