Eagles superfan Giovanni Hamilton gives back to Nemours, Indy hospital for holidays
WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) -- At Nemours Children's Hospital, Nicole Gandolfo is working as an elf, spreading holiday cheer. She's helping a teenager on a mission to give back to the hospital he calls a second home.
"It's so hard to be here during the holiday season," said Gandolfo, who is manager of child life at Nemours. "So we have an opportunity for patients and families who are going to be in the hospital during the holidays for gifts for the patients and also their siblings."
Room by room, Gandolfo visits patients with a wagon full of stuffed animals. Three-year-old Jahmelia Brown picked out Frosty.
Then it was on to Faith Hall's room, where the 10-year-old picked out toys for her siblings, too, eliminating worries she had of not being able to go Christmas shopping while she was in the hospital.
These toys didn't exactly come from the North Pole – they came from a former patient who's now living in Indianapolis, Giovanni Hamilton. You may remember him as the Eagles superfan who captured hearts during training camp a few years ago.
"These kind of donations are the most special to me because families are still remembering the care they got at Nemours," Gandolfo said.
Now 16 years old, Hamilton is a podcaster and, of course, still a Birds fan.
A big part of Hamilton's journey started at Nemours. At 2 years old, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition and received treatment at the Wilmington, Delaware, hospital until he moved to the Midwest two years ago.
"I remember, when I was a kid going to the hospital, I'd usually be in through the holidays," he said.
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For several years, he's been giving back, including at Nemours. This holiday season, he asked his podcast listeners and social media followers to help him send 500 bears not just to Nemours but also Riley Children's Health in Indianapolis, where he currently gets treatment.
"In a world of so much hate, we kind of need these people who are kind of the light in the darkness," he said.
Through the end of the year Gandolfo will be working as Santa's helper, spreading smiles with her cart.
"It seems small to a lot of people, but it's big to people like us," Hamilton said.
