AMERICAN IDOL Serenades Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
<0> Children’s Hospital Los AngelesLorenzo BenetOffice: (323) 361-4823E-mail: </0>
AMERICAN IDOL fans were treated to a tender and heartfelt experience during Wednesday night’s AMERICAN IDOL Top 4 performance show: A look inside one of the country’s top pediatric hospitals, . The final four paid a visit to the nationally-ranked children’s hospital Monday, inspiring dozens of young patients with an intimate private concert, bedside visits and participation in a variety of activities including an arts and music workshop, music therapy and storytelling.
“It was a special treat for our young patients to visit with the Top 4 AMERICAN IDOL contestants, who took time out to inspire us with their voices and their hearts,” says , FACHE, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “The singers lifted everyone’s spirits with their encouraging words during bedtime visits and their special concert for the kids, which drew smiles, cheers and then tears of joy. I’m thrilled we get to share these special moments with America.”
IDOL contestants Candice Glover, Kree Harrison, Amber Holcomb and Angie Miller met with patients undergoing treatment in the hospital’s (NICCU), , , the Cardiovascular Acute Unit and the Medical/Surgical unit. They witnessed critically ill newborn infants being treated with music therapy and spoke with young patients fighting a range of debilitating diseases, including cancer, heart disease and cystic fibrosis.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles treats 97,000 patients annually, from broken bones to the most rare and devastating illnesses. The pediatric facility is one of the nation’s top five children’s hospitals and ranked number one in California.
During the two-and-a-half-hour visit, the four finalists went from bedside to bedside, sharing their IDOL experiences with the hospital’s most critically ill patients. Later, Glover entertained three young patients in the hospital’s , reading from her favorite children’s sound book, Harrison visited babies and their families in the NICCU and took part in music therapy treatment with the patients under the supervision of a certified creative arts therapist. One of the songs she sang for a patient was a lullaby that Harrison’s mom had made up for her. In the Creative Oasis Playroom, Holcomb and Miller did arts and crafts with the kids and participated in an arts and music workshop with team members from the hospital’s . One young patient, Morrison Davis, age two, who underwent a liver transplant three months ago, skipped and hopped around the room as Miller played on the piano. Patient Diamond Bradley, 15, sat with her mom, Debra, and did arts and crafts with Holcomb. “This was the happiest day for Diamond,” says Debra. “This was an amazing gift.”
During the last part of the visit, about 75 lucky patients and family members gathered in the hospital’s John Stauffer Conference Room for an intimate, 15-minute concert by the IDOL contestants. For the finale song, the IDOL finalists invited the young patients up to the front of the room to join them in the Bruno Mars song, . There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Afterward, the excited kids got the celebrity treatment themselves, parading out to a special red carpet ceremony and posing for pictures with the singers. They also got to stand behind an official IDOL microphone and backdrop to channel their own inner IDOL.
The performers came away from the experience feeling moved and inspired themselves, and even received a special gift from the kids, a hand-painted mural that read, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles “loves AMERICAN IDOL. Thank you for visiting us!”
“These kids are going through a lot,” said Glover. “Whatever we can do for them is especially rewarding for all of us.”
“This is so inspiring for me,” added Harrison. “This hospital does great things for kids.”
“Children’s Hospital L.A. doesn’t feel like a hospital,” noted Holcomb. “I hope the kids had a special day. We did.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity to come [to Children’s Hospital] and give back,” commented Miller. “I love Children’s Hospital L.A. It was special.”
Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children’s hospital in California and among the top five in the nation for clinical excellence with its recent selection to the prestigious US News & World Report Honor Roll of best children’s hospitals. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. The hospital is also ranked among the country’s premier teaching hospitals, and has been affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932.
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Children's Hospital Los Angeles is a nonprofit, academic, pediatric medical center. We provide the highest quality healthcare for children in our region and beyond.
Each year, we provide more than 97,000 children with pediatric health care in a setting designed just for their needs.
We are a research hospital and believe that it is through research that we can improve the delivery of care to the children of the future.
Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the first and largest pediatric hospital in Southern California. The hospital is one of only 12 children’s hospitals in the nation – and the only one in California – ranked in all 10 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The U.S. News report also ranked Children’s Hospital Los Angeles among the top five children’s hospitals in the United States.
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