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‘الفائز في ’ألعاب الوحوش" يمنح الراحة والإلهام للمرضى الصغار

بواسطة: جودي موراتيس

A man in a black hoodie and jeans leans toward a young girl lying in a hospital bed, holding up a small toy for her to see. The girl, wearing a nasal oxygen tube, is bundled in pink Hello Kitty blankets with stuffed animals around her. A woman and a toddler smile from a chair behind the bed, and “Sending Love and Hugs” and get-well balloons float above.

A special delivery brought extra smiles to مستشفى لوسيل باكارد للأطفال في ستانفورد last week, when Beast Games season 1 winner Jeff Allen visited patients and families.

Jeff, who lives in the Bay Area and whose son, Lucas, receives care at Packard Children’s Hospital, teamed up with Starlight Children’s Foundation to deliver games, Lego sets, stuffed animals, and other activities for patients. The donation was part of Starlight’s Give Happiness campaign, which brings toys, games, and comfort to seriously ill and hospitalized children across the country during the holiday season.

“The holidays don’t pause for people in the hospital,” said Jeff. “So, if we can bring a little bit of joy and a smile to their day, I think it makes a difference to them and their family.”

(Left to right) Sydnee Dolphay, special event and donation coordinator in the Child Life department; Jeff Allen; and Valerie Jones, Public Relations specialist at Starlight Children’s Foundation

During his visit, Jeff hosted a meet-and-greet in the hospital’s Story Corner, where he also handed out toys. For patients who could not leave their rooms, Jeff visited some of them at their bedsides, bringing bags of goodies.

“A visit like this provides our patients an opportunity to experience something that they wouldn’t normally experience in a hospital setting. It really brightened their day,” said Sydnee Dolphay, BS, CTRS, special events and donations coordinator in the Child Life and Creative Arts Department.

Driven by His Personal Mission

Jeff, who won the $10 million grand prize on the Prime Video series Beast Games, outlasted 999 other contestants in a competition of physical endurance, trivia, and mental challenges. Along the way, he had to pull a monster truck, find a golden ticket, and open mystery briefcases.

Jeff has used his moment in the spotlight to raise awareness of creatine transporter deficiency (CTD), a rare genetic disorder that his son, Lucas, lives with. Jeff supports CTD research through the Association for Creatine Deficiencies, which recently awarded a $550,000 grant to Tom Montine, MD, PhD, at the Stanford School of Medicine to advance his research on CTD.

“This is where our family gets care for Lucas,” said Jeff. “The team makes us feel so welcome and so cared for, and it’s the least I can do to give back.”