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When Maaike Biemans was 4 years old, she had open heart surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. Now she’s giving back with entertainment bags for young patients.
The Brookside Avenue resident is a Northeastern University student and for her senior project, she’s creating these bags for the hospital’s cardiac clinic.
“I make four categories of bags,” Biemans explains. “For 3- to 5-year-olds, 6- to 8-year-olds, 9- to 12-year olds and for teenagers.”
Biemans includes activity books, sensory toys and squishy toys, including sticker pages, pop-its, paint with water pages and crafts.
She remembers when she was a patient over the last 20 years, how the wait times were stressful. When she was a co-op student at the hospital, she also noticed how bored the children get.
The goal is to make 300 bags; so far, she’s made 100.
“Funding is a bit difficult,” she says.
So she started a GoFundMe campaign and so far she’s raised close to $1,300.
“It costs about $2.50 per bag,” she says.
When Biemans was 4 years old, she remembers telling the doctors and nurses, “I’ll be working here some day” and her plan is to go to graduate school for nursing.
“I want to give back to a place that’s so special to me,” Biemans says.
