Half the size of the NHL player in front of him, a little boy reached as high as he could to give a high-five to Devils defenseman Luke Hughes. He was successful and all of his family and care team at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center shared in the joy of this interaction with laughter. They weren’t the only ones touched by this experience.
“It’s pretty special for us to come out here,” Hughes shared. “Anything we can do to help our community. It was great to meet those kids, just to talk to them, see what they’re going through. It really puts in perspective for me just to see how lucky we are, and how lucky they are to have (the hospitals and staff) take care of them. Just for us to spend an afternoon getting to know them is pretty special for us.”
This was one of the many core memory moments created at various RWJBarnabas Health hospitals throughout the state of New Jersey, as the Devils participated in their annual hospital visits. On Monday, Devils players, staff, alumni, and even NJ Devil, visited with patients, nurses, and doctors to bring support during the holiday season.