GRAND RAPDIS, Mich.--A former patient at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is working with Tommy's Watersports in Comstock Park to bring a boat full of toys for the kids.
Angela Miedema spent her younger years in and out of the Helen DeVos children's Hospital and knows how playing can brighten up a dark day.
Now she's hoping to bring a boatload of fun to children in the hospital she spent so much time in.
Now 27, Miedema now spends sunny days waking on the lake. But, at just 11 weeks Miedema and her family faced some pretty dark days.
"I was a patient at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital when I had open heart surgery at 11 weeks old and then I've been a patient kind of growing up there in and out of the cardiology department," says Angela Miedema, Tommy's Watersports.
Miedema says playtime for herself and her sister helped.
"They of course gave me baby stuff to keep me entertained and keep me away from my monitors and all of my IVs and things but they also kept me sister entertained while I was there," says Miedema.
Now working with Tommy's Watersports she's helping spread that special feeling to children she can relate to.
"It's really nice to be able to give back to them and bring joy to all of those kids there. So many people give around Christmas time and halfway around the year they run out of all the toys so we wanna just keep that going halfway around the year for people donating to the kids that are there," Miedema says.
Last year, Tommy's donated more than two hundred toys. This year they're looking to surpass that. But they need your help to make Christmas in July special.
"When you have a child in the hospital it's a really stressful experience, and Helen DeVos has really done a good job with keeping everybody occupied sometimes is the best thing and that just means we need more toys to do that," says Miedema.
If you'd like to donate a toy you can stop by Tommy's Watersport and the big Christmas in July toy giveaway kicks off on Tuesday July 31st at the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.
