BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Children at the UVM Medical Center got a very special surprise from out of the sky Wednesday.
Patients and staff rushed to the windows to watch Santa Claus descend from the sky — not by sleigh, but by helicopter — to deliver toys to all of the girls and boys.
“We spent Thanksgiving here in the hospital, so we are excited for Christmas to come and spend that with Logan at home,” said Amie Fletcher, whose 12-year-old has been in the hospital for several weeks with an infection. They will be headed back to New York soon, but not before telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas. “It is exciting to see all the other kids that were there, a little bit younger than Logan get to see Santa. Makes it a good way to say goodbye.”
The man in the red suit has visited the hospital for the last 18 years, escorted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He says it’s always nice to take some time out of his busy schedule to see kids who might not be home for the holidays. “Usually they are asleep when I go to their house. I really don’t want to wake them up, I have a lot of people to visit. Here, I get to talk to them a little bit. At times, when they are not feeling very well. This is a time where they start to cheer up,” he said.
The tradition started when a CPB agent had a child who was sick in the hospital and needed a lift of Christmas spirit.
Pediatric specialist Dr. Lewis First says the children, hospital, and parents look forward to this every year. “Being in a hospital this time of year is not anything that a child or family wants to have happen. But if they need to have their health taken care of, the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital wants to make it extra special for these families,” he said.