Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Melania Trump did not let that break the streak of first ladies visiting a Washington children's hospital as it is a decades-long tradition during the holidays.
The visit made by the First Lady was her fourth and last holiday visit to the Children's National Hospital on Tuesday before exiting the White House.
According to Melania, this is one of her favorite events during the holiday season, and she finds it wonderful to be in that place.
The First Lady also shared that during her previous visits, she has seen that the spirit of Christmas is alive in each of the children, who in their daily lives are battling medical conditions, CBS News reported.
The medical facility made some adjustments in their holiday program to safely accommodate the visit during the pandemic, which has claimed not less than 300,000 lives in the United States.
Dr. Kurt Newman, Chief executive officer of the hospital, shared that Mrs. Trump has their deep gratitude for joining every first Lady since Bess Truman in bringing holiday cheer to children who are hospitalized and can't be home during this special time of the year.
According to Dayton Daily News, during her visit, the First Lady sat in a chair in front of a towering Christmas tree that adorns the hospital's atrium.
Two patients, 8-year-old Sofia Martinez and 6-year-old Riley Whitney sat with pillows on a red carpet to listen to Mrs. Trump read a book regarding holiday ornaments that come to life.
In her previous visits, Mrs. Trump read to a big crowd of patients and their families, singers, dancers, and hospital staffers.
The reading which is done by Melania Trump about the children's Christmas story 'Oliver the Ornament Meets Marley & Joan and Abbey' was broadcasted using a closed-circuit television system in the hospital so that more patients could tune in from their rooms.
Todd Zimmerman, the writer of the series of children's books, which features the Christmastime adventures of Oliver the Ornament, shared that the stories also serve to teach children about kindness, especially in the face of bullying.
As the First Lady, Melania ensured that she could raise awareness about bullying's harmful effects, especially for the young ones.
Zimmerman also added that he was glad that the visit of Mrs. Trump would help take the minds of Children off of what they are going through, even if only for an hour.
When the reading ended, the rendition of "All I Want for Christmas is You"' by singer Maria Carey was played. Melania then began calling out numbers for the Bingo game, NBC Connecticut reported.
Bingo is played twice a week to give the children a mental break from their medical conditions.
This month marks the 150th founding anniversary of the pediatric care and research facility as a celebration of the courage that the volunteers had shown a century and a half ago when they opened the hospital in 1870 with only 12 beds to those children displaced after the Civil War.
