“Comfort Bags” at Canonsburg Hospital Help to Soothe Pediatric Patients During Emergency Room Visits
- Last Updated on Monday, 30 November 2015 18:05
Greater Canonsburg Lions Club Marks Children’s Grief Awareness Day with Donation
In commemoration of Children’s Grief Awareness Day, the Greater Canonsburg Lions Club presented gift bags designed to make a child’s emergency department visit as soothing and stress free as possible to Canonsburg Hospital on Thursday, November 19.
The “comfort bag” project was spearheaded by Lion’s Club Chaplain and Assistant Supervisor for Security at Canonsburg Hospital Michael Kazmarski in memory of his son, Liam Michael Kazmarski, who died July 31, 2015 at age 3 while undergoing treatment for leukemia.
“When Liam was in the cancer unit at Children’s Hospital, he received a comfort bag and it took his mind off of things,” said Michael Kazmarski. “I figured if it worked for my son, it would work here. If we give children something to do, hold or cuddle, they are able to work better with hospital staff and their parents are able to be more stress-free and relaxed.”
The comfort bags are filled with items to make a young child’s visit to the ER more pleasant, including a blanket, books, crayons, coloring books, a stuffed toy and educational materials. The bags are designed for children ages 1 to 6.
Kazmarski and the Lions Club delivered 30 comfort bags to Canonsburg Hospital’s Emergency Department with plans to replenish the supply through this ongoing service project.
