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Airline pilots from Alaska, Delta, and United Airlines gathered to lift the spirits of patients at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach as part of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) chapter of Pilots for Kids – an international organization dedicated to helping hospitalized patients by visiting and distributing toys and hope.
During their visit, the pilots spent time with the patients, spoke with them and their families, and gave gifts to the patients receiving care at Miller Children’s & Women’s. The pilots gifted younger kids with toys, like Barbies or Hot Wheels cars, and gifted the older kids gift cards to Starbucks or Target, hoping to brighten their day during their stay in the hospital.
What also made this visit special was that United Airlines pilot Ed Souder was a patient at Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute at Miller Children’s & Women’s as a young adult, when he was diagnosed and treated for Ewing’s sarcoma (a rare bone cancer). During the visit, Ed reunited with several members of the hematology/oncology team who cared for him nearly 25 years ago.
“I just know how hard it is to be in the hospital,” says Ed Souder, a pilot for United Airlines, and member of Pilots for Kids. “If there is anything I can do to make it at all better for the kids, that’s what I want to do. I remember getting those little gifts and special moments, and it makes all the difference.”
For the past 11 years, Pilots for Kids has partnered with the Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program at Miller Children’s & Women’s to make these patient visits possible. For the past two years, Pilots for Kids dropped off donations outside in front of the hospital because of COVID restrictions, but this year they were invited to visit patients at their bedsides, giving them presents and telling them stories about their flights and travels.
Captain John Morgan first organized these visits with the Child Life Program after seeing a FedEx pilot doing patient visits in Alaska. Stationed at LAX, he came into Miller Children’s & Women’s and met with Debi Fingerhut, senior child life specialist, where the two of them came together to set up their first patient visit. Since 2011, patients have been excited to receive gifts from pilots who have traveled all across the world.
“Pilots for Kids has been an incredible pillar of cheer and support for our patients,” says Debi Fingerhut, senior child life specialist, Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program. “Seeing our patients having their spirits lifted by the pilots’ stories and their generosity makes this event so meaningful and memorable.”
