Submitted by Chantelle Meadows
On Christmas Eve 2018, Megan Patrick of Stoney Point was diagnosed with leukemia and had to celebrate Christmas in the hospital without any special holiday pajamas. After Megan recovered, her family started a pajama drive for both Windsor and London hospitals to ensure all children on Christmas Eve had some Santa pajamas.
In April 2022, Megan was diagnosed with leukemia again. Unfortunately, due to her condition, the pajama campaign was on hold in 2022, but in 2023, Megan’s friend Lauren Meadows stepped in by launching the campaign with an announcement that, instead of birthday gifts, she would ask friends and family to donate pajamas for children in the hospital.
In 2023, the team donated over 500 pairs of pajamas to the Windsor Regional Hospital Pediatric Floor, the Ronald McDonald House in London, Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, Erie Shores Health Care, Little Hands for a Cause, and the Fight Like Mason Foundation.
In 2024, Megan and Lauren donated over 600 pairs of pajamas to children at Windsor Regional Hospital Pediatric Floor, the Ronald McDonald House in London, Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, Erie Shores Health Care, and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.
The success of the event brought great joy to Megan and Lauren, and they are continuing again this year. Megan and Lauren both attend Centennial Central Public School in Comber and are thrilled that their school will also be collecting pajamas on their behalf. This past weekend, the girls set up a booth at the Tilbury BIA Christmas Market and raised $1,500 to purchase pajamas, with cash and donations still pouring in.
If you would like to donate today, you can e-transfer to jm.patrick@hotmail.ca or call for a pickup or drop-off location. Donations will be accepted until December 15th.
