Care Bags

Since 2019, we have been putting together Care Bags to be delivered to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Cardiac Unit. These bags are directed towards a patient’s parents/caregivers and they are filled with items that are both practical for their hospital stay and something to distract them from the stress. Some examples of items are a journal, activity books, self-care items, and a gift for their child - all things that helped Karl and Kim during their hospital stay. We want these parents/caregivers to know that others are thinking of them as they go through a very difficult time.

For the 2023 Care Bags, we loved being able to once again pack our Care Bags with family and friends to celebrate what would have been Ellie's 5th birthday. 65 bags were delivered to CHOP's Cardiac Unit and we hope they are a small comfort to those that received them.

Past Years:

In January 2019 and January 2020, our family and friends put together a combined 147 Care Bags in honor of Ellie’s birthday. Everyone purchased their own items from a general suggested list and it was amazing to see all the different things and the uniqueness of each bag.

In January 2021, we took a slightly different approach due to the hospital’s COVID-19 policies. We raised $2,200 that went to purchasing items from an Amazon Wishlist we created that were then put together by the Cardiac Unit’s Child Life team. Those 30 bags were given to the infant patient beds in the Cardiac’s Intensive Care Unit.

For 2022, we were very graciously supported by employees at Optum Worker’s Compensation (Kim’s employer). They donated money and purchased Amazon Wishlist items that fully funded all 65 Care Bags to cover every patient bed on the Cardiac Unit. We were humbled by the support.