Amber Garcia remembers how her son Tyler’s face lit up when he received presents while he was a cancer patient at Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach. It’s why she returns to the hospital every year with presents for the patients at the hospital.
Tyler suffered from brain cancer and eventually went into remission. His life was taken when he was struck by a car in 2005.
Garcia and John Hinton, Tyler’s grandfather, have been giving out presents in Tyler’s memory for the last eight years.
“And I’ll continue to come every year until I can’t anymore,” said Hinton.
Children received basketballs, puzzles, large stuffed animals and brand new bicycles. Toys are collected all year through the Tyler Garcia Toy Drive, so when the holidays approach there is no shortage of presents for patients.
This event, and many others like it, are coordinated through the Child Life Program at Miller Children’s to help make the hospital experience more positive for children of all ages. Child Life specialists plan individualized and group programs that help children adjust to their hospital stay and promote the continuity of normal, daily childhood activities.
