A hospital stay can shrink childhood fast. For 12-year-old Nathan Yuill, it also became the place where he decided to do something for other kids.

Yuill, who was diagnosed as a child with stage-4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is now two treatment courses away from what is anticipated to be a bell-ringing remission announcement.

Before his time at Providence Children’s Hospital came to an end, he raised $2,000 to give almost every child there a colorful Easter basket filled with presents.

Providence Clinical Nurse Manager of Pediatric Nicki Thurwanger said the carts normally used to transport meals and other items from room to room were overflowing with baskets. She said nearby residents donated the baskets and helped put them together.

“When the kiddos are here, every day becomes challenging and hard, and you look for the little things that make you be a kid,” Thurwanger told Alaska News Source.

“And so I think that’s what things like this give back is, yes, you’re in the hospital, but you’re a kid, and you get to still be a kid when you’re here.”

Nathan’s mother, Dena Yuill, said she was shocked by how quickly people gave to the project, which her son had come up with. She said donations topped $2,000 in just 24 hours.

“He’s amazing. I wish I had half the strength he does,” she said.

In total, 124 baskets were distributed in time for Good Friday at Providence and the nearby Alaska Native Medical Center.

The effort meant that children spending Easter in the hospital got gifts during a difficult time. Thurwanger said moments like that help remind them they still get to be kids when they are there.

📸 credit: Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital