New York Islanders Score Big with Patients at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital
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| Patients at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital were happy to meet players from the NY Islanders. (Left to right)Matt Donovan, Alexa Temple, Daniel Pinero, Eric Boulton, Noah Nolan and Brian Strait. |
STONY BROOK, N.Y., March 12, 2015 – There might have been some sad faces after a loss against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night – the final faceoff at Nassau Coliseum for both New York based National Hockey League teams – but the New York Islanders scored big smiles with patients at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital on Wednesday afternoon as three players visited the hospital.
Leaving their skates and sticks at the rink, forward Eric Boulton (#36), defensemen Matt Donovan (#46), and defenseman Brian Strait (#37) delivered tee-shirts, beach towels, and hats to the patients and their families.
Over 40 patients, along with family members, received visits from the players. The threesome walked through the entire in-patient pediatric unit and the out-pediatric hemotology/oncology clinic at Stony Brook University Cancer Center. They were able to spend some time with the kids, signing autographs, taking pictures and answering a ton of questions from their smallest fans.
The visit was organized by the Child Life Program at Stony Brook Children’s and the New York Islanders. Celebrating Child Life Awareness Month, the program has been sponsoring daily activities and visits which highlight what the Child Life Specialists do every day — provide therapeutic, educational, and recreational activities to meet the unique emotional and developmental needs of hospitalized children. These activities include medical play therapy, games, arts and crafts, as well as specialized programs such as animal assisted therapy, music therapy, and birthday and holiday parties.
