Penguins Bring Smiles to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Craig and Brittany Parrett brought their 13-year-old son Kingston to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at 1 AM on Tuesday morning, after swollen lymph nodes on his neck kept getting bigger and weren’t responding to less invasive treatments.

After Kingston underwent surgery, he was shifted from his recovery bed to a hospital bed made up with a Penguins blanket, pillow, and stuffed penguin, along with a No. 87 shirt draped over the front - all brought from home. He’s loved the Penguins since the age of 3, with his mom having the cutest videos of Kingston’s adorable mispronunciations, where he said his favorite player “Sidney Cropsby” was playing in the “Family Cup.”

When his nurse saw all of the Penguins paraphernalia, she knew the Parrett family was about to get the surprise of a lifetime. “She said, from seeing the things around this room, you’ll be happy to hear we have some people coming to visit today,” Brittany said. “I was like, no! No way!”

Brittany began to cry when she realized that a group of Penguins would be stopping by their hospital room during the team’s annual trip to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “I'm like, when I heard they come here one day a year, and we happened to be here?! Things happen for a reason. This made his life!”

Kingston was understandably exhausted from the procedure but told his parents, ‘Wake me up when they come!’ He was ready when Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, Tristan Jarry, Joel Blomqvist, Ryan Graves, and Jack St. Ivany walked through his door.

“We like this setup. Nice blanket!” St. Ivany told him. Brittany and Craig showed the group a picture of Kingston’s bedroom at home, which is fully Penguins-themed, complete with a Sidney Crosby Fathead on the wall. “This is no prep. This is how he lives his life!” Brittany laughed. “Nice life!” Malkin grinned.

As Kingston interacted with his visitors, a welcome distraction from everything he's been going through over the last few weeks, Brittany looked over and said, “just look at that smile. This is a good day for that smile.” The guys told Kingston how good and strong he looked, and as they were preparing to leave, he mentioned how much he wanted to come watch them play.

“He begs to go to Penguins games every day. He is obsessed,” Brittany said of her son, who never misses one. “But he cannot go (Wednesday). You’re still gonna be here, dude!”

“Hopefully you recover fast!” Karlsson said. “See you at the games soon!” Jarry added. “I’ll be listening for you. Make sure you’re nice and loud!”

“Let’s go Pens!” Malkin - Kingston's second favorite player - said with a grin as they left the room, which was located on the hematology-oncology floor, for children dealing with blood diseases and cancer. This year’s visit was part of the Penguins’ efforts for the NHL’s ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ initiative, which takes place in the month of November.

The players wore purple Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys, which will be autographed and auctioned (more details will be provided at a later date). The Penguins Foundation will donate the proceeds to support cancer programs at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

“I think all of us have people that have been affected by cancer, and the more awareness we can bring, the better,” Sidney Crosby said. “Being here and seeing firsthand what kids are dealing with, and just how strong they are and the fight that they're going through, we want to help in any way we can. Whether that's being here or bringing awareness, that's why we're here.”

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for those same reasons, and his path crossed with a group of Penguins during the afternoon. "I've never had this happen!” said Wilson, in his first season with the Steelers. “As many rooms as I've been in, I've never had two different teams from the same city be in the same room."

As one patient said, that’s Pittsburgh. The athletes who have adopted this town as their second home appreciate the opportunity to give back to their community, particularly these families who are going through difficult times.

“I think we feel fortunate to be in the position that we're in, and just want to try to show our support,” Crosby said. “Being able to come here and spend time with kids and their families and hear a little bit about what they're going through too, hopefully you can just kind of change their mind for a little bit over the course of the day. It’s amazing to see the strength and just the attitudes of all the kids and their families. It's something that I think inspires us, too.”