| Times Union Record - July 2002 |
Holiday Spirit Makes the Rounds
Albany -- Woman who lost son to tumor
brings a taste of the 4th to the pediatric
ward.
By ANDREW TILGHMAN,
Staff writer Times Union
First published: Friday, July 5, 2002
Albany -- Woman who lost son to tumor
brings a taste of the 4th to the pediatric
ward.
By ANDREW TILGHMAN,
Staff writer Times Union
First published: Friday, July 5, 2002
For the family of Rosemary Farrell, an 8-year-old
third-grader recovering from brain surgery earlier this
week, this year's Fourth of July gave her freedom from
hospital stays and daily doctor visits.
"This is our Independence Day celebration," said her father,
Chris Farrell of Kingston, walking his family out of Albany
Medical Center's pediatric unit after his daughter's
discharge Thursday.
For the Farrells, it might have been understandable if
personal concerns overpowered patriotic fervor for the day.
But Rosemary did not leave the hospital without a small
American flag, thanks to a woman who spent her holiday
trying to brighten the spirits of those who might not
remember -- or even care -- that Thursday was a day for
national celebration.
Kyle Bryce, a Troy real estate broker who began organizing
volunteers at the hospital after her son lost a four-year
battle with a brain tumor three years ago at age 11, made her
rounds through the pediatric units Thursday, bringing to each
patient a small Fourth of July-themed gift and a momentary
diversion.
"They need to be constantly uplifted, anything helps," Bryce
said as she walked room to room with her cousin, Andrew
Bryce, who sported an Uncle Sam outfit and played patriotic
tunes on a fiddle.
For the 24 children and their families who spent the day in
the pediatric wing, Bryce's visit was one of their only
reminders of the holiday that prompted thousands of Capital
Region residents to spend their afternoons picnicking and
playing in the sun.
Mary Rutnik of Delmar had to cancel plans for a picnic after
her 3-year-old son, Danny, fell down some stairs Wednesday
and had to undergo surgery for a broken arm early Thursday
morning.
"I forgot it was the Fourth of July," Rutnik said when Bryce
entered her son's room bearing red, white and blue gifts.
The national holiday made visiting easier for America Chang, a
Queens resident who took the train up to see her
granddaughter, who was born three months early, weighing
only 1.6 pounds.
"I came directly from the train station to spend some time
with the baby," she said.
For Bryce, who visits the pediatric unit on the seventh floor
at least once a month, her efforts to ease hospital boredom
for sick children is largely a response to losing her only child
in 1999.
In 2000, Bryce founded the Andrew Christian Bryce
Foundation, named for her son, which awards "Andrew's
Warriors" medallions to commend the courage of children
who fight serious illness.
"There was just something in me that had to do it, my heart
aches for these kids and their families," Bryce said. "We
want to encourage these kids to put on their armor and fight!"
third-grader recovering from brain surgery earlier this
week, this year's Fourth of July gave her freedom from
hospital stays and daily doctor visits.
"This is our Independence Day celebration," said her father,
Chris Farrell of Kingston, walking his family out of Albany
Medical Center's pediatric unit after his daughter's
discharge Thursday.
For the Farrells, it might have been understandable if
personal concerns overpowered patriotic fervor for the day.
But Rosemary did not leave the hospital without a small
American flag, thanks to a woman who spent her holiday
trying to brighten the spirits of those who might not
remember -- or even care -- that Thursday was a day for
national celebration.
Kyle Bryce, a Troy real estate broker who began organizing
volunteers at the hospital after her son lost a four-year
battle with a brain tumor three years ago at age 11, made her
rounds through the pediatric units Thursday, bringing to each
patient a small Fourth of July-themed gift and a momentary
diversion.
"They need to be constantly uplifted, anything helps," Bryce
said as she walked room to room with her cousin, Andrew
Bryce, who sported an Uncle Sam outfit and played patriotic
tunes on a fiddle.
For the 24 children and their families who spent the day in
the pediatric wing, Bryce's visit was one of their only
reminders of the holiday that prompted thousands of Capital
Region residents to spend their afternoons picnicking and
playing in the sun.
Mary Rutnik of Delmar had to cancel plans for a picnic after
her 3-year-old son, Danny, fell down some stairs Wednesday
and had to undergo surgery for a broken arm early Thursday
morning.
"I forgot it was the Fourth of July," Rutnik said when Bryce
entered her son's room bearing red, white and blue gifts.
The national holiday made visiting easier for America Chang, a
Queens resident who took the train up to see her
granddaughter, who was born three months early, weighing
only 1.6 pounds.
"I came directly from the train station to spend some time
with the baby," she said.
For Bryce, who visits the pediatric unit on the seventh floor
at least once a month, her efforts to ease hospital boredom
for sick children is largely a response to losing her only child
in 1999.
In 2000, Bryce founded the Andrew Christian Bryce
Foundation, named for her son, which awards "Andrew's
Warriors" medallions to commend the courage of children
who fight serious illness.
"There was just something in me that had to do it, my heart
aches for these kids and their families," Bryce said. "We
want to encourage these kids to put on their armor and fight!"