Outliers: Patient helps brighten holiday for other kids

When Savannah Day found out her brain surgery would have her spending Christmas in a children's hospital, she saw an opportunity.

The Virginia teen wanted to make the season brighter for other patients spending their holiday there. So she and her sisters set out to collect 500 toys and ended up with more than 4,000.

Savannah Day and her family presented coloring books, dolls, board games and other toys to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center on Dec. 11, the day before her surgery.

The 14-year-old and her sisters, ages 6 and 17, decided to start collecting the toys almost immediately after finding out that Savannah would be in the hospital at Christmas, said their mother, Michelle Day.

Michelle Day said her daughters began their “Cheer 4 Savannah” toy drive in September, asking their cheerleading teams to help. But soon, other groups, friends, family, community members and businesses in their Roanoke suburb of Troutville and around Virginia joined the effort. Social media and news stories spread the word even farther.

“It's been overwhelming for us, but overwhelmingly positive,” Michelle Day said. “We were just so surprised by the great response.”

The toy drive has helped family members as they prepare for Savannah's surgery. She has a malformation in her brain that causes a buildup of spinal fluid that could lead to brain damage without surgery, Michelle Day said.

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