When Holly Hayes in June arrived for surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, nurses welcomed her with an iPad to play with beforehand.
The iPad distracted the 13-year-old Millis resident from her pre-surgery nerves, but she couldn?t help but notice there were not enough tablets to go around.
?When we went in, there were three kids also waiting for surgery who didn?t get iPads, so she gave it to a little boy sitting there and it just made him happy, and she loves little kids and likes to make them happy,? her mother, Debbie Hayes, said.
But Hayes? kindness did not stop there. She turned to her mother ? who two years ago joined the Millis Lions Club, which supports eye research, youth programs and the community ? to see how else she could help young visitors to the pediatric unit.
Hayes cleaned out her piggy bank and used her savings from birthdays and holidays to purchase three iPads with cases so that other kids can feel some comfort before heading into the operating room.
?I love helping kids and anything I can do to help ease the anxiety these children feel before and after surgery is important to me. My mom taught me to give back to others,? said Holly Hayes, who hopes to become a pediatrician some day.
Debbie Hayes said young patients benefit greatly from the iPads, as it occupies their minds with something other than fear.
?It allows them to relax, listen to music, play games ? like the boy Holly gave the iPad to was playing a Disney Cars game ? so it distracts them from the fact that they have to go into surgery,? she said.
Autistic children and those who cannot speak also use the iPads to communicate with their parents and hospital staff, Debbie Hayes said.
?This gift is a godsend to our ward. The children will most certainly benefit from this generous gift,? pediatric nurse Annie Goulette said.
Hayes is starting the eighth grade at Blessed Sacrament School, which her mother said carries a community service component, and she hopes to purchase more iPads for the hospital.
?There?s a whole floor with probably 30 rooms and each room is private, so it would be great if we could get (an iPad) for each room,? Debbie Hayes said.
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