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Hospitalized children reason for donation
December 25, 2007
By Teresa Auch Post-Tribune staff writer
VALPARAISO -- Porter hospital received a
batch of new equipment for its youngest
patients, all thanks to an anonymous donor.
Porter County Sheriff David Lain said he was
contacted last week by someone who wanted to
donate $7,000 to the hospital. "(The person)
just didn't want to come out publicly but
wanted to make sure Christmas could be a
little brighter for kids who were stuck in
the hospital," Lain said. Lain contacted a
nurse at the hospital, who in turn asked the
pediatric, neonatal and emergency
departments what they could use. Among the
requested items were digital cameras and
printers for the neonatal unit, so parents
could take pictures of their newborns and
show them to family and friends, Laurie
Wehner-Evans, director of the emergency
department, said. Wehner-Evans said the
average length of stay for newborns in the
unit is two weeks, and only a few people are
allowed in to see them. "The digital cameras
and printers will be a huge help for parents
there," she said. Lain also used the money
to buy car seats for ambulances and Power
Wheel cars that pediatric patients can use
to get from their rooms to treatment areas.
Even with those purchases, more than $5,000
was left over. Wehner-Evans said they would
probably use the extra money to buy fluid
warmers for the newborns. Lain said he was
happy he could be a part of the donation. "I
wish I had the wherewithal to come up with
$7,000 on a whim and do that," he said. "But
thank God that there are people who have the
means and are more than enthusiastic about
sharing it."
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