The Savannah Bananas and Hospital Rounds at Duke Children’s
Contact
When one little boy who needs a heart transplant couldn’t make it out of the hospital to see the Savannah Bananas… Duke Children’s brought the team to him.
The Bananas are popular for singing and dancing during their baseball games and on social media, and they put on a show for patients at Duke.
Several members of the team made the rounds to meet some of their youngest fans – including 7-year-old Jayden Cohen.
His parents won lottery tickets for the family to go to one of the sold-out Bananas games in Chapel Hill.
But then Jayden had to return to the hospital where he is waiting for a donor heart.
Cerrone Cohen, Jayden’s Dad:
“We hate that we have to be in the hospital, but I think we’re in a really good spot. This to me is just another piece of that care that the staff here pays a lot of attention not just to your physical health but his emotional well-being and the other kinds of things that are important just to keep your spirits up and keep you going. We all know that Jayden and other kids will do better long term when their heart’s in it, too.”
“It was a lot of fun. You know, we’ve been in the hospital for quite awhile, and little things like that that bring you a little bit of happiness, a little bright spot during a difficult time, it really means a lot.”
“We really have to take things day by day when you’re here for a longer stay. So, you’re looking for moments of gratitude and moments you can kind of hold on to.”
“Seeing how much we could impact them and smile and make their day – one of the parents said we just made his 10 months. And just knowing that some of these kids are here for so long and don’t get to have their childhood the way kids should have, it really is special.” ~ Frank Moscatiello, Savannah Bananas Pitcher. “We get to make them smile and impact their lives, and that’s why we do this, because we want to bring happiness to the world.”
The Bananas players traded friendship bracelets with the kids and signed baseballs for them.
They also posed for pictures with the nurses and Dr. Brad Marino - the new chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Pediatrician-in-Chief at Duke Health.
The Child Life team at Duke Children’s arranges special visits like this to boost morale for the kids and families while they’re in the hospital.