The spirit of the holiday season is strong in two local families, including two children who gave up their coveted birthday gifts to aid a vulnerable population.
Local mothers Carmen Garcia-Shushtari and Elizabeth Ko have been intertwined for years, as their respective sons Amory and Oliver were born at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center just one day apart in 2017.
The two mothers’ rooms were right next to each other in the postpartum wing of the hospital, and their stories would converge at the medical center once again six years later.
For Amory and Oliver’s birthdays in November, both Garcia-Shushtari and Ko decided to have their sons give back to the medical center’s Child Life department, collecting donations from others to secure toys and art crafts for the children currently residing in the hospital. The two families collected over $760 dollars for the endeavor, purchasing items from the Child Life department’s Amazon gift list, consisting of toys for all ages.
"We just thought it was kind of a tender way to celebrate both their birth story … and then just a special experience of being able to contribute all that they would have received from their friends to kids who need them more," Ko said.
When UCLA Health Child Life Specialist Laila Ramji heard of the gesture, she jumped at the chance to facilitate the handing off of gifts at the medical center on Nov. 18, with Amory and Oliver loading up toys in what she called a "really cute" wagon. Ramji noted that her role with the medical center is to emphasize the "importance of play" for children residing in the hospital "to help them cope with being hospitalized and being isolated and being separated from their normal day-to-day life."
"I think it was really great for the other children to receive something that day that they could use during the day or later, to keep busy [and] to keep distracted … just [to] feel like a kid and not a child in the hospital," Ramji said.
The wagon consisted of items such as coloring books, puzzles, Lego sets, silly putty and other creative art projects. The mothers are both part of the UCLA family, including Ko’s role as a primary care physician at UCLA Health Culver City. Both boys began their education at UCLA LAB School as well.
Garcia-Shushtari said it is a "privilege and delight" to be able to give back to the UCLA family.
"It’s an opportunity to provide a level of comfort … to a time when they’re vulnerable," Ko added. "Give back to the kids who are in need and who may need the [toys] the most.
Garcia-Shushtari said it would be "beneficial" for Oliver and Amory to learn how to give back and help others, something the boys did firsthand with the wagon drop-off of gifts for hospital residents. Amory added that "it felt good because they will feel better," and the families now hope to make the endeavor an annual holiday season tradition.
"It was a truly memorable, special experience to visit this hospital with our families and show them the beauty of giving back," Garcia-Shushtari said. "The boys were excited to be there and play in their playroom, they jumped at the chance [to hand]over some gifts … the children in the hospital were so kind and appreciative to receive these gifts."
