Stuffed bear delivery brings holiday joy to Christus pediatrics wing

Published 5:40 am Friday, December 20, 2024

The pediatric wing at Christus Mother Frances Hospital was filled with holiday magic Thursday afternoon. Thanks to an initiative led by Nagor Consulting Group and Long Branch Co., with Build-A-Bear supplying the materials, 50 young patients received stuffed animals to keep them company during the holidays.

“This is a very busy time of year for our hospital and for our patients,” said Christina Mosier, program manager for Children’s Miracle Network at Christus Mother Frances Hospital. “The pediatric units are all full right now because, of course, with it being winter time there’s a lot of illnesses going around. While we don’t want any child to be in the hospital during Christmas, we’re just so thankful that we have the opportunity to make their Christmas season just a little bit brighter.”

Children admitted to the pediatric unit are typically being treated for respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, RSV, and the flu. These young patients often stay in the hospital for three to four days, receiving fluids, oxygen, and care to manage their symptoms.

“They just feel crummy,” Mosier said. “They don’t get to be at school right now, they don’t just see their friends, and a lot of times they’ll be in (the hospital) for Christmas.”

For the last seven years, the Nagor Consulting Group and Long Branch Co. have gathered with family and friends to put together stuffed animals, dress them up, and write Christmas cards. What started with just a few bears has now grown into a large event, with more than 100 bears produced.

“It really was just us as a holiday tradition,” said Cooper Nagor-Adams, co-founder of Long Branch Co. “We started to do so many bears because so many people wanted to be involved that we eventually said ‘let’s make it into an event.’”

This year, the event was held at III Palms restaurant in Tyler with more than 100 people coming out to decorate the bears.

“The Build-A-Bear team is absolutely fantastic,” Nagor-Adams said. “They came to us, brought everything and helped… they did the heart ceremony for the bears… they made it a wonderful experience for everybody.”

Daniel Nagor, co-founder of Long Branch Co. and chief executive officer at Nagore Investments, credits his grandparents Melvin and LaJenia Ruyle for instilling the heart of giving back to the community.

“They’re always been giving to the community and they always taught me to give back to the community that has given us so much over the years,” Nagor said. “So, that was an inspiration for us to start doing this.”

The group effort produced 150 bears, 50 of which were donated to the Tyler Police Department, 50 to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, and 50 to the pediatric department of Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler.

“Christus has taken such good care of my grandma, so we’re happy to do it,” Nagor added.

In the days leading up to Christmas, having a child in the hospital can also be stressful for parents.

“This really takes some weight off the parents,” Mosier said. “When they’re supposed to be out shopping for Christmas, they’re worried about their kiddo … it’s such a blessing that this kind of takes some pressure off. The community is just amazing.”

Nagor-Adams said the Tyler community is “so philanthropic.

“We care about all of our people and I think that we are very, very lucky to have people who are willing to come and spend their time with us to just put a shirt on a bear because they know it’s gonna go and change a life,” Nagor-Adams said. “I think that our community is just one of the best there is.”