After coming down with severe headaches and other symptoms Kaitlyn Limoges, an 11-year-old sixth grader at Warwick Veterans Middle School, was diagnosed with a rare immunological disorder called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome last summer. On Tuesday morning she read from her contest-winning essay that expressed her gratitude towards Hasbro Children’s Hospital for diagnosing and helping treat the illness.

“Hasbro Children’s Hospital is so important to me because the doctors and nurses are heroes. They save children’s lives every day and make us smile too,” she read to a full crowd of doctors, nurses, media and hospital benefactors within the lower lobby of Hasbro Hospital during their capital campaign announcement ceremony.

Kaitlyn specifically mentioned numerous nurses and doctors who worked on her case, thanking them for doing everything medically possible to help but also for providing a sense of humanity that clearly made a difference in her life – things like having nurses making her laugh, doctors dancing for her and having the Good Night Lights shine support from across the river before she went to bed.

“One of the times I was in the ER at the hospital, Angie [Dr. Angela Anderson] went all the way home and came back just to bring me and my mom sleeping bags just to make us more comfortable,” Kaitlyn said. “I love you Angie!”

“I love you too,” Dr. Anderson shouted back from the corner of the audience.

It was a heartwarming moment that summed up an event which captured the melancholic duality of the work accomplished by doctors, nurses and support staff at Hasbro. The hospital has existed for 25 years because of the unfortunate fact that many children – 50,000 a year will visit Hasbro’s emergency department alone in a year, according to Lifespan CEO Timothy Babineau – are in need of the hospital’s services. But to combat that reality in a way that makes a lasting difference is what Hasbro is all about.

“I’ve been here as a legislator several times and the staff is always welcoming, it’s always bright and colorful and inviting,” said House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, who mentioned taking his two sons to the hospital in the past for high fevers and always having a positive experience. “It’s a place you don’t want to have to come to but if you do, it’s inviting to families and our children.”

Tuesday’s event was not only to celebrate the work done since the hospital opened in 1994, but to usher in a new beginning to the hospital’s life – with the announcement that they had raised $26 million of their $35 million goal , a capital campaign dubbed “Every Child Every Day,” and that they were officially embarking on a one-and-a-half-year period of extensive renovations touching “almost every inch” of the hospital.

“Due to the sheer number of patient volume, it is not surprising that the building has taken a ton of wear and tear over the years,” said Bradford Dimeo, president of Dimeo Construction, which will be spearheading the renovation efforts. “Additionally, patient care continues to evolve and improve, so it’s imperative to update and renew.”

The fundraising will pave the way for a complete overhaul of the hospital’s emergency department and allow for updates to be made to impatient rooms, nursing stations, the surgical suite and the intensive care unit. It will allow for more consultative rooms for families and care providers and fund improvements and expansion of the Tomorrow Fund Clinic, which provides support for children undergoing cancer treatment.

“Nearly every inch of this hospital will be renovated or touched by some kind of change,” said Dr. Margaret Van Bree, president of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro, adding that everything down to the lobby areas will be modernized to help foster an environment where children and families can feel comfortable during hospital stays. “And that’s a major factor in the healing environment,” she said.

In discussing the hospital’s environment, none of the speakers had more impact than Kaitlyn and her fellow essay contest winner, Mia Devolve, a 9-year-old who had been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease earlier this year.

“I know I am just nine years old, but when I go to Hasbro the doctors and nurses make me feel like I’m going to be okay. They make me laugh and talk to me like a person,” Mia read. “Hasbro Children’s Hospital is a hospital that helps kids get better. It was built to give us kids another chance at another day of seeing the sun rise. The staff at Hasbro believes this too because they work tirelessly to help kids get better. They treat kids like kids and put a smile on our faces in some of our darkest times. That cannot be summed up in 300 words but I did my best.”

Mattiello, along with Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, had to follow Mia’s essay, which they both noted was no easy task.

“I was going to say a whole bunch of things but Mia kind of stole my thunder,” Ruggerio said, adding that the Rhode Island Senate was happy to raise $30,000 for the campaign through their charity golf tournament. “She basically said it all. What a great place this is and has been for the last 25 years.” Mattiello also announced that he would once again be hosting a Speaker’s Golf Tournament next year, the proceeds of which will go to Hasbro.

Former Hasbro, Inc. Chairman and CEO Al Verrecchia, who now chairs the Every Child Every Day campaign, summed up the progress of the fundraising – now at about 75 percent of its goal – and its importance to the people within Rhode Island.

“Our hospitals make Rhode Island a better place to live. The importance to promoting a healthy community cannot be overstated. In fact, none of us should take for granted the value and importance of having two world-class children’s hospitals within the same system here in Rhode Island,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll all agree that the delivery of healthcare has changed dramatically over the last 25 years, making the modernization of Hasbro Children’s Hospital vital towards ensuring that we remain a state-of-the-art institution…We’ve got 25 percent more to go though.”

Another Warwick-related tidbit gathered from the event: Warwick Ice Cream was given a special shout out for their help raising money through the creation of a new ice cream (named Every Child Every Day after the campaign) and also gifted all essay contest participants with two free pints and a t-shirt. To the two esteemed essay contest winners? A free year of ice cream and a tour of the Warwick Ice Cream plant. 

“A pretty sweet deal,” remarked Dr. Van Bree.