By Joanie Morris

Kannapolis Citizen

When most children wake up on Christmas morning, their hearts are light and their stomachs are aflutter with anticipation as they await the best part of the day — opening gifts under the tree with their families.

However, there’s one group of children who don’t get that flutter, the excitement and anticipation of the day.

Those are the ones lying sick in a hospital bed, waiting for their next shot. They may still be having stomach flutters, but that’s probably caused by some illness or nervous anticipation of the next procedure a doctor or nurse will perform on them.

Angel Roberts really tries to live up to her name at these times.

Roberts, child life specialist at NorthEast Medical Center, tries to make the holidays as special as she can for the kids in her charge. Each Christmas, community groups also recognize what a trying time it can be for the children at the hospital.

“Just from two groups, my office is flooded with stockings full of all kinds of stuff,” Roberts said.

It helps make Christmas a little easier for those kids, she said, when they can get a taste of it far from home.

“They’re missing out on the big family time and the big Christmas dinners,” Roberts explained. “Here, they may be on liquids” or have other health concerns that keep them from enjoying Christmas as they should.

Kids can end up in the hospital on Christmas day from all kinds ailments, from asthma, the flu, diabetes, appendicitis to surgeries and cancers.

“To watch these kids have a smile on their faces …” Roberts said is much better than seeing the worry and the emotions as they think of the fun they are not having.

“To be able to bring that fun to this unit is exciting for me,” Roberts added. It also takes a weight off of the parents, who are busy worrying how they will make the holiday fun for their children. “It makes you feel good about yourself.”

Contact Joanie Morris at 704-932-3336 or jmorris@ kannapoliscitizen.com.