Little Boy Makes Big Difference in Lives of Children at Herman, Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital

When three-year-old Brody Yankolonis was transferred to the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai from another hospital in February, he insisted on bringing a car from its toy room. “During that time, it was the only thing that really kept him going,” his father, Brent Yankolonis, posted on Facebook. Since Brody was so comforted by this car, he decided that he wanted to give cars to other kids who were also in Sinai’s pediatric intensive care unit so that they could get better too.

Brody’s wish soon took on a life of its own. Friends and family raised more than $1,000 to donate toy cars to pediatric patients. His mother, Amy Yankolonis, herself a nurse, wanted especially to thank Sinai’s staff for providing such excellent care to Brody.

Brody and his mother delivered the cars to Sinai on April 8. Dr. Aziza Shad, the Ellen W.P. Wasserman endowed chair of the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital, says, “It was an honor to accept this donation. We are so inspired by Brody’s generosity and thoughtfulness, and we are thankful to the Yankolonis family for continuing to make a difference in the lives of our patients.”

The Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai is part of LifeBridge Health, one of the largest, most comprehensive and most highly respected providers of health-related services to the people of Maryland. LifeBridge Health includes Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Carroll Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and related subsidiaries and affiliates. For more information, go to www.lifebridgehealth.org.

Written by Emily Koch