IOWA CITY, Iowa — In what could be the hardest time of year for patients and their families in the University of Iowa Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department, one nurse is going above and beyond to spread a little holiday cheer.
Every Christmas, ED nurse Joe Schmuecker, RN, sets up a homemade red mailbox for children in the pediatric department to send letters to the North Pole. Then, Schmuecker and a team of his colleagues answer each and every letter.
To Schmuecker, it’s a chance to connect with patients and bring a little joy within the stress of a hospital visit.
“I just want to give kids a sense of normalcy while they’re here,” Schmuecker said. “This whole project started as a way to bring out the holiday spirit in our department and to create some positive moments with patients and their families.”
Each year he expects between 75-100 letters to be stuffed in the mailbox.
The letters ask for the child’s name, age, what presents are on their wish list, and – most importantly – if they should be on the naughty or the nice list.
“The letters that stand out to me the most are the ones where the child checks the ‘I’ve been naughty’ box, though the kids do have a chance to explain why they think they’ve been naughty,” says Schmuecker. “There are also the letters that ask for selfless acts, like having their sibling not be sick. Those messages stay with you.”
Schmuecker joined The Current on News 8 to discuss the Christmas tradition and why it’s so important to him to keep it going. You can watch his full interview in the above video.
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