Two moms make Christmas merrier (4 photos)

A very caring pair of Sault moms have made Christmas merrier for children who can't be at home with their families at this special time of year.

Amanda Johnston and Heather Hilderley-Phillips, accompanied by Amanda's daughter Brooke and Santa Claus himself, visited Sault Area Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and paediatric unit early Wednesday evening with plenty of toys, blankets, smiles and warm wishes for children currently recovering from illnesses.

The gifts were purchased with funds raised through a craft show and silent auction held December 6 by the two women at Quattro Suites & Conference Centre.

About $1,900 was raised, Johnston told SooToday.

Johnston, Hilderley-Phillips, Brooke and Santa delivered items such as Magic Sketchers, Little People playsets, toy cars, radios, CD players, DVD players, mobiles for the unit's cribs, quilted crib blankets, knitted hats and bibs for babies.

Every family was to receive gift cards as well, Johnston said.

"There's quite a bit of stuff," an enthusiastic Johnston told SooToday.

Both Johnston and Hilderley-Phillips can sympathize with young patients in neonatal intensive care and the paediatric unit (and their families) based on their own experiences.

Hilderley-Phillips' daughter Penelope, now three-and-a-half years old, has suffered from respiratory problems and a hospital stay in Ottawa, but is doing better now, her mom told us. 

"My own daughter Brooke was born at 25 weeks in November 2008 and she weighed a pound and 13 ounces," Johnston said.

"She was born here in the Sault but we can't treat babies that small in the Sault, so we had to go out of town and we were away from home at Christmas, we spent 176 days in a NICU in London."

Brooke is now seven years old and doing well, Johnston said.

"It's a long haul and it's hard on families to be apart, hard on emotions, there's the financial cost, so we just thought 'bring a little cheer.'"

"We wanted to do something to give back because we've walked in those shoes and know what it feels like," Johnston said.

(PHOTO: Santa Claus, Amanda Johnston, Heather Hilderley-Phillips and Amanda's daughter Brooke delivered gifts to make Christmas merrier for children at Sault Area Hospital, December 23, 2015. Darren Taylor/SooToday)