Children and families at Bear Cottage were treated with a Christmas surprise this week with an early visit from Santa Claus.
With Rudolph and the reindeer in final preparations for Christmas Eve, Santa enlisted the help of his friends at NSW Ambulance and Toll Helicopter to make the trip from the North Pole onboard the Toll/Ambulance Rescue Helicopter.
Premier of NSW Chris Minns and Commissioner of NSW Ambulance Dr Dominic Morgan helped Santa hand out gifts to the kids and their families who are currently staying at Bear Cottage, the only children's hospice in NSW that provides respite and end-of-life care in a home-like environment.
Bear Cottage is part of the Sydney Children's Hospital Network and provides paediatric palliative care 24 hours a day.
Bear Cottage cares for children from across Australia, regardless of where they receive their primary care, although the majority of families that access the service are from NSW. The children who visit Bear Cottage range from newborn infants to older adolescents in line with the patient cohort of the SCHN.
Accommodation is available for parents and siblings with many other support services for the family throughout their child’s illness. Ongoing bereavement care and support is provided for families after their child’s death.