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Belleville Youth to Help Hospitalized Children at Clara Maass Medical Center
Stephen Toledo presents a check to (l) Jane Kessler, Clara Maass Foundation Director, and Princesita Baytan, RN, Nurse Manager for the Pediatric Unit
BELLEVILLE, N.J. -- "See a penny, pick it up. All day long you'll have good luck." This adage has never been more relevant than in the case of seven-year-old Stephen Toledo, a Belleville youngster who is on a mission to make hospital stays for children a little easier to handle.
It all started less than a year ago when Stephen, who suffers from scoliosis and wears a back brace, was diagnosed with chiari malformation (also known as Arnold-Chiari malformation) during a routine examination with his orthopedic physician. The condition causes a growth/enlargement on the base of the brain, and the additional pressure exerted on the spinal column can lead to loss of feeling in the extremities as well as other parts of the body.
Stephen underwent surgery last September to remove the growth and open the flow of fluid through his spinal column to restore the communication link between the nerves in his brain and the rest of his body. During his hospitalization, Stephen spent many days walking the halls of the pediatric unit with his mother, Martha. He commented to her one day that some of the children didn't seem to have as many balloons, cards or gifts as he had received. His mother explained that those things were signs of affection from people who cared about him, and that the material items weren't as important as knowing that each one of those people held a special place in their heart for Stephen.
Little did his mother know that Stephen would carry that conversation with him for months to come. He returned to his first-grade class at Queen of Peace School in North Arlington and quickly settled into a routine. About a month ago, Stephen was out on the playground at school with a friend when he spotted a penny on the ground. He picked up the coin, pocketed it, and when he returned home from school that day, asked his mother for a plastic sandwich bag.
When she asked him why, he explained that he had found a penny and decided he was going to begin collecting money for "poor kids" who were hospitalized. He painstakingly crafted a cardboard sign which read "Collecting Money for the Poor" and asked his mother to display the sign in the window of their home. Whenever family or close friends visited, Stephen would proudly present his sign, explain his mission, and ask for any spare pocket change the individual might have.
"He didn't want paper money," his mother explained, "because he felt that was too much to ask of someone." She muses as she reflects that he would happily accept four quarters, yet turn down a crisp dollar bill if offered. Even when the tooth fairy paid a visit to the Toledo household recently, the monetary gift left for Stephen was automatically added to the collection.
When Stephen had accumulated approximately $20, he was ready to ask his mother to approach a local hospital so that he could "give the money to a child who needed it." Mrs. Toledo thought of Clara Maass Medical Center, but was hesitant to contact the hospital with such an unusual request. With the guidance of the Public Relations Department and the Clara Maass Foundation, which accepts donations on behalf of the Medical Center, Stephen and his mother decided that rather than having only one child benefit from his donation, he would purchase items that could be used during a child's hospital stay.
Stephen and his mother were able to purchase enough coloring books and crayons for 20 children. Stephen recently paid a visit to the Medical Center to personally deliver the items to the children hospitalized at Clara Maass. He was accompanied by his parents, sister and grandparents and he fulfilled his mission, and his mother proudly made an additional donation of more than $100 in addition to art supplies that were donated for use in the unit's playroom.
"Stephen's project just snowballed," explained Mrs. Toledo, "and before we knew it, neighbors and friends who heard about what Stephen was doing were sending me checks and dropping off boxes of items to bring along to the hospital."
Mrs. Toledo knows that much good has come out of Stephen's situation. "We've all learned from this experience," she reflected, including his three- and five-year-old sisters, one of whom helped solicit funds on Stephen's behalf. "We really are blessed," she said.
Clara Maass Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, provides a complete continuum of care to residents of northern New Jersey. Located in Belleville, Clara Maass offers acute care services through Clara Maass Medical Center; skilled, rehabilitative care through the Continuing Care Center at Belleville; assisted living and long-term care through the Continuing Care Center at Kearny; home health care through JerseyCare Home health; and diagnostic radiology services through the Progressive Imaging Center.
Other centers of medical excellence include the Women's Health Center, nuclear medicine, The Cancer Center, diagnostic cardiac services including catheterization and rehabilitation, The Wound Center at Clara Maass, The Pain Management Center, The Orthopedic Spine & Joint
Institute, The Center for Sleep Disorders, same day surgery, and
maternal/child health programs. For more information on Clara Maass
programs and services, please call 1-800-CLARA MAASS.
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