At the completion of Pat LaFontaine’s Hall of Fame hockey career, he set out to combine his passions in a best-of-breed manner, to benefit those less fortunate. He worked with Warner Books to pen his semi-autobiographical book, “Companions in Courage.” All of the proceeds from the sale of the book were used to start a foundation of the same name to benefit children’s hospitals.

He then partnered with industry giants like ESI Design, Microsoft, the NHL and DuPont to create interactive rooms that connect pediatric patients with their family, classmates and heroes. His Lion’s Dens rooms now benefit more than 50,000 hospitalized children per year throughout North America. Continue reading »

By JAN HOFFMAN, New York Times

December 15, 2014

Orange, Calif. — Nick Meza, 18, recently had another five-day round of chemotherapy at the outpatient clinic here at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Usually those days drag for Nick, an Eagle Scout with a flashing grin, a hunger for conversation, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Like most patients who get intravenous medication at a pediatric clinic, Nick typically receives treatment in a small, curtained cubicle with hospital-green walls, outdated video games that are often broken, tiny TV monitors, and dividers that don’t muffle hallway clatter or the wails of a child in the next cubicle. Continue reading »

Cord Lehman receives a special gift

Four hours after his heart operation at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Cord Lehman, 17, of Syosset, was sitting in a chair, texting and tweeting.

A day later, he went home.

And a little more than two weeks later, he said he felt great.

“I am back to being me and that’s all I want to be,” said the graduating senior from Syosset High School at a news conference Thursday at the New Hyde Park hospital. Continue reading »

Students from PS 119 drop off toys for patients

On Wednesday, May 28th, three National Honor Society members representing the students of PS/IS 119 in Glendale, NY, delivered hundreds of new stuffed toys to the pediatric patients at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park. The toys will be used to teach patients about recovery from their medical treatments and simply to cuddle.

The idea for the community service project was spawned by Craig Edelman, a teacher at the school. He said, “I am a big Pat LaFontaine fan. When I saw what he was doing (opening of a Lion’s Den Room) at Cohen Children’s, I thought, how can we get involved?” Edelman rallied his National Honor Society members to begin a letter-writing campaign to ask for donations of new stuffed toys. Over the course of several months, the group was successful in obtaining almost 200 new stuffed toys for the pediatric patients. Continue reading »