Young, bedridden Sault hospital patients surprised with gifts (3 photos)

For the fifth consecutive year, Sault mothers Amanda Johnston and Heather Hilderley-Phillips, accompanied by Santa Claus, delivered gifts to children and smiles to their parents spending Christmas in Sault Area Hospital’s pediatric wing and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Delivery took place Monday, the Moms then departing from SAH to spend well-deserved, quality Christmas time with their own families.

As usual, Amanda and Heather raised money to purchase gifts for children in SAH’s pediatric wing and NICU through their annual arts and crafts show, this year’s show, including 57 vendors, held Nov. 24 at Quattro.

“We raise funds from our event to buy much-needed items for the Sault Area Hospital NICU and peds wards that are not government funded. This year we purchased new baby monitors, a high chair and DVDs, as well as one of our sponsors Best Buy-donated DVD players for us to provide to the unit,” wrote Amanda in a Tuesday email to SooToday.

“We surprised families last night with gifts and packages of gift cards for the babies in the NICU and peds, as well as special gifts for our teens in the pediatric ward, like iPads, Google home assistants and gift cards.”

“Our mission as always is to spread some Christmas cheer to families that are in the unit for the holiday and hope we can make their day a little brighter,” Amanda wrote.

Amanda and Heather’s annual charitable act stems from their own experiences as mothers of children who have suffered and overcame severe health problems.

Amanda’s daughter Brooke was born at 25 weeks in November 2008 and weighed a pound and 13 ounces.

Amanda spent 176 days at a NICU in London, Ont. with Brooke, away from most of her family and friends at Christmas, touched by the generosity of people who purchased gifts for her and her daughter while in London.

“She’s good, she’s very good,” said Amanda of Brooke (now 11), speaking to SooToday at last year’s gift delivery event at SAH.

Heather’s daughter Penelope, now seven, suffered from respiratory problems and endured a hospital stay in Ottawa, but she too is feeling much better, Heather describing her as asthma-free and “very, very active. A Spitfire.”