Mark Miller knows that the holiday season isn't always a happy time of year. For parents of a sick child, it can be one of the hardest. Mark lost his daughter, 7½-year-old Mary Beth, in 2013. Mary Beth was born with hypoplastic right heart syndrome. In her short life, she went through six open heart surgeries and 348 medical procedures. Throughout it all, Mark was by her side. After recalling how difficult those holidays in the hospital were, Mark wanted to do something for other parents going through it.
Mark's mission was to bring a holiday staple to every patient at the Children's Miracle Network Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. The hospital is where Mary Beth was often treated. He got together with his colleagues at Ace Hardware to put the idea in motion. Mark reached out to store owners, asking them to donate trees. Mark and his team received donation commitments for 285 trees from 25 store owners. They decided to create a makeshift tree farm at the hospital for the patients there.
Mark Miller's road to making Christmas better for other families has been paved in tragedy. Mark wanted to do something to help patients at the Children's Miracle Network Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. It's where his daughter was treated.
Mark's daughter, Mary Beth Miller, was born with a heart condition called hypoplastic right heart syndrome. The condition led to six open heart surgeries and 348 medical procedures over her 7½ years of life. Despite a heart transplant in November 2011, Mary Beth died in March 2013.
Every holiday season, Mark and his wife Stacee would spend Christmas with Mary Beth in the hospital. He thought about the other families who have to spend holidays with their children that way. Determined to make a difference, Mark reached out to his employer, Ace Hardware.
Mark worked with colleagues to ask stores to donate trees to the families at the hospital. Many Ace Hardware locations in the area were happy to help. In all, Mark got commitments for 285 artificial trees from 25 store owners.
Then, he and his colleagues worked together to set up a tree farm for all the children at the hospital. The kids would be able to see the collection and each pick out their own tree. On December 5, they brought that idea to life for the patients at CMNH.
For children who were able to travel outside to the tree farm, there was a lot more than the 3-foot-tall trees. The kids decorated ornaments and marveled at the twinkling holiday lights. They even got to visit with Santa, who was on deck to share the holiday cheer.
Decorations and activities were provided by the Junior League of Birmingham. They set a perfect scene for the kids. Not only was there plenty of fun to be had, but the atmosphere was enlivened with some artificial snow, courtesy of Hoar Construction.
The photos show an amazing winter wonderland for the children to enjoy. By the looks of it, every one of those patients had a blast. It was a beautiful way to let the holiday spirit come to life for kids who don't get to enjoy it in the way others are fortunate to.
Children who couldn't leave their rooms were also treated to some pure Christmas joy. The trees and activities were also provided for them in their rooms. Santa went door-to-door to make sure everyone got some time with him.
The hospital released a statement thanking all involved in the event. "We are grateful to the Junior League of Birmingham, ACE Hardware and HOAR Construction for bringing some holiday cheer to Children’s of Alabama this season," said Emily Bridges, community development coordinator.
"The holidays can be a particularly trying time to be in the hospital, so to give our patients and families the opportunity to pick out a tree and participate in that holiday tradition regardless of their circumstances is especially meaningful."
"We can’t thank ACE, HOAR Construction and the Junior League enough for their generosity and for creating such a wonderful moment for our kids," Emily added. It's very clear that the partnership's first year is a great indicator of what could come. So many children stand to benefit from these small acts of kindness.
That isn't the first time Ace has worked with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals during the holiday season. The two organizations are longtime partners. They've teamed up on a number of projects, including holiday ornaments, in the past.
