It is December 23, and while most people are getting ready making preparations for their Christmas celebration over the weekend, the Marketing & Client Relations Office of the Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital is still hard at work preparing for an annual tradition of the Hospital.  Much like Santa’s elves, the members are busy wrapping gifts and tokens for folks who will be spending Christmas in the Hospital as admitted patients.  Every year Management plays Santa to all patients who spend their holidays in the Hospital.
Being patient advocates, the Marketing & Client Relations Office particularly understands how patients feel about spending Christmas away from home.  Aside from not feeling well, patients are forced to spend the happiest of holidays away from their loved ones.  It’s a sad Christmas for most, lonely for some.  Because of this, the team devotes extra effort to prepare tokens and personally hands these out to each patient, usually with a member of the Torre family or Top Management leading the way.  It is a very heart-warming sight to see the smiles on the faces of the patients when they are handed a token and greeted “Merry Christmas!â€Â  Some patients ask the team to stay and chat for a while, while some simply say “thank youâ€.  Even though it is just a small gesture, the team feels it is doing its part in spreading love and cheer to the patients of the Hospital.  This year, the DPOTMH is giving out Rudy Project items.
At the end of the day, as the last of the tokens disappear and every patient room has been visited, the team prepares to head home to spend the Christmas weekend with their families. With aching feet and tired bodies, each go home happy knowing that they made a small difference this year in making several patients smile this Christmas.
Till next year, Merry Christmas to one and all!