Recently, Ross College students, staff, and faculty in Sylvania helped the Children’s Burn Unit at St. Vincent Mercy Hospital by hosting a stuffed animal drive on their campus. Over the course of the drive, they collected over 100 stuffed animals to donate. The children in this unit of the hospital are burn victims who need their spirits lifted. There are few better ways to make these children smile than providing them with something warm and fuzzy to snuggle up with.
A severe burn can be a profoundly devastating injury. Victims are deeply affected emotionally as well as physically, and the injury can have an affect on the entire family as well. Persons with severe burns may be left with a loss of certain physical abilities, disfigurement, loss of a limb, loss of mobility, scarring, and infection. Additionally, severe burns are capable of penetrating deep skin layers, causing muscle or tissue damage that may affect every system of the body. St. Vincent’s Mercy hospital is a very important institution for those suffering from severe burns, as they are the only burn care and reconstructive center in the region.
Burns can also cause emotional problems such as depression, nightmares, or flashbacks from the traumatizing event. The loss of a friend or family member and possessions in the event may add grief to the already present emotional strain of a burn. Donating stuffed animals is one way to bring joy to the small children who are suffering from this unfortunate affliction. Medical Assistant Instructor, Pat Ricard, and her students at Ross College wanted to give these children something to smile about and to let them know that there were people that cared. Janel Hough, Financial Aid Student Services Representative at the Sylvania campus, was so thankful to help, “thinking about brightening one of these kids days just a little, really warms my heart.” Way to go Ross students!