Photo By Rebecca Perron | 181208-N-GM597-063 Portsmouth, Va. (Dec. 8, 2018) Santa Rick and Mrs. Claus with Aiden...... read more read more
Helping children cope with an illness or injury during a hospital stay or a visit to the emergency room at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) is the mission behind Operation Bright Light – an annual event that brings Santa and his motorcycle-riding “elves” from around Virginia to the medical center to pass out presents to sick children.
NMCP – in conjunction with NMCP’s American Red Cross office – hosted the 20th annual Operation Bright Light event Dec. 8. More than 30 members – including many first-time riders – of four motorcycle organizations attended, including Rolling Thunder Chapter 5, Sons of Poseidon, the American Legion - Posts 2, 146 and 284, and the Freedom Defenders. They had collected more than 300 presents through their organizations, as well as through others like the Buffalo Soldiers and several churches.
By the end of the visit, Santa, Mrs. Claus and the biker “elves” had visited more than a dozen children in the emergency room, Inpatient Pediatrics Ward, and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, including 11 patients and five siblings or children of emergency room patients.
Chris Brogan, NMCP’s child life specialist, welcomed the group before asking for 10 – 15 motorcyclists to join Santa and Mrs. Claus for the visit.
“This is fantastic how many are here for the first time,” Brogan said. “We are humbled that you would take a cold Saturday afternoon to ride and visit with our kids, bring presents for them today, and for the kids during the course of the year that the Red Cross office gives presents to during their hospital stay. You support their mission, you support our mission, and we certainly appreciate that.”
Retired Army First Sgt. J. C. Coates, a first-time rider and member of the Freedom Defenders from the Petersburg, Va., area, said he enjoyed the trip because they were there for a good cause.
“Anything that we can do to put a smile on the kids’ faces is great,” Coates said. “I gave a present to Mason, which was a toy truck. He had just woken up, so he seemed shocked to see Santa and all of us come into his room. His dad helped him sit up, and he took the toy like it was the best thing that had happened, which made me feel great. I came down here to do something for a kid, and I really enjoyed it.”
Ben Kaufman, a master sergeant in the Virginia Air National Guard, and his wife and son were also first-time participants.
“I think this event is amazing – being able to come and see the children, put on smile on their faces when they are feeling down and going through a difficult time,” said Kaufman, whose mother is a member of Rolling Thunder. “I picked out a present for Elijah. He was kind of indifferent to the gift at first since he was more interested in Santa. But once his mom handed him the gift, he had fun with it. It was a wooden puzzle with animals. It brought me joy to see him light up even though he was in the hospital sick.”
“I felt really bad for the kids who are sick and having to stay here, but I felt really happy for them that we could visit,” said Dominic Kaufman, 7. “These kids are trying to be brave but they might also be nervous. My present was for Joshua. He was 12 months old, but he was on isolation. I gave the present to his parents and said ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘I hope your son feels better.’”
Traci Hackley, the president of Rolling Thunder Chapter 5, has attended the December event since 2010 and recalled how she first decided to ride.
“The hotel I worked for donated to these types of events, and I said, if I’m going to donate, I want to ride,” Hackley said. “That next week was my first toy run to NMCP. I had to join up at the coldest part of the year. But that first time I rode I cried. There was a child in the ward who was having chemo. He had never sat on a motorcycle and that was all he wanted. The staff wrapped him up, brought him outside and put him on a motorcycle. It was the coolest thing ever.”
Hackley said that all these years later, she still loves to see the reaction by the children, but even more so the other riders, especially those experiencing the event for the first time.
“I enjoy watching the other folks and their reactions to what it’s meaning in their lives,” Hackley said. “You can explain to them what’s going to tug at their heart, but when you see it…. It’s great for the staff, for the kids, and for the bikers who come.”
As the U.S. Navy's oldest, continuously-operating hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The national acclaimed, state of the art medical center, along with the area's ten branch and TRICARE Prime Clinics in the Hampton Roads area. The medical center also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsman for future roles in healing and wellness.
| Date Taken: | 12.08.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2018 14:12 |
| Story ID: | 303032 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMCP Hosts 20th Operation Bright Light with Help from Many First-Time Motorcycle Riders, by Rebecca Perron, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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