My Seekrit Christmas

So last week, I spent a few days thinking about what to do with some extra money. Lately, I've taken on some bills (mostly not for necessary items), but I had a little chunk of change fall into my lap. Seems the reimbursement for Official Government Travel executed in October finally posted to my account.

I'm having the GTO tidied up some - which will set me back a bit - but was still daydreaming. More GTO stuff? A new firearm (or two)? Tires, suspension, seats for my Jeep? What to do?

After about the fourth day, I googled up "children's hospital Charleston". Sure enough, there is one there.

I'm heading down to see my sister & her family there, and mom's flying in from Colorado. This has been planned for a few months. What happened next was totally impulsive and emotional hip-shooting on my part.

I got on the hospital's website and spoke with their PR director. I introduced myself and asked if she knew of any Marines that had visited or planned to visit the hospital as art of the annual Toys For Tots campaign. She said there were none... which is PERFECT.

Next I called the director of Child Life. I explained that I was calling neither on behalf of my unit nor the Marine Corps, but as a private individual. I asked if it would be possible to come by the hospital on Christmas day and give a few toys to the kids there. She said that yes, Santa would be in their common play area on Christmas day handing out gifts for a few hours, and I was welcome to stop by then and hand out my gifts as well.

I also asked her if - and explained it was a slim chance - one of my sister's kids might be allowed to help me carry toys and hand them out. Normally, she said, outside children under 18 aren't permitted in the hospital... but she could make an exception.

So, on Christmas day, I'll be going to the children's hospital with my nephew Micah - who I hadn't realized was a guest in that same hospital a couple of years back during a bad spell in his battle with Crohn's - and we will hand out a bigass gang of toys to the kids there. Just because.

I'm so stoked, I could just about pee all over myself. Seriously, I don't know where this idea came from so suddenly, but after thinking about it, rethinking it, coordinating, planning, and spending a chunk of change on it... is just seems so damn RIGHT that it makes me wanna hug something.

I work daily with Marines who have been injured in combat or combat operations who will never be the same. Most of them fight through their recovery and rehabilitation process every step of the way, gutting it out while still being able to care for their families and children. It's impressive as hell and makes me proud of what I'm part of every day... but I also know that it's something they signed up for. Most of them will be the first ones to point that out as well.

The kids in that hospital, though... God, it blows my mind to think about them fighting through illness and injury as bad or worse than some of my Marines, having it thrust upon them, not having any help with it except their families. Waking up scared every day, not knowing or understanding fully what's happened to you, just knowing that it hurts really bad or you're tired all the time from the chemo or the dialysis. Parents who might not know how the hell they can afford the next round of treatment, but will do whatever they can to get the best care for their kid.

It goes on and on, and I know I could never do half as well as most of those kids if the shoe was on the other foot. This might be their only Christmas in the hospital, or the last one in the hospital... or their last one, period.

If I can go in there and hand out some teddy bears and games in my dress blues and make them smile for a minute, and have them remember that a Marine cares that much about them... shit, that's worth a few hundred bucks of extra beer money any day of the week.

It almost makes you wonder who's gonna come away more changed by the experience, huh?