Berlin boy uses “100 day” celebration to help PRMC
Mason Hetherington, 6, is on a mission to support the Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) in Salisbury.
Last year, Mason wanted to collect 100 police patches for his 100th day of kindergarten and what began as an ambitious school project eventually blossomed into something even greater. He ended up collecting more than 800 patches.
He’s using the same school project to bring more toys to PRMC’s pediatric unit, where he has been treated for twice in the past two years.
Eliza Mason-Burt, Mason’s mom, says he was diagnosed with a septic hip infection which was later determined as extra fluid on his hip in 2014.
He was seen by doctors at multiple hospitals including PRMC.
“During that time, we were trying to encourage him to walk after the surgery so we’re like…there’s a toy room…trying to get him to walk in there and he did, he walked in there and we did play with the Wii and things but we noticed when we are in there that most of the toys were missing pieces or were broken.” Explains Mason-Burt.
This is why they have decided to put Mason’s school project to use.
To celebrate his 100th day of 1st grade at Ocean City Elementary, Mason needs to bring 100 items to school by Friday. He has chosen toys.
With the help of social media and friends, he met his goal of 100 items in January but didn’t stop there. There were nearly 300 toys when 47 ABC met them at their Berlin home on Monday, and they will all go to PRMC.
While these new toys will make other children happy, Eliza tells 47 ABC this act of generosity will teach her child a valuable lesson that doesn’t come in a box.
“He has everything he needs and unfortunately there’s a lot of kids that don’t and that’s something we saw while we were at PRMC.” She says, “There’s a lot of children who were really in worse condition than he was and it was hard. 41 He was lucky to have people bringing him toys and bringing him art sets and Legos in the hospital but a lot of kids aren’t that lucky.”
Eliza says she hopes to deliver the toys Tuesday, pending weather conditions.
Roger Follebout, community relations director at PRMC, says they’re grateful for any donations that come from the community. He explains any toy items that are donated should be new and wrapped, if possible. According to Follebout, this is an infection prevention protocol.
We’re told if items like plush teddy bears are given, the hospital may give it to a child once they are released.
Toys that are donated through “Brooke’s Toy Closet” benefit the pediatric unit and other emergency departments at PRMC. For more information, call 410-543-7140.
