Children's Hospital Opens Rooftop Play Area For Young Rehab Patients
By Michelle Durham
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Thanks to six months of hard work by volunteers, patients at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia now have a new rooftop "Sea Garden" to enjoy while they are being treated at Seashore House, the rehabilitation facility in West Philadelphia.
CHOP officials smiled as two young patients cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the rooftop area. The space features a spongy deck surface, areas for basketball, hopscotch, and raised garden beds in which patients can dig.
Seashore sounds fill the air thanks to an outdoor sound system.
Twelve- year-old Sasha Downs says she really appreciate the opportunity to take in a breath of fresh air.
"I couldn't go outside for, like, three months," she said today. "Then, when I came to the Seashore House, I could finally go outside."
Kathleen Johnson's 8½-year-old son Stephen has had two brain surgeries and likes to play basketball. Kathleen says the rooftop garden will help children like her son tremendously.
"Some children are not allowed outside the building, so it give them an opprtunity to go outside, get a breath of fresh air, explore new things. It just gives them the feeling that even though they are here, they can take the advantage of being outside and playing like a normal child."
