The past two and half years have been tough for 7-year-old Liam Wainwright. He battled and beat cancer, only to have it return last year. “It’s been emotionally more difficult for Liam this time around. The second diagnosis is tough,” said Emily Wainwright, Liam’s mom.

In an effort to ease some of the stresses of being in the hospital again, Liam’s family bought him a stuffed turtle from the hospital gift shop. His new friend, Spots, helped him through some difficult days filled with tests and a lot of medicine.

Several weeks ago Liam was having a particularly tough day, and all he wanted to do was curl up in bed and take a nap with his new friend. But Spots was nowhere to be found. The turtle had mistakenly been left on the bed that had just been changed.

“I was really sad Spots was gone,” said Liam. “I didn’t think I would get him back.”

Wanted sign spotted around the hospital

Our amazing staff went to work searching for Spots. Rhiannon Wentland, a patient tech in the ICS unit, searched the laundry bins. When that wasn’t successful, she suggested Liam make a wanted poster to share with other staff members. She also contacted Environmental Services to see if they could help.

“After seeing the flyer it really touched my heart,” says Randall Uria, Environmental Services Supervisor. “It made me think a few things: What if this was my child? What if my child was heartbroken missing their favorite friend? And what if, by just a small chance, that having this special friend near them would help with his healing process? After all our motto is, ‘The Child First and Always.'”

Randall and Arthur Gallegos, a housekeeping team lead, decided to check the laundry room, just in case it was still there. The pair dug through dozens of bags of dirty laundry. “When we found the stuffed animal it was a big relief,” said Arthur. “Anyone that has been back where we keep the linen knows how much the hospital produces and how heavy the bags are. But it was worth it. Anything I can do to help cheer up a child, I will. I took this vow when I got hired.”

“The special feeling we got seeing how happy this child was really touched my soul and was the best reward I could have received,” adds Randall. “To me this is what the job is all about - to lend a helping hand in a child’s recovery in any way possible.”

Both Liam and his mom were surprised and grateful for the efforts of the staff. “I think it was really nice of them,” Liam said.

“I had given up. I told them not to worry about it.” said Emily. “The fact that everyone kept trying was uplifting. It’s just a toy, but it matters.”