Being stuck in the hospital is generally a pain, but for six-year-old Wyatt Brasseur, Christmas came early.
The youngster was reportedly vibrating with excitement even before Santa’s ride landed outside the window of his pediatric unit room at Victoria General Hospital.
Santa’s landing was a little different than usual, thanks to the now 20-year-old tradition of taking a Helijet tour ahead of Christmas itself.
Wyatt was the first of several kids of varying ages and wellness at the hospital in View Royal to get an early visit as Santa hitched a ride in a BCEHS air ambulance for a whirlwind, same-day tour to visit children in pediatric units at six hospitals in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
“When we talk with Santa up north, he’s usually in a position where he’s saying his reindeer are a little tired so we offer him 1,500 horses,” said Danny Sitnam, president and CEO of Helijet, which operates Sikorsky air ambulance helicopters used by BCEHS.
“It’s just a wonderful treat for the children, the parents, all the people who are involved in supporting the program. It’s just always an eye-opener when we come by to visit the six hospitals on this very special day.”
It’s a long day that starts at 7 a.m. with a tight schedule to hit hospitals in Greater Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Abbotsford, Surrey and New Westminster in one day.
“It’s worth every minute of it, the welcoming is just pretty humbling,” Sitnam said.
Neither kids nor flights were nothing new for the specially trained longtime paramedic along for the ride this year. What was particularly nice for David Nemec, a paramedic for 38 years and member of the infant transport team since 1999, were the smiles.
“This is very special, in the fact that I get to come and see the children and families and children in hospital who may not be home for Christmas,” Nemec said, just ahead of departing VGH for Nanaimo hospital. “Part of our daily job is looking after the babies and children in the province so seeing them in here and giving a little bit of smiles and joy to them means everything.”
He’s also the interim unit chief of Station 283 – the Infant Transport Team station based at BC Children’s Hospital – whose paramedics care for, and transport, babies and young children with acute or emergency health needs.
“It’s actually overwhelming to see the joy we bring, to be part of something that’s so good for the families. It’s an emotional high,” Nemec said. “Today is all about the children and families that can’t be home for Christmas so we’re all here as one team making everything better for them.”
