'It means everything to the kids': Santa flown in by helicopter to visit Stollery patients
The Royal Canadian Air Force flew a special guest to the Stollery Children's Hospital Wednesday to spread holiday cheer.
As part of Operation HOHOHO, Santa flew in on a Griffon helicopter to visit kids and families at the hospital.
"It means everything to the kids," said Kyra Murdoch, a certified child life specialist. "(For) kids that are here, long term or short term, December is the month that they're going to be talking about Santa and visiting Santa and writing letters to Santa.
"To have Santa come and visit all the kids here, it's just, it's absolutely amazing."
Operation HOHOHO began in 2003 when members of the 400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron delivered toys to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
"Part of our job as child life specialists is to create those normal situations and environments and just having Santa here really brings back the normalcy for these kids and lets them be kids again," Murdoch said.
The event began in Edmonton in 2017 and it's something the kids and the military look forward to each year.
"It's really important for us … coming here and seeing the kids, when we bring Santa in front of them, and we give them their teddy bears, they're so happy, and that means the world to us," said Lt.-Col. Melissa Snook, the commanding officer of the 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron.
"We love doing it every year and we will keep doing it every year."
It's such a popular event, the crew seats on the helicopter are auctioned off to see who will participate. The money from that is used to buy teddy bears for the kids.
Kids like Michaela Rae, one of the patients at the Stollery, enjoyed meeting Santa. She said her favourite part was seeing him come out of the helicopter.
Snook estimates a few hundred bears have been given to sick kids at the Stollery through this event since it started.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Gunman's steps after killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO gives police new clues in hunt for the killer
As the hunt for a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of the largest U.S. health insurer moved into its third day Friday, surveillance footage provided more clues about the suspect's travels and the places he visited before the shooting.
Purolator, UPS pause shipments from couriers amid Canada Post strike
Purolator and UPS have paused shipments from some courier companies as they try to work through a deluge of deliveries brought on by the Canada Post strike.
NDP's Singh forces debate on $250 cheques for more Canadians; Conservatives cut it short
With the fate of the federal government's promised $250 cheques for 18.7 million workers hanging in the balance, the NDP forced a debate Friday on a motion pushing for the prime minister to expand eligibility. The conversation was cut short, though, by Conservative MPs' interventions.
Sask. father who kept daughter from mom to prevent COVID-19 vaccine free from additional prison time
Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan father who withheld his then seven-year-old daughter from her mom for nearly 100 days to prevent the girl from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, was handed a 12-month prison sentence and 200 days probation on Friday, but credited with time served.
Ticketmaster hidden fees settlement credits expected in 2025 following class-action lawsuit by Regina lawyer
A longstanding lawsuit against Ticketmaster is nearing its end, with a judge expected to approve the more than $6 million dollar settlement before the end of the year.
What is still being delivered? What to know about the Canada Post strike
With Canada Post workers on strike, many individuals and businesses are facing the challenge of sending and receiving mail. Here are the answers to some of Canadians’ most-asked questions.
How the combination of diapers and splash pads led to 10K illnesses
New research is raising concerns about the safety of splash pads, which can be ground zero for germs and greatly increase the risk of spreading disease.
Which guns are now banned in Canada? Here's what you need to know
Canada is expanding its federal ban on firearms, adding 324 makes and models of guns to the prohibited weapons list, effective immediately.
Canada's 6.8% jobless rate boosts bets for 50-point interest rate cut
Canada had 1.5 million unemployed people in November, propelling its jobless rate to a near-eight-year high outside of the pandemic era and boosting chances of a large interest rate cut on Dec. 11.