Comfort and kindness

When Lily Huang was injured going down a pool slide at the age of 6, her mother, Yanling Ma, rushed her to Huntington Hospital. Lily was born here and Yanling knew she could trust us.

Lily’s injuries were serious enough that she needed to stay at the hospital for care and observation over several days. The inpatient experience can be scary for a little girl, but our team not only provided the best of care; they also tried to calm Lily’s fears. At first, nothing seemed to help. Toys did not distract

Lily. Even a visit from one of our Pet-Assisted Therapy dogs did not lift her spirits. Then, as Yanling recalls, “A lady came by with a blankie, in bright colors.” Lily perked up and began to nod her head. She wanted it.

The blanket was among those donated to us to provide an extra measure of comfort to pediatric patients here — and that is exactly what it did for Lily. On the day she left the hospital, she still held tight to her new blankie, which she was able to take home with her.

“I was really impressed with the way people at the hospital go above and beyond to bring comfort to sick kids,” says Yanling. Lily too, now 12, has never forgotten the kind gift she received when she really needed it — and, as a way to bring comfort to another hospitalized child during the COVID-19 pandemic, she told her mom she would in turn like to make a blanket and donate it to our hospital.

Together, Lily and Yanling did just that. The colorful blanket they knitted — with blues, pinks, purples and oranges — will bring joy to a pediatric patient here. “I just wanted someone to get a blanket like I got,” Lily explains. “I had such great care in the hospital. I wanted to give something back.”