A Feel Good Roosevelt Island Story To Begin New Year - Local Residents Organize Christmas Toy Drive To Bring Some Joy To Children Of Patients At Dialysis Treatment Center

Doctor Michal Melamed is a Roosevelt Island resident who works with kidney patients at a dialysis center in the Bronx. Dr Melamed, together with her son Ethan and his friends Chloe and Danielle, organized a Christmas Toy Drive for the children of patients receiving treatment at the dialysis center where she works. Dr Melamed, Ethan, Chloe and Danielle wish to thank the Roosevelt Island community for their generous donations bringing some joy to these children. They report:

Chloe Fargo, 15, Ethan Wagreich, 15, and Danielle Burrowes, 17, wanted to do something this holiday season to give back. They each know a nephrologist, a kidney doctor, who works with patients requiring dialysis treatment in the Bronx, NY. So they came up with a plan. The social worker at one of the dialysis units asked her patients who had children to write letters to Santa. Chloe, Ethan and Danielle then took those letters, created a spreadsheet and, with the help of the Roosevelt Island Parents Network and the Einstein/Montefiore nephrology community found some generous Santas.

“When we first got the letters, we were crying,” said Chloe. Some of the letters were very sad. One teen girl only asked Santa for a new kidney for her father (a kidney transplant can help a dialysis patient return to a more normal life where they don’t need to get dialysis any more). Patients who require dialysis generally need to go to the dialysis center for treatment thrice weekly for 4-5 hours. Many of the children also asked for their parents to feel better so that they can spend more time with them. “I was humbled by the selflessness demonstrated in some of the children’s letters and being able to give gifts to the children was the highlight of my holiday”, said Danielle.

The requests ranged from legos and lol surprise dolls to a skateboard. The kids ranged in age from 2-15. Thanks to some wonderfully generous neighbors, friends and parents, all the gifts were obtained. Ethan, Chloe and Danielle wrapped all the presents.  Ethan wrote positive, personalized messages to the children from Santa, “I wanted the kids to know that Santa cared about them and encouraged them to keep trying hard to do well in school and be a good person.”

​Ethan’s mother, Michal Melamed, who works at the dialysis center, delivered the gifts on Christmas Eve.

The social worker at the dialysis center, Ms. Joan Gooden, MSW, became tearful at the sight of the gifts. “It has been a tough year for everyone. The patients and the kids are going to be so happy to see all these presents. I hope we can continue doing this every year.”

Ethan, Chloe and Danielle want to thank the generous Santas in the Roosevelt Island community and beyond who helped spread the Christmas spirit. 

We've got plenty of Roosevelt Island good people and it's great to recognize them.