Thursday 26 November 2015Media release2 minutes to read
A school girl who knows what it is like to be in hospital has spent hours making fairy dresses for Christchurch Hospital Children's Activity Room.
Eliza Mcdonald and her mother Rachel, visited the Activity Room last week to donate the six carefully made, colourful satin dresses.
Allie Bower, Canterbury District Health Board Child Health Services Team Leader Christchurch Hospital Play Specialist, says it is lovely to receive such a heartfelt donation.
“Eliza has clearly worked very hard to achieve her goal. She has covered all the bases producing a durable and washable dress that meets our criteria within our service,” Ali says.
“The tamariki in the Activity Room and children's wards will enjoy using their imagination and dressing up in these princess dresses.”
Eliza says after spending time on and off in various wings of Christchurch Hospital over the last couple of years, she understood what it is like to want to be someone else, even for just a few minutes.
“Because basically, the only thing that is mildly amusing in hospital are the beds that move up and down, and they grow stale pretty quickly,” Eliza says.
“That is why I chose to create costumes for ill children. When you dress up, you step into another world. You can become a princess, a fairy, a pirate, and everything else just flies away.”
Eliza's year 8 Personal Project is entirely centred on the children.
“I have tried my hardest to give a few little girls in hospital the next best thing to a fairytale. I want them to have fun and, most importantly, be happy.”
ENDS
Caption: (left-right) Eliza Mcdonald, Emily Rodgers, Activity Room intern, and Hospital Play Specialist Service Team Leader Allie Bower
Fairy dresses hanging up in the Children's Activity Room
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