By Carlotta Mohamed
Christmas came a little early this year to the young patients at Cohen Children’s Medical Center on the Queens/Nassau border, thanks to the kindness of technical wizards at Presidio and Cisco Systems.
Through the Cisco Santa Connection, patients who are unable to celebrate in the comfort of their own homes due to illness can still experience the magic of the holiday.
Using a video monitor and web-enabled camera, Santa “virtually” visited children in the third floor playroom of the center, located at 269-01 76th Ave. in New Hyde Park. The children, who were told that Santa was communicating live from his home in the North Pole, delivered a list that ran the gamut from electric guitars and video games to toy trucks and art books.
Santa spoke lovingly to the children who were accompanied in the playroom by Child Life staff members dressed as elves and other holiday characters.
And for those who didn’t feel well enough to leave their rooms, a mobile cart or iPad enabled with Cisco Jabber software helped Santa travel room-to-room for a personalized bedside visit — all of this without leaving his workshop in the North Pole, according to the children.
“We’re so happy that Cisco was able to bring their expertise once again to Cohen during this holiday season,” said Danielle Young, special events and donations coordinator at Cohen Children’s. “Thanks to them, we able to bring Santa to the children. During this time of year, it’s very difficult for children and their loved ones to be away from home. Events such as these help to make Chanukah and Christmas a happier times for these families.”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmoha
