Mary Bridge Children's Hospital

Many would be surprised to find video game consoles at their local children’s hospital. Fifth grader Quinn Herchold certainly was when he came to MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital for appendicitis. Thanks to a generous grant from Child's Play Charity in 2023, Child Life Services purchased a mobile gaming cart with a mounted television, new video games and controllers to help entertain kids during their hospital stay. A Child’s Play Charity Capacity-Building grant also funded Alexander Pereira’s position as a gaming and technology specialist to help oversee the program. “More than 60 percent of people play some amount of games and that is especially true with kids,” he explains. “Being able to play games with kids is super important. It helps normalize the hospital, it helps give them kind of a connection to somebody and video games help them pass the time.” Read more on our blog: https://multica.re/3DzRXGG

Mary Fairchok, MD, a pediatric infectious diseases doctor at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, spoke with The Seattle Times about the increase of mycoplasma pneumonia or "walking pneumonia" in Washington state. This year, Mary Bridge has seen more young infants and older children with pneumonia, even though providers typically mostly see kids between 2 and 4, Dr. Fairchok said. More kids are ending up in the ICU. “Pneumonia is a great masquerader. It doesn’t just infect the lungs; it can also infect other parts of the body.”

Thank you Santa for taking time from your busy schedule to visit our babies who are spending their first Christmas at Mary Bridge Children's NICU this week. 🎅 Thank you to all of our NICU teams for making the holiday season bright for our patients and their families.

This year at Festival of Trees, our “Under Construction” tree was filled with the magic of Mary Bridge. The tree was designed by our Mary Bridge administrative team and Abbott Construction — part of the team building the new Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. At our annual Gala event, our very own Dr. Robert Irwin and Team No Bad Days won the tree with an incredible donation of $100,000. Dr. Irwin, a pediatric oncologist at Mary Bridge, and Team No Bad Days purchased the tree in honor of Dr. Irwin’s late daughter, Kate, and his commitment to live the mantra that carried her through cancer treatment. The “Under Construction” tree is displayed at the hospital for all to enjoy through the new year. Thank you to Dr. Irwin, Team No Bad Days, and all of our generous donors for helping create a better future for children and families in our community.

Mary Bridge Children’s Festival of Trees concluded with Tinsel on the Town and Gala events. Leaders, clinicians, staff, donors and volunteers gave generously in support of building a new 100% pediatric hospital campus, totaling $2.4 million.

Feeling festive. Last weekend, we proudly continued decades of tradition by joining the 38th annual Mary Bridge Children’s Festival of Trees, benefiting MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. As the Gala's Presenting Sponsor, we were honored to support this incredible event—and we had even more fun building a special "Under Construction"-themed tree. We decked the halls with LEGO sets, toy trucks, and other cheerful giveaways for the pediatric patients and care providers at Mary Bridge. Look closely and you'll find PPE, tools, and even a little "Where’s Waldo?"—a nod to the life-size cardboard friend hiding on our jobsite for Mary Bridge patients to find.   The weekend's events and the incredible generosity of the community raised over $2.37 million, surpassing this year's goal by $1.9 million. Every dollar is going toward the construction of the new Mary Bridge Children's Hospital campus, a project we’re honored to be building alongside our friends at Layton Construction.   Thank you to the entire Mary Bridge team, and to everyone who donated and helped make this year’s Festival of Trees so special! It’s inspiring to see what’s possible when a community comes together for such an important cause.   MultiCare Health System #builttruebuilttogether #healthcare #festivaloftrees

The 34th annual Toys for Kids event was a huge success! Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community supporters and DeMolay Tacoma, John L. Scott Foundation and Douglas J. Knight, DDS, MSD, sponsorships, we raised over $28,500 to bring joy to children in need. With the help of 104 volunteer shoppers, we made holiday wishes come true for 213 Mary Bridge Children's Hospital’s patients and their siblings. Thank you for making this a holiday to remember! ✨ 🎁

❤️ Mission Week, Day 4! Our Seattle, Washington, team makes “Feely Hearts” for children served by Bridges Center for Grieving Children, a program by Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. Bridges Center for Grieving Children provides a safe, compassionate space where kids in the Pacific Northwest can receive grief support and find connection after experiencing the death or illness of a loved one. Their incredible work ensures no child grieves alone, and that families receive support to heal. 🔗 Learn more or donate: https://lnkd.in/gYvn7FP3

Through your generosity during Mary Bridge Children’s Festival of Trees Tinsel on the Town and Gala, nearly $2.4 million (and counting) was raised for the new MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital campus! Thank you to everyone who gave in support of children across our state. Children like cancer survivor Gavin who are given a fighting chance because of donor-powered programs and services. We are proud to be in community with all of you. Thank you.

On the last day of the 12 days of Mary Bridge, we would like to show our gratitude to everyone who dedicates their time to preserving childhood and wonder for every patient. Being stuck in the hospital isn’t fun for anyone, especially when you're a kid. Thank you for always keeping the magic alive for our patients and bringing joy to the hospital halls all year long, so kids get to be kids –– even in the hospital.