![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancerjodiBrian just forwarded me an e-mail about a 501st event and I just had to share. A group of members (with some Rebels) visited a hospital in their area and wrote a very touching story about it, along with some pics.
For a bunch of dorks the group does a lot of good for people. Having spent time around the ICU in Boston's Children's Hospital years back when we almost lost my brother (and, now working for a hospital) I've seen the kind of sadness that people face in these places. I wish the New England group was a bit more active/organized in that respect. After graduation, perhaps I'll try and pull something like this off (right now I just don't have the time for that kind of planning).
See story and links with pictures behind the cut, note - it will probably make you a bit teary.
"Duke Hospital Event, NC
when we got there people were excited to see us, we went to Zacks room and
he was in bed playing with a 12" stormtrooper, you shoulda seen his face
when we walked in, the same look han had when he came screaming around the
corner in the death star and was confronted by a garrison of troopers. his
room was full of medical equipment, to much IMHO for such a young boy, but
he did have a real shocking item in there, 2 actaully, he had pics of us
and him from IQM framed in his room, it was then that i was personally
reminded at what a impact we make to some people, today was my reason for
joining the 501st personally...enough of my rant, we presented him with a
few gifts a lego mos eisly playset (with a TD trooper i mighgt add), 2
star wars puzzles, a snowtrooper figure, a T-shirt we just did a run of
and my imperial dogtags. what was going to be a 30 minute visit turned out
to be 3 hours, after we left Zacks room, a young woman asked us if we
wouldnt mind going to a few more rooms, then a few more, then a few more
:-)
in the link below there is a picture of a young woman fighting cancer,
while her husband went to get his camera we (russ, jim, bj and i) waited
in the halls, 2 rooms down we heard a small baby crying, after losing a
fight with my paternal instincts i had to investigate, in that dark room
was a small boy approximatly 2 years old, in a crib with a hard shell over
it so he couldnt climb out, we went in, and with imperial gloved and
armored hands we reached through the small bars to try to ease this kids
crying, a CNA was there (and his parents were not, im sure there is a good
reason) and she said it was ok to touch him, after we thought we we helped
ease him, we walked out and he started crying again, for the fathers and
mothers out there you know what that feels like, one of hte most awful
feelings known, a few minutes later the CNA came out with the boy in her
arms and presented him to me (see the 2 pics in the link) i held the child
and with a few imperial antics from my "highly trained" troopers we had
him smiling, when i looked up i noticed the CNA was walking away, i dont
mean like 10' away, i MEAN WALKING AWAY DOWN THE HALL out of site of us
and her patient. This took us by suprise, i would say we stood there
blinking, not beleiving she did this for like 10 minutes, she did finally
return and we handed the young boy back, he started crying right away, we
then went to take the pic with the young woman, im glad i had a helmet on,
thats all i have to say about that.
when we came out of her room zack was waiting for us in a wheel chair,
they were going to eat at the cafe, so we went with him, he changed first,
by the time we got down there, the comotion was to much for zack and he
went back to his room to rest, we ate with his family and the showered us
with praises for doing what we did today...
I know you are thinking what a dramatic email, but to me, when we goto
Duke and do events like this it, it personally fills with with a
incredible feeling of pride in my troopers, in this garrison and in this
club.
I want to thank the troopers who made it out that day, and i know that if
more could go, that you would of..
Respetfully Submitted:
TD3306"
Here's the pics: http://www.slave-1.net/zack.htm
For a bunch of dorks the group does a lot of good for people. Having spent time around the ICU in Boston's Children's Hospital years back when we almost lost my brother (and, now working for a hospital) I've seen the kind of sadness that people face in these places. I wish the New England group was a bit more active/organized in that respect. After graduation, perhaps I'll try and pull something like this off (right now I just don't have the time for that kind of planning).
See story and links with pictures behind the cut, note - it will probably make you a bit teary.
"Duke Hospital Event, NC
when we got there people were excited to see us, we went to Zacks room and
he was in bed playing with a 12" stormtrooper, you shoulda seen his face
when we walked in, the same look han had when he came screaming around the
corner in the death star and was confronted by a garrison of troopers. his
room was full of medical equipment, to much IMHO for such a young boy, but
he did have a real shocking item in there, 2 actaully, he had pics of us
and him from IQM framed in his room, it was then that i was personally
reminded at what a impact we make to some people, today was my reason for
joining the 501st personally...enough of my rant, we presented him with a
few gifts a lego mos eisly playset (with a TD trooper i mighgt add), 2
star wars puzzles, a snowtrooper figure, a T-shirt we just did a run of
and my imperial dogtags. what was going to be a 30 minute visit turned out
to be 3 hours, after we left Zacks room, a young woman asked us if we
wouldnt mind going to a few more rooms, then a few more, then a few more
:-)
in the link below there is a picture of a young woman fighting cancer,
while her husband went to get his camera we (russ, jim, bj and i) waited
in the halls, 2 rooms down we heard a small baby crying, after losing a
fight with my paternal instincts i had to investigate, in that dark room
was a small boy approximatly 2 years old, in a crib with a hard shell over
it so he couldnt climb out, we went in, and with imperial gloved and
armored hands we reached through the small bars to try to ease this kids
crying, a CNA was there (and his parents were not, im sure there is a good
reason) and she said it was ok to touch him, after we thought we we helped
ease him, we walked out and he started crying again, for the fathers and
mothers out there you know what that feels like, one of hte most awful
feelings known, a few minutes later the CNA came out with the boy in her
arms and presented him to me (see the 2 pics in the link) i held the child
and with a few imperial antics from my "highly trained" troopers we had
him smiling, when i looked up i noticed the CNA was walking away, i dont
mean like 10' away, i MEAN WALKING AWAY DOWN THE HALL out of site of us
and her patient. This took us by suprise, i would say we stood there
blinking, not beleiving she did this for like 10 minutes, she did finally
return and we handed the young boy back, he started crying right away, we
then went to take the pic with the young woman, im glad i had a helmet on,
thats all i have to say about that.
when we came out of her room zack was waiting for us in a wheel chair,
they were going to eat at the cafe, so we went with him, he changed first,
by the time we got down there, the comotion was to much for zack and he
went back to his room to rest, we ate with his family and the showered us
with praises for doing what we did today...
I know you are thinking what a dramatic email, but to me, when we goto
Duke and do events like this it, it personally fills with with a
incredible feeling of pride in my troopers, in this garrison and in this
club.
I want to thank the troopers who made it out that day, and i know that if
more could go, that you would of..
Respetfully Submitted:
TD3306"
Here's the pics: http://www.slave-1.net/zack.htm
