Lego front and centre
Interactive display entertains sick kids at hospital
A Sydney Mines mother’s wish for a Lego city to entertain her son and other children undergoing care at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital has come true.
Anne Luker’s wish for the interactive Lego display for the pediatrics department at the Sydney hospital was selected by BMO Financial Group in January.
Luker’s son Mason was born with heart defects, meaning they regularly have to spend time at the hospital. He underwent open-heart surgery at six days old.
In a YouTube video about the project, the stay-at-home mom noted that when she goes to the hospital with Mason, his two sisters often come along. She said she knew they would have a lifelong relationship with hospitals.
“If we have an appointment at the hospital, we’re taking all three, which is a little hard when
you’re sitting there for three hours at a time,” she said.
Luker made her wish on Jan. 31 and it was granted by BMO this month. They had children at the hospital draw pictures of their own houses, then BMO staff helped to bring the drawings to life using more than 35,000 Lego
pieces, building a town complete with a ferris wheel and special touches unique to the area like the iconic big fiddle located at the port of Sydney.
The Lego community play area was recently unveiled at the hospital as children looked on, including Luker and her
children.
Luker said in the video that she chose the wish to help with the anxiety associated with going to the hospital, noting Mason loves Legos.
“It’s bringing a piece of home to them while they are at the
hospital,” Mickey Daye, manager, maternal child services at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, said in a news release.
It was the first wish selected by BMO from more than 8,000 wishes made across Canada and the U.S.