TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs, due to continuing challenges presented by COVID-19, were unable to conduct their annual Christmas visit to The Hospital for Sick Children, the parent organization of the SickKids Foundation.
So they did the next best thing, inviting hundreds of patients and their families to watch practice Monday, meet the team, tour the facilities and participate in fun Christmas activities.
“I think the relationship has been really important,” Maple Leafs forward Austin Matthews said. “It’s kind of a nice change of pace. Going to see them in my first couple of years and then with COVID, doing everything virtually but now getting to invite them into our workspace and them getting to see the room and watch practice, hopefully it’s a really memorable experience for them.”
The hospital’s policy currently prohibits any extra visitors to keep infection control at the forefront in an attempt to provide the safest environment for patients.
“The Leafs themselves have really missed the opportunity to get involved because of the pandemic, they’ve been unable to go into the hospital,” said Lisa Charendoff, an associate director at SickKids Foundation who is retiring Friday. “I think this is fantastic for the Leafs and even better for the SickKids patient families who go through so much, they look forward to this visit at SickKids every year. To be able to do it here, have all these activities, watch the practice , and meet the players in this kind of environment, it’s just a beautiful experience for these patient families.”
John Kirk’s daughter, Helena, is a childhood cancer survivor. He’s grateful for the work of Ms. Charendoff and the Maple Leafs.
“All the families here have suffered, whether it’s children with diseases or life-threatening illnesses,” Kirk said. “The fact Lisa has brought the ambassador program into their lives and to have events like this with the Maple Leafs, it gives them a sense of normalcy, something to look forward to, it gives them home. She’s a beautiful person and she is so well-loved.”
The Maple Leafs and many of the players’ significant others participated in Christmas cookie decorating, autograph signings and the chance to have a picture taken with Santa Claus. Toronto captain John Tavares said none of the patients shared any hockey pointers. They were happy just to hang out.
“We haven’t gotten any advice but it’s just different this year,” Tavares said. “We didn’t go to the hospital again this year but to have them out at practice and to watch the practice and see what goes on for us daily is pretty cool, so we’ve just been talking about those experiences and how they’ ve enjoyed watching.”
Although Tavares has no problem with a hockey stick, he said he needs practice using an icing piping bag to decorate cookies.
“I’ve got my two little boys at home, so they’re giving me a bit of practice,” Tavares said. “I wouldn’t say I’m great but I’m getting better, for sure.
“It’s hard to fathom how much you care about yourself and everything you do to obviously hope they’re healthy and have good opportunities. For me to be here to try to brighten their day up and have some time away from what they’re going through, especially during the holidays, means a lot. The connection between SickKids and the Maple Leafs is a long, long relationship and something we care deeply about and is very important to us. It’s great to spend some time with them and just enjoy their company.”
Matthews said the event puts into perspective how much of a difference the team can make.
“Just realizing the kind of platform and outreach we have as athletes and hockey players, these kids look up to a lot of us,” Matthews said. “Being able to take some time out of our day to put a smile on their face, get to know them, have some fun and keep things light, a lot of these kids are going through some pretty difficult times. Anything you can do just to get their mind off of that and put a smile on their face, the joy in that is what it’s all about.”
The Maple Leafs and SickKids have a relationship dating back to the 1920s. Charendoff, who has been with the hospital for 16 years, has seen the benefits firsthand.
“I think the visit means that they’ve been seen for what they’ve gone through,” Charendoff said. “They’ve lived through something you and I can’t possibly imagine. To have the attention of their heroes focused right on them for a few minutes makes them feel, not that what they went through was worth it but that there was something beautiful that came out on the other side.”
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