Young patients at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in the Big Apple got stocking-fulls of holiday cheer when the NYPD stopped by for its annual holiday visit — bringing with them adorable K-9s, carols and a table full of toys.
About 50 officers from various units visited Tuesday morning, where at least 75 patient-residents got to meet Blue Santa Claus as he merrily passed out NYPD hats, and characters from “Frozen” and “Paw Patrol” doled out hugs.
“Today was so fun! I got to see so many characters here, especially Olaf,” said Olivia Zhang, 12, who was all cheers in an NYPD cap as she clutched a toy she grabbed for herself alongside one for her brother.
“I love ‘Frozen.’ I love to sing,” she gushed, before bursting into song.
The event was the NYPD’s 12th annual visit to St. Mary’s, a tradition kicked off by Fugitive Task Force Det. Terry Brienza and his wife in 2013 after a casual conversation about how “horrible” the holidays must be for kids stuck in the hospital.
“You can’t have fun the way the other children are having fun. So we decided to try to uplift those kids and try to find a way to visit a hospital, and try to bring some holiday spirit and change that,” Brienza told The Post.
“Here we are 12 years later, doing it bigger and better every year,” he added.
This year’s attendees included Richard Del Rosario, an NYPD community affairs officer of 17 years whose 7-year-old daughter Lana has been a patient at St. Mary’s since 2020.
“This definitely hits home,” he said. “It’s great that the police department puts on a great show for the children of St Mary’s.”
Jessica O’Hagan, a St. Mary’s recreational therapist of 18 years, said the annual event is one of the most special moments of the year for long-term patients.
“Having events like this is so important to our kids and families, especially around the holidays, because it really gives them a chance of normalcy to be able to experience something fun and different, and to be able to pick out a toy that they might not be able to get at home on Christmas morning,” O’Hagan said.
“And for our kids, it just kind of takes them away from the day-to-day routine of the hospital. Let’s them have fun, experience seeing all the characters and the trucks and the police officers,” she added.
As the event ended, the kids were brought over to rows of tables piled high with toys and allowed to take whatever they wanted and also grab some for the kids unable to attend.
Little Olivia got a Crayola Light Up tracing pad for herself, and a “Paw Patrol” truck for her younger brother.
“He loves ‘Paw Patrol.’ He’s 6-and-a-half, almost 7,” she said. “I love to design dresses. That’s one of my favorite things.”
